Has noise-cancelling earphones caused pain for you before?

[Misty Avich]

As some of you might already know I'm reliant on NC headphones or earplugs every moment I'm at home due to noisy neighbours above, but this thread isn't about the neighbours, it's about NC headphones.

I was given these NC headphones by a friend and they have always worked wonders for me and have always been very comfortable and fitted well. Until the last couple of weeks, when I'm suddenly experiencing burst blood vessels in and around my ears, and I keep getting jaw ache too from the pressure.

I was on vacation for 5 days last week and I thought that would give my ears a break from headphones and earplugs, as I only need them when in my home, but they didn't heal. I feel like all round my ears are bruised and it's so painful and uncomfortable.

No point in going to the doctor's because the only cure for this is to not wear headphones or earplugs for at least a month but that's not possible, and white noise doesn't drown them out. So I was just wondering, some autistics are more sensitive to the world than me and rely on headphones wherever they go, so has anyone like that experienced pain and discomfort and burst blood vessels due to wearing NC headphones too much?

Please, no criticism or anything, I'm just in desperation here and I don't know what will become of my ears but it feels like they are now as damaged as a heavy smoker's lungs with COPD, both inside and out (I've already had multiple inner ear infections and now have vertigo and tinnitus, but now I'm suffering from outer ear discomfort as well).

 

[Au Naturel]

It sounds like they don't fit properly. Your jaw shouldn't even notice them. Are you trying to sleep in them? Are they over the ear or on the ear? Have you tried noise-canceling earbuds?

Mine go completely over the ear with soft, thick padding. Very comfortable.

 

[Jonn]

and I keep getting jaw ache too from the pressure.

I have normal high-quality wireless headphones that cause me ear pain due to the pressure.

 

[Misty Avich]

It sounds like they don't fit properly. Your jaw shouldn't even notice them. Are you trying to sleep in them? Are they over the ear or on the ear? Have you tried noise-canceling earbuds?

No, I don't sleep in them, I use earplugs. Like I already mentioned, they fitted perfectly for the last few months I had them. Now all of a sudden they're making my ears sore.
I think earbuds will give me the same pain as earplugs are.

Mine go completely over the ear with soft, thick padding. Very comfortable.

So are mine. Well, they were.

 

[kriss72]

As some of you might already know I'm reliant on NC headphones or earplugs every moment I'm at home due to noisy neighbours above, but this thread isn't about the neighbours, it's about NC headphones.

I was given these NC headphones by a friend and they have always worked wonders for me and have always been very comfortable and fitted well. Until the last couple of weeks, when I'm suddenly experiencing burst blood vessels in and around my ears, and I keep getting jaw ache too from the pressure.

I was on vacation for 5 days last week and I thought that would give my ears a break from headphones and earplugs, as I only need them when in my home, but they didn't heal. I feel like all round my ears are bruised and it's so painful and uncomfortable.

No point in going to the doctor's because the only cure for this is to not wear headphones or earplugs for at least a month but that's not possible, and white noise doesn't drown them out. So I was just wondering, some autistics are more sensitive to the world than me and rely on headphones wherever they go, so has anyone like that experienced pain and discomfort and burst blood vessels due to wearing NC headphones too much?

Please, no criticism or anything, I'm just in desperation here and I don't know what will become of my ears but it feels like they are now as damaged as a heavy smoker's lungs with COPD, both inside and out (I've already had multiple inner ear infections and now have vertigo and tinnitus, but now I'm suffering from outer ear discomfort as well).

I'm also a heavy user of NC headphones, I sometimes experience pain on my ears from them after a long day, what I think is happening to me, is that the padding gets slowly compressed during the day, and hence they eventually gets so close that they start touching the actual ears, also I have been worried a bit about skin irritation due to the presumed high moisture content of the air trapped between the ears and the headphones - I don't have good advice... except maybe trying a different model...

 

[vergil96]

I do get discomfort and sometimes skin irritation or spots but not infections or bruises. I wash and use an antiseptic on earplugs and cleanse the headphones with an antiseptic. Earbuds don't get as deep in the ear as earplugs, at least some of them, you don't insert them into the ear canal. As for bruises - idk. It can be that the headphones wore off. Many items such as shoes tend to be more comfortable when new and can wear off after a year of everyday usage. I've noticed that with headphones too.

 

[Misty Avich]

I've never had to use NC headphones before, it wasn't until my friend had a spare brand new pair that he said he didn't use so he offered me them. I was delighted, as it would save me from keep having to put earplugs in. They worked wonders, totally blocking out the horrible thumping noises upstairs. But it's only in the last couple of weeks they've been giving me pain all of a sudden. Not rashes or spots, but like an ache in the bone around the ear, like it feels bruised (although you can't see any signs of bruising or soreness).

It might be because my head is small and I've always had to adjust them to the smallest size to fit my head, but the adjusting things have come a bit loose. But I can't really afford a new pair. I wouldn't have to even wear them if we lived in a better sound-proofed home, so I don't feel it's fair to have to keep buying headphones, earbuds and earplugs.

The skin just inside the ear canal feels swollen as well, so I can't wear earplugs. You can imagine the stress I'm having at the moment at bedtime, I'm hardly getting no sleep but I'm so tired.

 

[AuroraBorealis]

That sounds uncomfortable. I don't really know why you suddenly can't tolerate those headphones before when they fit well before. Is it the same on both sides? Do you have a general ear-ache, also without the headphones? Maybe there's an actual infection?

