A little bit of background. Back in 2013, I went to a concert in a small venue, and feeling invincible, I sat down really close to the speakers. The next day I woke up with a ringing in my ears. I didn't think think too much about it, because I was used to a small ringing after a concert, and it usually disappeared after 24 hours or so. But that time was different... the ringing didn't disappear. I went to the doctor the next week, and my ears were damaged (not a lot, but enough to develop tinnitus).
At first it was hard, but I learned how to live with tinnitus. After a couple of years, my brain/body got used to it. I was able to completely ignore the ringing. My life came back mostly to normal.
I purchased a motorcycle back in 2014 (Honda Rebel 450), then in 2015 I purchased a Honda CX500 Custom. I rode those bikes mostly on the weekend. Just a quick ride. But I never wore any gear... just regular clothes.
Then in mid 2015 I had a daughter, and I decided to sell my motorcycles. During that period, I started to become more safety aware.
Well, fast forward to November 2018 (7 months ago). I needed a method of transportation, because we had just one car (still do) and my wife got a new job and she couldn't drop at my office anymore. I decided to purchase a new motorcycle.
But now I did prepare myself. I purchased a full face helmet, a motorcycle jacket, boots and gloves. And since November 2018, I have been riding my motorcycle 5 days a week.
But in January 2019, my ears started to act weird again. The ringing was coming back, but worse. I started to hear the humming bassy noises from neighbor's A/C units at night right inside my head ). The ringing was very loud too. My ears were extremely sensitive. I was not able to sleep properly for weeks. Me and my wife even had some problems because of it. I didn't know why it started to happen again. I even created this thread:
https://www.resetera.com/threads/era-i-need-help-im-going-insane-serious.90009/
Well... after a few months, I read on Reddit about ear damage from riding motorcycles. I didn't think it was affecting me because:
- My motorcycle is small and doesn't make a lot of noise
- I was using a full face helmet
After months of suffering, I discovered the issue. It was the motorcycle and me not using a good helmet and ear plugs. That particular helmet created a gust of wind tunneled directly into my ears. I never cared about wind noise. But it was affecting me.
I purchased a new helmet and ear plugs, and now I'm better. It took a few months, but I'm much better now. Take good care of your ears. I suffered for months, and I don't want you to experience what I experienced. Buy a good helmet and wear ear plugs.