I wear hearing protection pretty regularly for work. It's astonishing how loud riding the subway was after becoming more attuned to loud noise and doing what I could to mitigate it. Ditto concerts. The level they turn the music up to is nuts.

I use earplugs made for sleeping (so have an emphasis on comfort over noise blockage) and that definitely helps.

Did you get custom molded ones or are there more comfortable generic earplugs?

I tried the custom molded ones and they felt more uncomfortable to me than just buying the high-end off-the-shelf "sleep" earplugs at a major retailer. They fit nicely and do block the most noise, but tend to be very rigid/inflexible, which makes them hurt when I lay down or put pressure on them. Even just stting, they start to be uncomfortable after some time.

I can't tell what brand I'm using because I (unhelpfully for this case) throw away the box and just keep them in the plastic bag they come in, but every 6 months or so I'll go to Fred Meyer, Target, or Walmart and buy a big pack of the most expensive earplugs that say "sleep" on the box :-)

Is your tinnitus worse when you take the cotton balls out?

Its always there, just the other noise is overwhelming. With them in, tinnitus feels much less noticeable. Plus the upside is if I really need to hear something, like a phone call, I just take them out.