Extreme Spike as I Start to Fall Asleep

Hey, i've relatively recently started getting tinnitus and it was fairly moderate until recently when I start to fall asleep I hear extremely loud ringing that drowns out every sound around me and I get vision distortion that seems to associate with it when I wake back up or open my eyes, I don't even need to completely fall asleep for this to happen it just keeps happening and the more I try to sleep the worse it gets, leaving me sleepless for nights now.

anyone know what i should do? :/

 

Could stress and anxiety be the issue here? Stress/anxiety can annoy the ringing and can cause some vision issues as well. For some folks sleep can be difficult and stress and anxiety can rear it's ugly head in.

Is your sleeping area comforting? Relaxing? Are you relaxed? All of this makes a huge difference, I use to have poor sleep and still do at times.

 

You say that the cause of your T is unknown. Have you had an MRI done?

You might want to try taking amitriptyline. It is non-addictive and doesn't make you feel drowsy in the morning. It allowed me to fall and to stay asleep during the time when my T was at its worst.

 

I'm having severe LOUD tinnitus and am unable to fall asleep or stay asleep. If I do fall asleep, i wake up an hour later. Not sure how people cope with sleeplessness. I tried valerian pills tonight and it caused a huge spike. I've had sleeping issues for about a month, it is affecting my work. Not sure how I will get through this. Masking sounds have not helped...just another noise to me. A couple of nights my tinnitus was softer but I cant sleep either. I dont want to take any meds, how will I get through this. I'm also living alone and do not have family nearby or emotional support.

 

@Lilah Hi Lilah - I don't know if you are using melatonin for sleep, but it's not recommended for those with Lupus.
https://www.hopkinslupus.org/lupus-info/lifestyle-additional-information/avoid/

Let's talk sometime. I have a few suggestions that you want to discuss with your doctor.

 

Hi Greg, I have used melatonin once 3mg but I felt heavy and had some palpitations. I took valerian 500 mg and was only able to sleep for one hour then the T woke me up. Plus I had stomach upset and nauseous feeling. I tried antihistamine 25 mg earlier about 10 times, towards the end it stopped working. Running out of options.

 

@Lilah I understand. This happened to me in the first year or so.

Some herbal nighttime teas can help. I could not take the melatonin either it also made me experience heart palpitations.

 

https://www.eyeandear.org.au/page/P...pes_of_balance_disorders/Vestibular_migraine/

What do the symptoms of vestibular migraine feel like?

Alongside symptoms of vertigo, imbalance and dizziness, during a vestibular migraine some sufferers may also find head movement involved in turning, bending down or looking up intolerable, feel a pressure within their head and/or ear, have neck pain, find it hard to hear low sounds, or develop tinnitus (a ringing or other sound in the ear). People may also experience headaches, visual disturbances such as hazy or blurred vision, sparkles or blotches in their vision, or loss of part of their vision.

What you are describing sounds like more than T, and could be caused by a migraine, or other brain issue. You should see a neurologist for a full workup, and imaging. I pasted above the symptoms of a vestibular migraine for reference.

For the time being I have some suggestions. I have had T so loud that woke me up from sleep. It was quite disabling, but I found that often a sound at night would wake me up, and set the T off. I figured out through trial error to take melatonin about 20 mins before sleep, and to then put my foam earplugs in which gave me some of what I call "acoustic rest" and the H did not get set off throughout the night from every passing car. While the T is initially louder upon earplug insertion, I find that after about 5 mins that it calms down, is notably quieter, and I can sleep through the night much better.

 

Digital Doc, I just got my ear/brain MRI results and it is normal. Thank God. I can hear my T increase in intensity and volume over 1 hour as I'm trying to sleep. The suspense and volume keeps me up.

 

Glad to hear the MRI is normal, and that is great news. If it is migraine related, you still need a neurologist for the migraine treatment.

Did you try the melatonin or the earplugs to help with sleep?