Is This Normal Tinnitus Behavior?

As I explained in my intro, I had very very mild T for five years after a concert.

Following a virus and sinusitis at Christmas my T worsened. It has improved greatly over past few weeks and is now 2/10 most of the day.

However if I am in any environment other than my home such as a car, a moderately loud restaurant, shopping, my T will spike to about 6/10 once I am home again in the quiet of my house. This will subside after an hour or two. I don't feel that any of these situations are loud enough to need ear protection but do impact upon my T.

Is this normal? It used to do this before the virus but didn't spike so high and went completely away afterwards.

I am fine with my T. No stress, I sleep well. I'm very accepting of it but just want to understand it more to avoid further damage. Plus as my original T was noise induced but this 'episode' was caused by a virus/sinusitis/EDT I never know what to answer when people ask what caused it.

Should I protect my ears in everyday situations?

Thank you, Steffi

 

I think what you are experiencing is called "Reactive Tinnitus". Due to external sounds hitting the ear drum, it causes the volume of T to be temporarily louder until given time for it to calm down. Its VERY common and nothing to worry about. It wont make T worse when it happens but just something you may need to get used to.

 

This is exactly how I would describe my tinnitus. Our causes are different but the level and variance of the volume is exactly like mine. I will add that my tone never changes. It is always the same high pitched "frequency" sound.

 

@Cameron C
Thank you for your reply. I don't feel my T competes with sound at the point of hearing it, it's just an after effect. I thought it might be reactive T but wasn't sure because it's kind of delayed. Im sure you are right though as it seems logical. It doesn't make me anxious but I was concerned it may be doing further damage. Thanks again for taking the time to reply. Steph x

 

@devonlee
Thank you for putting my mind at rest. My T is thankfully only in my left ear and is hard to describe. Over the weeks since my illness it has subsided to a kind of undulating fizzing ring. Easier to ignore than the constant high pitched ring of a few weeks ago but still as effected by sounds. Do you protect your ears in day to day situations? I don't do clubs it concerts anymore and am not a huge music fan. I hope you are at peace with your T.
Thanks! Steph x

 

I don't protect my ears on a regular basis. I feel that would just make me paranoid. I obviously don't expose myself to excessive noises but I try not to worry "is this going to make my tinnitus worse?!" all day every day. My tinnitus is related to hearing loss so unless I know I'm going to be exposed to a constant loud sound, I really try not to worry much. I may start wearing ear plugs when my nieces and nephew come over. I find their high pitched squeals to be pretty bad. I just don't want to have to explain to my family why I'm wearing ear plugs. I also want to be able to hear the other conversations. So it's a hard balance.
I still listen to music in my house and in my car. I still enjoy it though I find it harder to enjoy in the car now. I notice my tinnitus a lot more when I'm in the car. I don't notice it much when I listen to music in my house. I couldn't tell you why that is. Maybe just the fact that the noise has more space to fill? I really don't know.
You can make yourself crazy worrying about tinnitus all day so while it's good to get advice from people here, in the end you need to do whatever is going to work for you.

 

@devonlee
I totally agree! Am learning that! Have realised that what I eat or drink doesn't effect my T. I can't take ibuprofen any more while paracetamol will soften it. It's all about knowing your own T isn't it? Just wanted to check that I wasn't doing damage. I'm a primary teacher and my ears are loud at the end of a lesson but 'recovery' time is lessening/ improving. I notice mine in the car as I notice the pressure in there. As much as I wish my T away I am aware of how mild mine is compared to most on here. Goodnight and happy weekend. X

 

Again we sound the same @Steffi

I read some stories here and am grateful for how mild mine is.
I mean, we could be doing damage. I'm sure every day we expose ourselves to sounds that could be damaging but in my particular case, I would rather deal with progression of hearing loss and/or tinnitus when it comes rather than spend every day obsessing about things that may or may not be making my tinnitus worse. Also, because so much of tinnitus can have to do with cognitive training, I feel that for me personally, to think if certain things are making my t worse would only cause me to focus on my t more.
Even when I sign in to this forum I notice my t more than I did immediately prior to signing on.