Does Middle Ear Fluid Make Tinnitus Worse?

I've had tinnitus for about 15 years. Last fall it got radically worse.

If I clear fluid from the middle ear through sinus rinsing, it appears to decrease my tinnitus. Am I imagining this effect?

 

No, you're not imagining it. The long-term tinnitus brain can be a curious reactionary thing susceptible to all manner of changes in input. For example, whenever my own ears have become blocked/bunged (oftentimes seasonal) I've noticed lots of weird variance to my tinnitus: typewriter, steam-hammer, volume up/down, finger in left ear quietens tinnitus in right, and vice-versa. It's capricious and does its thing. Don't worry, yours is not exclusive in that sense.

 

With me it's ear wax buildup, but anything in my ears or over them makes my tinnitus seem worse. Fooling around w/ my ears always makes me nervous, but when I do finally get the courage to clean them w/ hydrogen peroxide and an OTC product called Earwax Removal Aid (comes in a tiny bottle w/ Carbamide Peroxide 6.5% in it), things generally get better. Humidity also makes my tinnitus louder, or at least more noticeable.