Does Lack of Sleep Make Your Ringing Louder?

I have noticed that when I don't get enough sleep...the ringing appears to change in volume. Either that or I have a decreased tolerance. I started therapy to help with my worrying state of mind. I have been to 2 ENTs, with one saying "learn to live with it" and the other saying "I believe it will go away...it almost always does...it may take a few months or years....but it will go away...and in the mean time work on your stress/anxiety". I visisted my primary care doctor for my low state of mood and he prescribed me Celexa. I took it and felt like I was messed up. On top of that, I was unable to sleep that night (sleep loss is a huge NO for me). I decided that Celexa and the sleep loss side effect was not worth it. I called my doctor to consult and his nurse practitioner called back to say "sorry...we can't help you from here...we need to refer you out". I found a psychiatrist and visited her last week. She prescribed me Zoloft. I asked for low dosage at first because I was nervous of adverse side effects. On day 1 of taking the med I built my anxiety up regarding possible loss of sleep and the first night...I could not sleep. I was a mess. My poor brain built up the idea that I would not be able to sleep. I took the pill the second day but in the afternoon decided that anti-depressants were not going to fix anything and the adverse side effects were not worth it.

The funny thing is that I am learning to tolerate the ringing at night. I have found a sound that works and can generally fall asleep (sometimes with a bit of help from melatonin). It's when I am anticipating that I cannot sleep that I start to live the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Last night I slept maybe 4 hours and am more aware of the sounds. It's strange...there are days when I feel confident and calm and the ringing does not seem to bother me one bit. I do realize that I need to work on my anxiety. It does not serve me one bit. I have modified my life in so many ways it seems. I gave up alcohol (my lovely glass of red wine a night took a back seat). I am trying to get out and socialize with friends, because if anything, it distracts me and gives me a few moments of forgetting about it. I have realized that sitting around and not doing anything does not serve me either. I have embraced the "do it now...feel like it later" motto.

Today I feel sad. I feel like I have been punched in the gut and crave crawling into a ball and crying. Yet, that won't solve a thing. This is the road to acceptance I guess. I started reading Victor's Frankls "Man's Search For Meaning" and am embracing the phrase "He who has a WHY can bear almost any HOW". I will say that my life has slowed down A LOT! I am hesitant to rush these days as I fear it will increase the little anxious button in my system. I embraced daily medication and continue to tell myself "A water jug fills drop by drop"...and in my case "I will get better moment by moment".

Until that "better" comes I will continue to seek therapy, practice acceptance and meditation, really try to be mindful when doing yoga, distract myself, remember to "live lightly", and seek support when needed.

This is for everyone out there having a bad day today. You will get through this. Remember to not feed into the negative thoughts. Remember that by thinking negatively or reacting negatively to a feelings or sound you are giving that feeling/sound power. They say that tinnitus is worse for Type D (the worrier) personalities and I don't doubt it. I have spent my life looking at the worst case scenario and realize now...how was that really serving me? It wasn't and is not.

Look at this ringing as an opportunity. Unfortunately, there are days where are ringing makes us feel like we are climbing mt everest everyday. We feel utterly alone and each step is assisted by both hands picking up our leg. Continue your fight to keep yourself calm. This ringing has forced us to change our lives but instead of looking at how it has negatively impacted our lives maybe start to increase the thoughts of how it has made your life better. For me it makes me slow down. It makes me THINK before I react. It reminds me that I am stronger than I give myself credit for. It reminds me that I am in control damnit!!! Do not give up my friends. We have our ups and downs but in those downs...get out and talk to people and FORCE a smile on yourself because sooner or later your body will respond to that smile!

You are all incredibly amazing survivors who are STRONG, VIBRANT, and COURAGEOUS. Do not isolate yourself...if anything, lean on this forum for support. Remember this...for every negative thought you tell yourself...challenge it with a positve/uplifting/hopeful thought.

Have a beautiful day today. Get outside if you can and take a walk. Let the sun's rays soak up your sorrows

 

I too tried anti D and had terrible side effects and had to stop them.
Thank you very much for those words of encouragement

 

The perceived 'loudness' is largely related to the activity of the Limbic System of your brain which is the emotional driver. So anything that causes stress or anxiety will increase the Limbic response, hence the tinnitus will appear louder. There are many different classes of antidepressants and just because Celexa (which is a SSRI) was not helpful does not mean that drugs from other classes would not be tolerated and help. I would suggest you ask your GP for a referral to a psychiatrist for more expert treatment. The 4 keys to successful management (not 'cure') for tinnitus is (1) Education (2) Counseling (3) Tinnitus Retraining and (4) Good sleep and low anxiety - with medications if necessary.

 

Can't sleep. Does Xanax help

 

Not good long term. Try camomile tea ( night blend ) and magnesium at night.

 

Melatonin combined with camomile tea.

