Morgans wrote:
"Peter R." wrote

I have tried earplugs and, as strange as this is going to read, I found
that my internal noises, like breathing and swallowing, were actually loud
enough to be distracting with them in. You don't realize how loud our
normal functions are until you block out all external noises.

You should fly for a while without hearing protection. You get the benefit
two ways

One, you will be half deaf, and will not hear most noises, and second, you
might get tinnitus (high pitched ringing in the ears) and the high pitches
screaming in your ear will drown out the other body noises !

Just kidding, everyone. Don't go out there and do this. There is nothing
good to what I described. I know, I live it! :-(

I have very slightly hearing loss due to multiple ear infections as a
child. It's only noticeable during testing, but according to my doctor,
my brain makes up for the the hearing loss in the high frequencies by
being overly effective in the lower frequencies. Makes the noise of my
neighbor's air conditioning unbearable.