Did Anxiety/Stress Cause My Tinnitus? Could It Go Away?

Hi all, I am a 18 year old male, and I recently just got tinnitus only a few days ago but I'm really really worried about how it will affect my life, and I'm desperate to hear some reassurance as I have nowhere else to turn but online.

Last year I was going through some stuff and I tried to drown out my problems with loud music in my headphones. Towards the end of the year I realised I might have done some damage and stopped listening so loud, turning down the volume to 30% from 90% on my headphones.

I've been fine for the last 6 months but I received news about my mother's terminal illness about 2 months ago. The anxiety this has placed on me is immense, and I'm hoping it is the cause of my tinnitus.

In addition to this I am away from my girlfriend for 3 weeks which also caused an increase in my anxiety levels. I wasn't listening to anything loud when it happened, I was lying in bed when I heard a metallic ringing noise in my ears, followed by a loud static. I was unnerved but thought nothing of it and went back to sleep. When I awoke it was still there and now, it alternates between being super loud if I concentrate on it or quiet if I ignore it.

I would tell my parents but my dad is already so stressed out and I have nobody else to talk to.

I was wondering what the likelihood of it being an anxiety caused problem is, and whether if I am able to calm down it might remove or decrease the static in my ears. I love music so this has been heartbreaking to me.

I can't tell you how thankful I will be for any replies, stories, or hopeful comments any of you might have for me.

I'm heartbroken at the thought of trying to live with this, and I can't tell you how highly I think of all of you who have had to live through it for years. God bless you all.

 

I’m so sorry to hear what you are going through

You got tinnitus recently, and a lot can still happen for the better. Quit using headphones and protect your ears from now on. You only got two of them. You are also young and chances are big that you’ll recover. I actually think you will!

Read my thread about my brother’s best friend who recovered from hyperacusis and tinnitus. Your situation seem a bit similar to his story.

Best wishes!

 

Hi Nick!

First of all, You will be better.

We almost all have the same cause of tinnitus. Mine appeared when I was extremely anxious. Also my body was starving because of my phagophobia. A train made a depressurisation noise that made my ears suffer for 1 sec. My tinnitus appeared 3-4 h after this incident.

I personally think that long-term anxiety weakened our body, then our ears, I don't think that the noise I was exposed to would have hurt me if I was healthy. People around me didn't care of the noise, just me.

It's been a month now. And what I can tell you is that I feel much better! So does my tinnitus. It has lost a lot of power. Couldn't hear it this morning, but anytime I'm looking for it, it comes back instantly. Maybe my tinnitus will stay for good, but I can handle it.

I can't promise you it will go away, and I can't promise you it will stay either.
I'm just a newbie in this "Tinnitus Journey", same as you, so I feel your pain.
But it gets better if you take care of yourself, listen to your body.

Patience, be calm and healthy, do not let anxiety get you. Easy to say, I know! Especially in your situation.
Since I let my anxiety go away, it is much easier to deal with it, and I promise you it will not bother you that much.
Stay distracted by some activities and avoid silence. It helped me to forget my tinnitus.

About headphones, I personally avoid it since my incident as advised by @Michael Leigh. He truly helped me in this journey.
I miss headphones so much, but my ears are much better since I stopped using them.

Here is what I learned in my 1-month tinnitus journey. I'm no expert, but I hope it will help you at least a bit.

I wish you the best for the future in your personal life, sincerely.
Sorry for my chaotic English, haha.
Take care my friend.

 

Thank you so much for this I definitely will quit using headphones! All my love!

 

@Nick123456 No problem! I hope your situation resolves and that you get better soon

 

I was also wondering as I don't know many of the dos and dont's of tinnitus, I go out clubbing with friends a little bit, do you think I could get away with going out like that if I'm wearing earplugs? That might be a really dumb question but I was really looking forward to going out with two of my best friends I haven't seen for ages next weekend.

 

No it’s not a dumb question. Maybe this is not the answer you’re looking for but quit going to clubs. For at least a year or so, even with earplugs.

Your ears got injured and they need time to heal, and plenty of time!

Maybe you can do some other stuff with your friends? Something more quiet? If you want to get better your ears need some rest. Of course, don’t stop living your life. But no clubs, concerts, movies, etc. Use earplugs whenever decibels might go over 80-85? Or if you feel something is just too loud.

I protect my ears all the time, and still haven’t seen any improvement. It takes a lot of time.

 

Go out with them somewhere else. If your tinnitus is caused by anxiety and it gets louder from the club, you'll stress from making a potential bad choice and possibly make it louder. If it's caused by noise, definitely don't. Going to clubs or any too loud places is playing with fire. I would recommend going elsewhere with your friends. Maybe a game night perhaps at your home? Super smash bros is better than any club in my honest opinion.

 

Thank you so much for the reply. As I am still very early into this I don't know whether it's noise or anxiety caused as yet, but all the same I will definitely take your advice and stay out of clubs if I can. Smash Bros is a preferable option for me for sure but my extroverted friends don't seem to agree. I think I'll try convincing them to go to a little pub or something else, definitely until I get a diagnosis from a doctor. Thank you for taking the time to reply, I'm desperate to find relief for this so I'm praying it can fade away on its own or with some kind of treatment. Thanks for replying