Are Latent Tinnitus Spikes Possible?

I've had tinnitus as long as I can remember and my biggest frustration is not even the physical ringing but the psychological battle of it being worsened by stress. Almost no concrete or actionable research is known beyond avoid loud sounds, which causes me to stress out a lot because there's just nothing you can do most of the time. I cover my ears when possible but it would just cause even more stress and psychological damage to wear earplugs perpetually in fear of the momentary loud situations forced on me a few times a year. After every one of these events, I feel that worrying about the long term damage is doing more harm than the sound itself did.

To hopefully alleviate this, does anyone have insight on what signs I can look out for to stop worrying about the event? Example: fire alarm in a parking garage with lots of echoing, I covered my ears but had maybe 10 seconds of unavoidable exposure to open doors and such. If I wake up the next morning with no spike, can I safely forget about it? Do I have to wait a week? If I'm ok immediately after the event, should I already stop worrying about it, or can problems arise later?

 

Hi thekillertomato,

I think you should see an audiologist that specialises in tinnitus management and have some counselling. This will help lower any concerns you have about your tinnitus spiking or increasing because of stress. Stress can make tinnitus worse and I believe you are worrying unnecessarily.

It is true exposure to loud noise can make tinnitus worse but one would have to be exposed to it for some time. This does not include a sudden burst of loud noise from a gun for example. Providing a person has habituated to tinnitus and not experiencing any oversensitivity to sound or has hyperacusis, there is no need to be overusing hearing protection in the manner you are doing for normal everyday sounds. This will often make things worse by lowering the loudness threshold of the auditory system which will make it more sensitive to sound. If a person continues this practice they can develop psychological problems that you speak of.

I have written about this in my threads: Hyperacusis, As I See It and The Complexities of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis, in the links below. Please go to my started threads and read the posts mentioned below. If possible, print them and refer to them often, as you will absorb and retrain the information better than reading them on your phone or computer screen. They are a form of counselling.

New to Tinnitus, What to Do, Tinnitus, A Personal View, The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset. What Is TRT and When Should It Be Started?

Try not to use any type of headphones even at low volume. If you are not using sound enrichment at night, then I advise that you should. More information about this is in my post: New to Tinnitus, What to Do?

All the best,
Michael

Hyperacusis, As I See It | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
The Complexities of Tinnitus and Hyperacusis | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Spikes can typically take a day or two to appear in my experience. You shouldn't wear earplugs all the time, but have them available for when you are likely to need them. You may need help managing your stress, whether from the doctor or herbal remedies like Valerian or St. John's Wort. Try mindfulness and breathing meditations to avoid letting troublesome thoughts go round and round your mind. Habituation is possible but takes time and we can still have our ups and downs. Don't be too hard on yourself.

 

Can stress worsen tinnitus?

 

For me it's mainly noise that worsens my tinnitus. Stress can worsen all sorts of things so I guess tinnitus is not immune from that but I'm probably too busy having my panic attacks to notice.

 

Stress can make you perceive tinnitus more than you normally do. As such, it can appear louder or more persistent. Just know that it is not a disease and redirect your focus onto something else - go for a walk, take a shower, do the dishes. That should reduce the tinnitus as you perceive it less.