How Does Stress Cause Tinnitus Spikes?

Might be a dumb question but I may be experiencing it at the moment.

But how does anything but noise or some sort of damage to the inner ear cause a spike of tinnitus?

I am now experiencing some tinnitus in my RIGHT ear for the first time ever (previously only had it in the left) after a spike in the left that has left me terribly stressed for weeks. Yes, this is true, not a joke. Also seem to be experiencing some hyperacusis for the first time as well.

I should also note however that I was on a 6 hour flight just the other day. (12-hour round trip). Doubt this would be the cause but who knows at this point.

 

I don't know how or why stress aggravates it, but it sure does for me. If I have had a very stressful day with work my T spikes. On the flip side, exercise at the end of the day really helps me a lot!

 

Turns out what I thought was T in my other ear is actually just a higher background kind of noise now coming from the normal ear with t (my left). Guess I’m going crazy after all.

Now I’m starting to think that flight really did make my T worse.

 

Honestly cannot believe this is happening and that this is real life.

For those who may not know... My tinnitus became worse after nearly 14 years of being non existent. A night on a dance floor at a wedding where the music was insanely loud. The last 1.5 months have been very scary waiting for this "spike" to go away, yet it hasn't. I've had a few spikes over these 14 years but all have always subsided back to the super quiet tone.

Now, as if I wasn't in anxiety hell already, tonight I just got back from a weekend in LA (from NY). 6 hours each way. The night I arrived I began noticing that "electricity" type tinnitus coming from my brain and not really my ear. I brushed it off only to realized it was still there in the morning. After the flight home things only got worse. It didn't help that I was in the seat next to the engine the whole time. I did have in plugs, but I don't think this helped too much. Still, even though I've been on a BUNCH of flights in my life with no issues, I was worried this time.

It is now Monday. I got back a few hours ago and the static electricity type ringing from my brain is OFF the charts. Allow me to repeat... OFF. THE. CHARTS. I'm now basically praying to God that it simply goes back to what it was BEFORE (loud regular tinnitus) and I'd settle for that ((cringe laughs))

For the love of Jesus Christ can someone please explain what is going on with me before I literally have to quit my job and go to the ER?

 

the more hearing is damaged the worse tinnitus becomes, your only hope is future therapeutics to restore hearing damage

 

or you could habituate, life ain't easy. you'll eventually learn to live with it.

that's what most people on this forum will suggest.

 

Why do you think it was insanely loud at the reception?

 

@Smartone202 Hey, im very sorry this happend to you and i hope it will go back down. I don't know if this is of any help, but the similar thing happend to me. A month after tinnitus onset I had two 8h flight with a loud boeing and a 5h drive. I didn't wear any earplugs and after coming home i had a loud static/electrical buzz in my normally silent ear and in the back of my head.

However the static went away fairly quick in my case.

 

Thank the lord but it seems to have gone away now this morning after I woke up. What on earth is going on with me (and my ears/brain) ?

 

I should note it has not gone away completely but at least subsided tremendously.

No offense but is this some sort of troll type question? Bc the speakers were insanely loud to the point where you'd think it was an NYC nightclub with 20 somethings only.

 

Good news

 

Good yes, not great. Still some "static electricity" noise happening. Just down to 3/10 as opposed to 10/10.

Thanks for your reply though.

 

Thats fantastic news So i'm sure it will calm down even further in the next days. Maybe try to relax as much as possible and let your ears rest some more=)

My static tone never returned btw.

 

Thank you. Insane how last week I was praying my regular T would go away, now I’m praying for this new status electricity type T to go away. For the love of God idk what I ever did to deserve this. Being optimistic right now that the cabin pressure/jet noise or whatever you want to call it messed with my nerves/brain and things will return to “normal” soon.

 

Can anyone else give their two cents on this? Ringing/spikes after flying? I can say that the ringing I've experienced after flying seems to be coming more from the brain and not my ear.

Thank you.

 

You got more hearing damage from the music. If the spike dosent go away in 1 month it is permanent increase. I did an ear test tha was 100db and lasted for 2 minutes (JANUARY 15), my T went from a 2 to a 8 and I developed H. It didnt get better at all. I lost a lot of hearing because of that.

 

I don't understand. A hearing test made your Tinnitus worse?

Also, the "spike" I am talking about has nothing to do with the music. I am talking about a very recent spike just after flying the other day.

 

Yes, I have done a loud test which resulted in me getting hearing loss and having T go up to severe levels. Each time you get a spike its a sign that damage is being done. Each one of my spikes was longer and longer until it became permanent.

 

@Smartone202

Flying can make tinnitus worse. The pressure changes are bad for damaged ears, and tinnitus always means some kind of ear damage. And airplanes are quite loud, cabin noise levels can easily be over 85 decibels.

 

Agree.. Hearing tests can hurt your ears... I've had 2 tests since getting T, and the second test caused a spike along with a new tone (tea kettle sound in right ear)... Listening to those loud beeping sounds while wearing headphones - bad combination.

 

Did it get better?

 

@dpdx

Unfortunately not.. the new tone decided to stay for good... That used to be my good ear..

 

What hearing test did you do?

 

@dpdx

Pure tone audiogram and Weber tests

 

It’s like static electricity coming from my brain

 

Whats a weber test

 

The test used to detect the location of the hearing loss by placing a tuning fork on the patients head and asking in which ear they hear the sound louder. It should be heard equally in both sides. I have hyperacusis so even the sound of the tuning fork hurt...

 

I am betting money that the wedding made your T worse.
Did you wear earplugs when you were at the wedding reception?

 

@dpdx I feel like you have not read my story properly. Yes the wedding DID make my T worse. That is known. After almost 14 years of my initial ear injury and subsequent T being near non existent that night at the wedding aggravated it and brought this all back into my life full force. FOURTEEN years later. It was a shock I am still coming to terms with.

The ISSUE and unthinkable situation is what this thread is about in that just recently I went on a flight and ever since have been hearing a static electricity type noise in my head, almost the sound of a television. Therefore the problem is that my T that got worse after 14 years has just gotten even WORSE to an unbearable point now. Now I'm hoping and praying it just goes back down to the post wedding dance floor point.

Insanity this all is. Please pray for me. Hope you are doing ok tonight, too. Read your story earlier.

 

I read your story but you made it worse by that wedding and then you took a flight which added on to it. I hope you wore GOOD earplugs on the airplane because they are LOUD.
You have a second acoustic trauma so the best you can do is wait it out. Usually it will get better in 8 months or so. Did you get H?