 

Agreed, not in the long term. But in the short term... Kind of. However, benzos like Xanax aren't meant to be sleep meds. I would try the naturals like melatonin, valerian and chamomile first if you haven't had sleep problems before. If those don't work and you must look at prescription meds, consider Rozerem. It's prescription grade melatonin, not addictive.

 

Thank you all..you're the best !!!

 

Hey Vegas Robb, a lot of us here have sleep issues. I got mine before tinnitus; doctors now think it was due to brain damage from a cerebral hemorrhage. Anyway, come back any time re. this issue. You'll gets lots of good advice, both from natural approach and traditional medicine.

 

I had a script for Xanax but decided against it.

I used tiny teeny doses of diazepam x2 in the beginning, but now I sleep unaided (pharmaceutically) with a fan on. that's about it. T doesn't keep me awake. anxiety does. so I try to meditate or do whatever works with the anxiety so I can get off to sleep. my hypnotherapist has made me a cd to use in between sessions to desensitize me to t, and another for general relaxation. it works!

 

I use Xanax only when it's really bad. Z-Quill which is new from the makers of NyQuil is very good and definately helps you sleep.

 

Yeah, sleep (or lack thereof) has been the biggest issue by far for me in my journey with T! Early on docs put me on Ambien and Paraxotine, but those turned me into a zombie!! I tried Xanax, and liked it, but was afraid of dependency. I now try to get as naturally tired as possible through exercise and hard work. Plus I have 3 boys and they wear me out luckily!! Thanks to Sherri786 I am now drinking camomile tea ( night blend ) before bed which is helping to calm me. I have also been listening to a variety of different sound therapies (all found here on TT) that are really helping me to nod off. I do take a very low dose of Klonipin which does just keep me even keeled.

Experiment with different treatments and meds/supplements until you find the right blend. But don't give up until you do, because as you know sleep is soooooooooo important!!!

Best to You!!

 

Yeah,camomile tea help, I haven't try it but sound good cause it can get rid of your stress and depression...

 

Does a lack of sleep increase T...thanks

 

If i sleep for several hours and wake up my tinnitus is almost zero.If i try to nap it comes back louder.So now as soon as i wake up I get up and have a good day. I just hope i do not wake up 3 o clock in the morning.

 

Lack of sleep sure aggravates it for me. I started on Celexa about 2 weeks ago, and was taking it at night. After about a week and a half I made the connection that I had not been having sleep issues until AFTER I started taking the Celexa.
I could get to sleep for about 4 hours, but then the rest of the night was toss and turn, toss and turn, and with that, the clanging pulsing in my head got louder, and when it was time to get up, I was shaky, anxious and nearly insane.
I decided to switch to taking the Celexa in the morning. I took 25mg of Benadryl at bedtime, slept so-so, but not as poorly as I had. Did wake up with some loudness and anxiety.
2nd night, took 50 mg of benadryl and slept great- woke up with faint sounds, and hardly a bit of anxiety. What anxiety I had was due to it being the day I was going back to work after my 11-day newbie meltdown. Well it was a REALLY good day-- sounds stayed faint all day, I felt pretty normal. Taking the Celexa in the morning was not causing me any weird side-effects.
And then-- 3rd night. Was feeling good about that day- took the 50mg of benadryl....and could not get to sleep for a couple of hours, and then woke up probably 3 hours later and toss, turn, toss, turn, clang CLANG CLANG - and got up shaky and anxious. UGH! Not sure what went wrong there, and such a bummer after having probably my first really good day (mood, volume) since my onset 5 weeks ago.
So here I sit at work- my usual maskers-- HVAC in the office, desk fan, streaming soothing music via bluetooth speaker which usually help tame it down to faint crickets- not working. So disappointed after how good yesterday was.
And of course now-- bedtime is becoming a source of anxiety. I have a bedside fan, a Sound Oasis Sound machine, pillow speakers... sometimes I wonder if the Sound Machine itself is actually the culprit. Night #2-- the good sleep night- I slept only with the fan on, no Sound machine. Last night I used the Sound Machine...maybe it's too distracting for me.
Maybe tonight I'll forego the Sound Machine. Everything is trial and error it seems.... but I want to find a way to SLEEP through the night as it definitely has a serious adverse affect on me!

 

Amitryptiline 10mg before bed helps me sleep and wards off some of the anxiety. It doesn't make my tinnitus worse.

 

Yes, just one night of bad sleeping/not enough sleep and my T raises considerately in volume.

Thank god, I am able to sleep well. I take Mirtazapin which has a drowsing effect, and it helps me to get a good nights sleep.

 

For me, I’m not sure if it’s a lack of sleep or just quality sleep. What I mean by this is that I seem to be getting enough hours (or think I am!) but I’m waking up in the morning with my tinnitus as loud as it can be, accompanied with a headache. After a couple of hours it may calm down a bit. I’ve always known lack of sleep is the biggest contributor of my tinnitus. Now it seems to be just sleep in general!