My previous headphones (not NC) gave me pain after I wore them for a while. They were the kind which sits directly on the ears, and since I wear glasses too, I assume that they created pressure on my head. I would have to take them off and wasn't able to press my ears and the skin around them for about an hour, and then the pain would fade.
My current NC headphones are much more comfortable, they are large and don't sit directly on the ear but enclose it, and the padding is softer. It can still get a bit uncomfortable after a few hours, but they don't make that sort of pain like my last ones. The only thing which is a bit annoying is that the NC mode gives me this feeling of pressure against my ears and head - not physical pressure, like the old headphones, but like something's pressing against my eardrums. It's gone as soon as I deactivate the NC function. I read that for some people NC does that, my partner experiences it as well. It's not dangerous or really painful, just a bit uncomfortable.

 

[Judge]

Frankly I find the idea of attempting to use fragile,high-tech noise cancelling headphones to reduce or eliminate all immediate noises over a prolonged period of time utterly impractical. Too much stress for too long on a device not truly intended for such purpose whether comfortable or not. That apart from issues of comfort, stress on the internal wiring breaks down and renders one or both channels useless.

Forget the "rocket science" of noise cancelling headphones. When I encounter external sounds at home, I simply don on traditional supra-aural ear protectors. Ones with a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of -34dB. The same ones I wear at firing ranges. They don't "cancel" noise per se, but they do suppress it.

Apart from being able to wear such simple devices for prolonged amounts of time (outside of sleep) I can- and have physically stretched the thick gauge wire that holds them together to a point where they are tight, but not unbearable from a comfort perspective. I kind of chuckle when I consider what would happen had I "man-handled" high-tech noise-cancelling headphones in a similar manner.

Though I can't help but qualify the use of any such supra-aural devices which are likely never intended to wear for a prolonged or indefinite period of time. Where there's a possibility of anything eventually bothering your ears.

Amazon.com : ear protectors

 

[Misty Avich]

Well, I'll put it like this, whenever I close my jaw my right ear kind of closes up, distorting sound. My left ear was doing it too but not as much as my right ear. Right now it feels like any headphones I put on are going to hurt the bone around my ears.

Maybe I should buy tickets for the family above to a month's vacation at Disneyland so that I can live without having to use any ear protection for a month and give my poor ears a chance to heal up.

Only joking. I haven't even got any money to buy a new set of headphones...

 

[Au Naturel]

No, I don't sleep in them, I use earplugs. Like I already mentioned, they fitted perfectly for the last few months I had them. Now all of a sudden they're making my ears sore.
I think earbuds will give me the same pain as earplugs are.

So are mine. Well, they were.

Earplugs are a pain for me, too. The ear canal surface wants free circulation of air. An ear plug blocks the sebaceous and ceruminous glands that combine to form earwax, leading to inflammation. I've never been happy wearing them, so I go with an over-the-ear muff-style headphone.

My wife wore earplugs at night for years, but now she can't anymore because they have started to irritate her ears. I can't wear them for more than an hour without irritation. We use a fan or relaxing music to drown out ambient noise at night.

The fit on a pair of headphones is adjustable, and maybe they got out of adjustment.

 

[Jonn]

Maybe there's an actual infection?

That is a possibility.

 

[Jonn]

Maybe I should buy tickets for the family above to a month's vacation at Disneyland so that I can live without having to use any ear protection for a month and give my poor ears a chance to heal up.

That would be very expensive.
Rather, I would put the money towards ear transplants for you.

Spoiler

Yes, I was joking too.

 

[Misty Avich]

Earplugs are a pain for me, too. The ear canal surface wants free circulation of air. An ear plug blocks the sebaceous and ceruminous glands that combine to form earwax, leading to inflammation. I've never been happy wearing them, so I go with an over-the-ear muff-style headphone.

So that's why my ears have hardly any wax in them, ever. I get a build up of crystallised stuff around my eardrum but that's it.
I have always got on with earplugs. I love using them in bed, as they block out quite a lot of noise (the neighbours banging and my husband snoring) so I feel shielded from sound, and being slightly deaf anyway I can barely hear anything with earplugs in.
I can't sleep with NC headphones or even any earbuds, as I always lay on my side and it can get uncomfortable. I have tried foam earplugs but they don't block out sound like the silicone earplugs do. Silicone earplugs are the most comfortable sound blocking item to use when I'm in bed but unfortunately now they're causing pain in my ear holes.

My wife wore earplugs at night for years, but now she can't anymore because they have started to irritate her ears. I can't wear them for more than an hour without irritation. We use a fan or relaxing music to drown out ambient noise at night.

I really hope I'm not getting to that stage. Silicone earplugs are all I have to get a good night's sleep, and white noise like fans don't mask noise for me.

 

[Misty Avich]

I've gone deaf today. No wax or anything, just the ear holes have semi-closed up inside. So when people talk it sounds like they're talking very quietly.

 

[Rodafina]

I've gone deaf today. No wax or anything, just the ear holes have semi-closed up inside. So when people talk it sounds like they're talking very quietly.

I know you think you know what the doctor will say, but it sounds like it may be time to consult with or follow up with a healthcare professional - perhaps an ear/nose/throat specialist.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

I know you think you know what the doctor will say, but it sounds like it may be time to consult with or follow up with a healthcare professional - perhaps an ear/nose/throat specialist.

I agree with Rodafina. You need to see a doctor, and maybe a specialist: ENT, in the US. Ears, Nose and Throat doctor.

 

[Jonn]

I've gone deaf today. No wax or anything, just the ear holes have semi-closed up inside. So when people talk it sounds like they're talking very quietly.

Time to air out your ears, me thinks.

I get weeping ears as a result of histamine poisoning, but it doesn't seem to be your problem.

 

[Misty Avich]

Well they seem to hurt less today, even though I've got the same NC headphones on now as we speak. But I am kind of half-deaf.