Hey All, I thought it was about time to introduce myself. I'm Philippe or Pipo, I'm 26 and in my last year of undergrads (Phil/Poli major), studying in Vancouver. I have T since almost 4 weeks now due to a concert I attended. I actually did experience t before but only for about 3 or 4 days, that was when I was in the military (mandatory in Switz), but faded and forgot about it. My t is not bothersome during the day but is affecting my sleeping severely. I do tend to get no more than 4 hours of straight sleep a night, sometimes I manage to fall back a sleep but not for long and not very deep. Honestly I am quite a bit scared because I feel this is starting to affect my performance at school and well-being in general. I dropped some classes this term so I would not get stressed out too much but hope to be able to cope with this before the beginning of the next and hopefully last term. I stopped smoking for about ten days after first week of t, unfortunately the bad habit has caught up with me once again. To be honest, I hope I did not come to stay! But most likely I will ;-) :-( Cheers
btw I have about two distinct t sounds i can make out. In my left ear I have a pronounce low frequency and reappearing buzz while at the same time I have a very high pitched buzzing sound in both of my ears… the latter is the one, to my best understanding, which wakes me from my sleep.
Hi, Pipo, and welcome! Sorry you're experiencing bothersome tinnitus; you've come to the right place for information and support. I agree that the high-pitched tinnitus tones can often be more bothersome than the lower ones, particularly when you're trying to sleep. Do you have some type of background sound that you can play at night to mask the sounds? Using a fan will work, or playing nature sounds, such as the sound of running water. That will help your brain focus on something other than the tinnitus so that you can get some sleep. Have you tried taking any sort of sleep aid? I believe in going the natural route when possible. You might try taking melatonin (no more than 3 mg.) to see if it will help. It is subtle, but will help you relax and drift off easier. Tinnitus is most difficult to deal with in the early days. That's because your brain must adjust to the new sounds in your head. If you can, try to live your life as normally as possible, focusing on things other than the tinnitus. In time, you'll notice your tinnitus less, and will hopefully begin to feel more like yourself again. Others on this forum may have additional suggestions for you. Don't give in to the tinnitus, and focus on your life ahead. Things will improve! Best wishes, Karen
