Hey Miranda! I have had tinnitus for about 30 years (since a young relative set off a strip of firecrackers next to me) It never goes away, and I am lucky in that it always sounds about the same in pitch,rythym and volume. One thing to consider is that for some people, (me included) the tinnitus is almost intolerable when life brings lots of stress. And when stress is well managed or low, the tinnitus is quite tolerable. It's almost like a stress indicator for me, so although there is nothing I can do about the tinnitus, it is a reminder to care for myself in other ways to make life better. And like other writers here, I am so much more careful about caring for my hearing! Avoiding loud music, music directly in my ears, loud car radio, taking care to plug my ears in loud movie scenes, hair dryer noise, etc.As far as earplugs go, perhaps just one on the traffic side, but I really want to use all of my senses on the bike, and hear what I can't yet see. Good luck! Tokie