Exercise Causing Hyperacusis Flare-Ups

Guys,

This is a really baffling one. I have read other people's testimonies on this.

I am now 100% sure that exercise is flaring up my hyperacusis and visual snow. Not just instantly but for days.

One year ago I had a major worsening, which I now start to link (partially) with everyday running.

About 2 weeks ago, I decided to do some home work out, using mostly dumbbells (average weight 11-15 lbs), push ups, sit ups etc. No cardio (thinking that cardio messed me up in the past).

Well I noticed major flaring up of symptoms, and it's really no sound exposure, as I have been isolating vigorously myself at home.

It is now interesting to connect information from previous training I did as a Pilates instructor (which I don't practice atm due to my condition). There was a whole lecture on how to work with clients who had neurological issues such as MS, ALS etc. The instructions were clear: low intensity, no fatigue, no raise of temperature so not to exacerbate symptoms.

I haven't researched extensively on that matter. For hyperacusis and exercises there's no documentation I am aware of. What's the deal with hyperacusis and exercise? I am interested in other people's experiences.

It's really incredible how this condition is affected by almost everything good a man can do in life, that does or does not involve sound!

 

It could be to do with heart rate increasing blooflow and then making it more sensitive as it id a nerve after all.

 

I get this as well. Anything like running, which is high impact, is a no go for me. Even stretching increases my hyperacusis. I believe that nerves in my neck and jaw are now very sensitive. For example chin tucks which are recommended to everyone with neck problems cause my whole head to feel like it’s on fire/inflamed. I think putting any pressure on the jaw or neck causes problems. This is very difficult not to do because the neck is involved in all movements.

I am currently on Amitriptyline which helps a little but I am going to try an occipital nerve block in the future in the hope that it reduces the inflammation feeling.

I would be interested in hearing if anyone else has found anything that helps with hyperacusis worsenings caused by physical activity? I also take Magnesium which I think helps but can’t be sure.

Also considering a nighttime mouth guard. Maybe teeth grinding might be a factor?

 

Exercise increases CSF... which should help with hydrops... or make high pitched tinnitus worse (temporary). Vasoconstriction in your smaller capillaries. Less oxygen available to those cells. Increases cortisol... so when you come down there may be a rebound inflammation and ischemic effect.

Although it'd be interesting to see what chronic exercise does... based on Prednisone it should actually lower tinnitus tones.

It happens to everyone... and hopefully is temporary. It isn't like a stroke.

Be sure you have enough antioxidants and maybe a vasodilator of sorts and it might help the rebound hyperacusis.

 

If it's *consistently* worse long term it could suggest something like a PLF though maybe...

 

Matchbox could you elaborate a bit more on the above. Also, what does CSF stand for?

What does PLF stand for?

Interestingly, I read about the parasympathetic (rest among others) and sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and that exercise is related with the latter, so it seems there's a definitely a connection, since everything that triggers the latter would probably affect tinnitus & hyperacusis, according to several models.

 

Perilymph Fistula. Basically a created extra hole in places like your round window and oval window.

Exercise can be an initial trigger and also exacerbate it.

 

Oh yes, I am aware of that. I was never diagnosed with this.

 

It is notoriously difficult to diagnose. Not saying you have it but there are very few specialists for it.

 

If you're dizzy on sound or pressure changes, it's like the "bronze" standard of a PLF, other than falling over with eyes closed while walking (feel like you're being shoved sideways)... that and there "should" be hearing loss (sudden or hydrops like on/off).

Meniere's has some crossover which makes it fun.

A good ENT might be able to endoscope your Eustachian Tube and might be able to visualize a PLF without the gold standard surgery (if they can see, not a lot of space in the middle ear). Mine did that but it was before I got worse. It was a weird process (painless).

 

Cerebral spinal fluid. Exercise increases pressure, there's a channel that goes to your inner ear's perilymph. If it's a big channel then the pressure is transferred more directly (so you could blow out an ear membrane and get a fistula too). Blood --> CSF (Na) --> Perilymph (Na) --> (slow, membrane channel pumps) --> Endolymph (K, hair cells live here) --> Endolymphatic Sac (K) --> Blood (more or less how the cycle goes).

