Does Tinnitus Get Worse Over Time?

Can I expect my tinnitus to get worse with time? I am terrified with each passing day.

 

Hey laney,

What do you think brought on your T?? Trauma (exposure to loud noise), stress, hearing loss...?? Do you have any idea? Some types of T can actually get better with time and also the brain has a wonderful way of learning to deal with T. In all truth though, you can and may experience "spikes", or temporary increases in volume and tone/pitch. But from my own personal experience, my T has not worsened over this past year, just a few temporary spikes (like right now).

Your fear, anxiety, terror of your T worsening can actually cause your T to spike. It's a vicious circle! So getting yourself stabilized and centered is paramount!! Find a way to not fixate on your T, relaxation and breathing techniques, meds, whatever (to some extent!) it takes to level y0ur emotional/psychological state out, and your T should level out as well. Don't focus/obsess about the future, get through today for now. Stay connected here on TT for support and info.

 

Odds are highly in your favour that it won't get worse. Of course that means using common sense and not exposing yourself to harmful noise. Don't be afraid of everyday noise however as our brains accept this as normal. Maybe as you age you might experience some hearing loss which is normal. You shouldn't be terrified and what Jeff said regarding fear etc... causing a vicious circle is correct. You really need to just accept your T for what it is and live your life regardless. In time your T shouldn't be an issue or something that controls your life which is what it is doing now.

And that is a cute dog!

 

Nah man, it wont. If anything, it will get better in time but definitely not worse provided you are sensible with your ears. If you freak out about it, it will sound louder. That happens to me all the time!

 

It depends on what's causing your tinnitus. I have tinnitus as part of a neurological disease, visual snow syndrome, and my tinnitus along with all my other symptoms has gotten worse. At the beginning I could only hear tinnitus in complete silence when I was lying in my bed at night. Now I hear it over background noise of all kinds. Yours hopefully won't get worse, but the answer to the question I think depends on the root cause. Unless someone knows the details of exactly what's causing your tinnitus, I don't think they know what the progression will be.

 

Not to be a downer, but if you T is hearing loss/hearing damage related then as you age and you look more range of hearing wouldn't the T automatically get worse?

 

Is is a complex neurological problem and since no one exactly knows what causes it no one can tell whether it will or will not get worse. However, only around 10-25% of the sufferers actually seek medical help which means that around 70-80% of the people habituate naturally. There are many-many cases where people live with tinnitus for 20-30 years and some people actually manage to forget they have it (for decades). Also, if you look around this forum, especially under research news you will see that there are different treatments being worked out and it is likely that in less than 10 years there will be better treatments available.
Try to determine what affects it. For example, in my case good night sleep makes it milder, whereas stress fatigue and negative emotions make it worse. I havent noticed loud noises (street noises: constructions, cars etc) or coffee and moderate amounts of alcohol making it worse. Find out what changes your tinnitus and try to avoid the things that make it louder.

 

I bought a headset 3 days ago, and wore it maybe for one hour with music, not very loud (5/6 of 11 on iphone)

now it feels like my T is 33% louder :-(

maybe it's louder because im freaking out about it...

never mind, now i can barely hear it in a silent room after a bath.

i hear the somewhat lower pitched "metal spinning wheel" sound a lot louder though, maybe thid sound is a result of bass?

 

No. There's no direct link between hearing loss and tinnitus. Sure, there are probably more people with hearing loss that have tinnitus, but I saw a statistic that 27% of profoundly deaf people do not have tinnitus.

@Erlend I would be very careful with headphones.

 

Hello Every One,

I am wondering if for most people ..has Tinnitus increased over time or remained the same? I have it from 3 years now, and it feel my T has slowly increased. It seems after i went to see a loud movie few months back..i have more days with louder T. Its not like as loud as i had T spike after a concert, but it has been bothersome.
I am at work today, and inspite all computer,s printers and AC- I have to turn on my white noise.

I wonder for most people how are they doing after 10 plus years?? 1) is T lot louder? 2 ) Are they getting lot more bothered by it than before or most have "habituated " ?
Would love to get answers from T sufferers who has had T from 1o plus years.

 

My dad's hasn't gotten worse in 20+ years.

 

Does your dad know what caused his T? And does he still go out to say loud movies or concerts or any loud noise? But thats awsome i would love for my T to stay this way for 20 more years!

 

Hey grace, yea my dad goes out never wears ear protection though ( prob not a good idea). He's not exactly sure how he got it loud noise, qtips, medication maybe but my family goes to a lot of different gatherings and weddings all which are super Loud nothing ever phases him. Most people should prob not handle t the way he does but it works for him lol.

 

My T is the same after 5 years.

