Does Stress and Focusing on Tinnitus Actually Make It Louder or Is It Just a "Placebo Effect"?

I have been stressed a lot lately, been focused a lot on my tinnitus lately and I am wondering if I'm making it louder. Back in January it didn't seem as loud. Is this just all in my head or is there a scientific reason that doing this would make it sound louder?

 

Don't know about "scientific" answers to why your tinnitus spikes. But I do know, anecdotally, that stress can be a factor. That's just my experience though.

Look into ways to relax and bring your stress level down. I've found relaxation techniques and counseling to be helpful.

 

I've seen imaging studies that have concluded that putting conscious attention on audio percepts increases the amount of activity in the auditory cortex.

Attention is very, very powerful; if it wasn't, stuff like mediation wouldn't really work...

 

@linearb
Very interesting information. Could you give us the source? I found some articles related to this subject, but maybe your source is different and better.
Thank you.

 

Reminds me of biofeedback in a way: Focus on a specific area of the body to raise the temperature, relax certain muscles, etc.

 

Link, please? I'd like to include that info in my book. Having a difficult time tracking down any kind of neuroimaging images, such as from MRIs, that objectively measure tinnitus in the brain or perception of volume.

 

Without doubt. It's not really proof but try doing an audiogram. When the sounds are at their quietest you are listening so intently that your T becomes VERY loud. This soon dissipates once you get back to some kind of normality and stop putting so much attention on your ears.

 

I'm out of town trying to win money in a game tournament, but I will try to dig it up when I get back!

 

@linearb
I also have hundreds of files and I know how hard is to find something.
We thank you for your intention to make the effort.

 

Do the BTS method and you won't have to worry about stress affecting your T, you won't have worry about focusing on it, because the method teaches you not to. The scientific reason is because the T signal is stuck in your amygdala area of your brain. When it's there, you have to fight it or run from it. Which is impossible of course. The BTS is simple and teaches you to move the T signal to your logical mind - the prefronal cortex. I found this out because after having great success doing this method I asked a professional therapist why it works and this was how he explained it to me.
I used to respond to my tinnitus 50 to 100 times a day, now after a little over a year, I only hear it and respond the new way 2 or 3 times a week. Cool, huh?
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/back-to-silence.7172/

 

Absolutely ! Stress a s focusing on sound make it worse

 

It sure seems that way, especially if you are disturbed by it.

 

Did you ever find it? It's been over six months now

 

So far this an unsatisfying thread.

The OP, as well as myself, wants to know if stressing out about your tinnitus LITERALLY makes it louder.

Yes, I'm sure that being stressed in general makes the experience of having tinnitus more distressing.

Hopefully people realize that this is an entirely different question / realization from asking whether stress literally leads to the exacerbation of tinnitus symptoms.

Who can accurately answer that question?

 

That's what I hear from all the folks that improved from TRT/CBT and whatnot. If it does then those treatments may have some utility, if it doesn't then it seems they would be a waste of time.

 

http://eoa.umontreal.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/publicationsHebertS_soundStressCortisol.pdf

 

I've always found when I am stressed out, it certainly increases in volume. And I know for a fact concentrating on the sound, rather than ignoring it, makes it seem louder and more annoying.

 

I think that for me, being in a severe distress state actually leads to louder volume, as measured by minimum masking -- but I don't know if that's true for anyone else.

I think this is one of the studies I'd seen earlier:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304394099002888