Hello Everyone

I have just come across this forum & it looks to have a wealth of experience / knowledge, so felt I should join & contribute to the discussions.

My Tinnitus started four years ago following the use of some new wireless headphones. Since that day I have had a never ending battle & have tried most things to rid myself of that constant noise! In the early days it made me really ill & was a complete obsession dominating my whole life. Anti- depressants & sleeping pills helped but were not really the solution.

After a year or so I was not dwelling on it & starting to enjoy life again. Then I was exposed to a loud noise & the obsession and volume of the tinnitus increased all over again. This is a pattern that keeps repeating itself over & over again. I carry ear plugs with me for noisy environments (pubs etc) but am always caught out by the unexpected loud noise, which can cause my tinnitus to increase from a few days to a few months!

In its worst state my tinnitus is a high pitched tone with regular chirping (sonar) type sound. Also sudden very loud high pitch tones that last 10 seconds or so. In its quieter state it is just a low background noise but loud enough to notice especially when watching TV or similar.

I have used white noise for sleeping to good effect but generally am able to sleep fairly well.

Strangely, I have sometimes woken up in the night to find that it is completely silent (this always gives me hope!). The volume definitely decreases when I am in bed & relaxed. I know that this is the time that for most people when it is loudest.

I am sure that anxiety plays a large part in contributing to my problem & always question whether it is that or the loud noises that increase the volume of the tinnitus. I feel that it is a combination of the two.

Thanks for reading.

 

Have you considered staying away from noisy environments?

 

Yes, I avoid where possible. However, it is loud noises in everyday environments that cause me problems . Things that have affected me are an alarm going off in a shop while I was stood under the speaker, feedback from bluetooth connection whilst a passenger in a car, someone shouting (as a joke!!) in my ear, dogs barking in close proximity. The list goes on. Short of wearing ear plugs all the time, these things cannot be avoided.
I know I might be over sensitive to sound but I am always terrified of making the Tinnitus worse.

 

Welcome to the forum. Yes, you really should count those silent moments at bed time as a blessing. Many members here have the exact opposite and may have trouble sleeping when T is loudest at bed time. Living with T it is best we remain positive and calm so the limbic system won't kick in to make T a mortal threat which can aggravate T. You have everything to be hopeful and thankful if you can have good sleep without T causing trouble at bed time, as having good REM sleep is also another thing that can tame T. Take good care. God bless.

 

After experiencing a couple of those things, I began to wear ear plugs whenever I am outside of my home.