 

Thats amazing good for him! i have an uncle who has loud T and same with him hes had it for 15 years and like you said loud family weddings and hes always the one goin crazy on the dance floor im just amazed how some peoples T treats them great while others get treated shitty :-/ but hey maybe you
Got your dads gene and yours will stay the same/get better!!!!!!!!

 

I have had tinnitus for close to 1o years now, and besides temporary increases, it has not gotten any worse. I don't notice my T unless I'm in a very quiet room and want it to stay that way. I'm concerned about it getting worse as I age, as I am only 22 and fear having my T get worse in the future

 

How did you get t?

 

It turned up after a pretty bad ear infection. I noticed ringing in my ears one night that wouldn't go away, and I think it was the next day when I started to notice the pain and I was diagnosed with a double ear infection a couple days later. Apparently my hearing is fine, though. I had a test and the doctor said there weren't any abnormalities and I feel like I can hear well enough.

 

Does your tinnitus bother you?

 

It only bothers me when I'm in a very quiet room. I don't notice it when I'm engaged with normal activities. I forgot I had it for a full school year because of how busy I was with work and socializing.

 

I also got my tinnitus from an infection. Have you had trouble sleeping or anything like that, or do you mask it? I hope you are feeling good about your tinnitus. From what I understand, as long as you protect your hearing, your tinnitus should actually get better over time as you learn to habituate.

 

Aging does not necessarily make tinnitus worse. You could stay the same for the rest of your life. I have a family member with tinnitus for over thirty years--he also got it very young--and he's fine. I know an older woman in her sixties who's had tinnitus since she was thirteen and is also fine.

Don't worry about your tinnitus increasing. Just be cautious. Wear ear protection in loud places--including movie theaters--and watch what types of drugs you take, especially aminoglycoside antibiotics. These are very ototoxic and since you have tinnitus it's best to not take them. Of course, if you have to take one of them, you may also supplement with NAC, which should prevent or mitigate whatever damage the antibiotic might cause.

And don't spend time focusing on your tinnitus. Forget about it. That's the best thing you can do to insure you will stay very low.

Here is a list of aminoglycide antibiotics:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aminoglycoside
​

Here is information on NAC for otoprotection. NAC is also good for minimizing noise-induced damage. But, of course, with tinnitus it is best to avoid situations where such damage might occur:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/what-exactly-is-considered-a-safe-noise-level.5154/#post-52199

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...amage-by-use-of-antioxidants.1354/#post-50470​

 

If your hearing is fine and you protect your ears, i think you have nothing to worry about.

By the way, I'm curious to know the evolution of T with hearing loss.

 

Hi,
I'm not sure why I'm posting here as I don't really have a question. I guess I am just desperate and just looking for shred of hope to hang on to! I have had T for 6 months now and each day brings what seems like a loader, higher pitched sound in my ears. I have researched lots of things and tried as best I can to try them - relaxation, yoga, exercise, CBT technics, etc. The last straw was a visit to my GP (one of many) yesterday to ask for help in the form referral to ENT for counciling and further investigation and was told it wasn't available to me and he would give me anti depressents! I coundn't sleep last night and am just wondering how I go on, it seems like an impossibility at the moment as I have no hope, just getting up with louder noises day by day. Sorry for the rant, I'm just desparate!

 

Hey. Are you sure it just doesn't seem like it's getting louder. Mine seems louder sometimes but I don't think it is. You can sometimes just perceive it as louder. Try not to take the antidepressants if you can. You'll rely on them. Then you'll be habituating, then soon as you come off the antidepressants, you'll feel like you Neen them to cope with the tinnitus. Then your habituation will take a few steps backwards.

 

Have you watched the movie "The Devil's Symphony"? Here's the start of it:

My Tinnitus Sounds Like... - Devil's...

It's not about how to escape the sound, but merely an introduction to it to folks who don't know it even exists. I'm the bass player, and I know very well what you're going through. Just try to be patient and listen to mitigating sounds. I prefer crickets.
David

 

Thanks for the replys - no I guess as I can’t actually measure it so I cant be 100% certain its getting worse but certainly seems that way. Thanks for the advice re antiD's, I shall try and stay away from them as long as I can and overall - Just thanks! - its just good t0 be able to communicate with someone!

 

Thanks I'll give it a go!

 

Does it get worse overtime? I have read so many people complaining that it became worse or louder with time. I maybe be totally wrong but my guess would be that it declines in the first initial years and then as we age our hair cells begin to die so we feel it's louder because the external noise is reduced. But at the same time I remember many stories where it was stable for 20-30 years and didn't become worse. Here is the link

http://www.onhealth.com/script/main/mobileart.asp?articlekey=175364&questionid=475&page=8

 

The people where it get worse post it on a forum....people who learned to live with it or is reduced.....they do not post that often. So there is more negative news than positive, but that does not mean it gets worse by most of us.