Kleenex works well for me. Plus I can discard them when finished shooting and replace them at virtually no cost at all......And if it’s cold and my nose is running, well, you get the picture.
Kleenex? Nice. Being the serious shooter, you should try using your index fingers.
Do you know the noise reduction rating for kleenex?
I'm guessing it is not vary good and you are experiencing hearing damage. You may not be aware of it now, but when you turn 50 you may discover the irreparable damaged sustained.
Get a good set of hearing protectors (>29 NRR). These will attenuate the noise pressure impulse for gun fire by 40 dB. That means a 165dB impulse will be reduced to 125dB. The higher the dB impulse, the less overall exposure you can tolerate. (1 second continuous exposure at this intensity is the max tolerable before hearing damage begins). Actual gunfire is of shorter duration (1ms) and you can tolerate many gunshots.
Some otoneurologists are concerned with bone induction. So, large muffs than cover the bones around the ear are better than plugs alone.