Can YouTube Neuromodulation Tracks Cause Permanent Tinnitus Spikes?

Hello everyone, i first joined last night and it's my first post here. I wanted to ask for some advice regarding a spike but a brief history first!

I have had tinnitus for a year, caused by moderately loud volume through earbuds. At least that's what I think. The tinnitus itself is mild and I only notice it in absolutely silence. I also DON'T have hearing loss or hyperacusis. For the past 6 months I have been listening to this neuromodulation track every day for masking.

I use it in the LOWEST volume possible 10-20% tops through SPEAKERS since my tinnitus is mild and it can mask it even at that volume. I noticed some temporary relief and my tinnitus was gone for a few minutes afterwards.

The past three weeks I decided to use headphones to see if it's more effective. I listened 3-4 times through headphones for an hour to an hour and a half tops at a time at VERY LOW volume over a two week period, so I didn't listen to it every single day.

The thing is that two weeks ago I noticed that my tinnitus is sharper. Not necessarily louder, but definitely sharper. I wanted to ask if it's temporary and what are the chances that it was caused by the neuromodulation track through the headphones? To sum it up, at a VERY LOW volume (15-20%), 1.5 hours tops at a time, 3-4 times over a two week period.

 

Hey there, Jim! I quite like your profile picture!

Allow me to address parts of your post:

If your tinnitus was caused by listening to something, then it is very likely if not guaranteed that you have some degree of hearing loss. If you mean there's no loss that was detected on an audiogram, then you should know those aren't entirely robust. Tinnitus can arise from damages to frequencies that aren't tested or aren't tested thoroughly enough. It's a fickle bastard like that.

Some have claimed that it's best not to use headphones ever when you have tinnitus that is likely noise-induced. This varies from person to person, but those against it claim that you can experience spikes regardless of however low your volume may be.

It's hard to conclusively say how long changes to your noise or spikes in general can take. In fact, there's no way to know for sure. Most people will state that spikes can last anywhere from days to weeks, so you'll just have to wait it out at this point.

I would personally recommend avoiding this video from hereon or, at the very least, avoid listening to it with headphones and going back to the speakers.

There are, however, many other things that could possibly have caused this "sharpness". Changes in diet, mood, or body chemistry can certainly contribute to some extent. Is there anything new in that regard?

 

Hello Drachen. Since I'm new here could you tell me how can I select parts of a post and quote them? I will have to answer with numbers till I figure it out

1. I have done 4 audiograms and none has found hearing loss. Do I need to do a more specific one to determine if I have hearing loss or not?

2. The thing is that I used headphones sparingly at very low volume so I want to know what are the chances that the spike was caused by that? I have been listening to this track every day for 6 months several hours per day on speakers at minimum volume. Is there a chance that prolonged listening has caused the spike? It seems unlikely to me that it would have appeared after 6 months of everyday use. What do you think?

3. The thing is that the track can provide great masking at 10% volume. It's the only one I have found. I have been using it on speakers for so long. Do you believe it will be safe to continue doing so on speakers and low volume?

4. My anxiety has kicked in since tinnitus and has been worse for the past 3 months but I didn't have a spike then. It happened two weeks ago.

5. In the chance that the spike was caused by the headphones, what are the chances that it will go back to normal since I only used headphones 4 times at very low volume days apart from each listening?

 

Hello folks. During our everyday lives we are exposed to noises that measure up to 50 dB or even 60 dB like hair dryers, electric toothbrushes or even movies.

As someone who already has tinnitus, is it OK to be exposed to sounds in the 50-60 dB range for, let's say 4-5 minutes each day?

I would appreciate your input. Thanks and good luck to everyone!!!