Leak into middle ear == low perilymph pressure == endolymph expands == hydrops (and loss of ion /charge gradient thus hair cells stop working).

 

I am 75 percent sure exercise is causing my flare ups to. It’s making me so angry. How are you doing?

 

Me too, and I am trying to do leg and abs exercises, without straining my neck/head.

 

I thought I had a fistula and everybody keeps telling me I do but no ENT thinks so. I don’t have hearing loss or vertigo. I am dizzy though. I am taking 2 months off and just gonna walk every day and see if I improve.

 

Great, keep us informed! Unfortunately I have to do light exercise almost daily for my spine and knees and it seems that every exercise aggravates my hyperacusis pain.

I really can't believe how many things this disease took from us.

 

I know man, it’s ridiculous, I was lifting 500 pounds last year even with mild hyperacusis. It never changed ever. Now if I sneeze it gets worse. Like wtf.

 

Does the walking cause you flare ups?

 

Not for the pain, but if I walk too far or too fast, I’ll wake up with my head and ears being stuffy and loudness hyperacusis being much worse. So strange.

 

Is it weird that I have practically no loudness hyperacusis? Like when I first had my acoustic trauma, things like refrigerator hum were on par with voices and everything sounded so loud. Over time that has gone. Occasionally I’ll have a noise that seems louder than it should be and I have sensitivity to sounds like clinking silverware. But it’s not like I perceive them to be louder than they are. It’s just all irritation and pain now pretty much.

I feel like I’m still getting worse. Last week I wasn’t as affected by driving and things. Now this week they seem worse. All I’m driving is to and from my kids’ school. It’s less than 6 miles round trip. I clocked it today. I still have to clean my house. I ran the vacuum for like 2 minutes. After these two activities, both with double protection on, I’ve been in pain for like two hours it seems. I haven’t unplugged at all today.

I also couldn’t sleep last night even though plugged and had pain like 5 hours and a tinnitus spike from either Tylenol or some kind of filler in this new Melatonin I took.

Just miserable. Wearing protection 24/7 is suffocating. Can’t have a conversation with my kids or anyone. Feel like I’m going crazy.

 

Did you try the occipital nerve block?

I can’t do chin tucks, but it causes me pain in the upper middle back. Like it feels like I’m stretching the nerves there too far, and then for a week or so after an attempt I’ll have sensitivity in that area and trouble sleeping due to it.

 

No, not at all. After the sound therapy my loudness hyperacusis was better but the pain got worse. It’s definitely different mechanisms involved. I hate hearing stories of people getting worse. Just keep being careful. I don’t want you to end up like me. I guess we have to hold onto the little tolerance we have left.

 

I've had suspicions that daily aerobic exercise has been a contributor with a new sound in my left ear. 5 weeks ago, a new high-pitched zing began in my left ear that comes and goes around 30 times a minute. It reacts to sounds, especially things like fans and white noise machines, and comes with plenty of discomfort. I'm hesitant to call it pain since it doesn't physically hurt, but it's more of a psychological discomfort similar to nails on a chalkboard.

Two months before this occurred, I took it upon myself to start being healthier and I started riding an exercise bike every single night for 60 minutes. I go at it pretty hard and put the resistance on max, and my heartrate gets good and fast. I'd do this each night at midnight to 1am and immediately afterwards take a shower and wind down for bed. It helped me get nicely relaxed for sleep. One night after being asleep for around 5 hours after a hard ride, I woke up to the zing sounds in my ear. Weirdly enough, it was only in my right ear at first then a few days later swapped to my left. A week after that it started to get reactive, piercing, and incredibly distracting. It's making life pretty miserable at the moment.

Even though I'm only getting around 2 hours of sleep a night, I still do my daily ride. It's often all the energy I have for the day, but I continue mostly out of habit and for the distraction. Maybe the timing was coincidental, but that was the only real change in my life around the time the zings began. It's almost funny to think that the thing that's wrecking my life was a choice I made literally to try to extend it. Even so, I can't bring myself to stop. Maybe I'm just making things worse.