Inconsistent Tinnitus Volume and Tone Makes It Hard to Habituate

I'm about 2.5 months into unilateral low pitched tinnitus since a short drone concert.

First few weeks were horrible, but eventually I had some times where the tinnitus felt lower than usual and didn't bother me at all for a few days, to the point where I thought I was done with it. But it kept coming back. Basically the pattern seem to be a few days of bliss (going as low as maybe 15% the usual perception level), then a few days of high tinnitus level and anxiety, then calm again, etc. I genuinely can't say if it's my reaction to it that is making this up and down pattern or if it's purely the volume of the tinnitus, maybe a mix of both? Sound level and tone really are changing frequently I feel.

I should also add that on busy days, like taking a lot of transports and being in noisy environments overall, the tinnitus is very loud when I finally come back to a silent place in the evening (like 300% louder), but comes back to the baseline after a night of sleep. I can make it noticeably lower by putting my tinnitus ear against a pillow, which is convenient.

Does this kind of tinnitus sound familiar to you? Does your tinnitus vary a lot too? How to habituate when your tinnitus is evolving though the days, making you want to check if frequently?

 

Mine is unilateral high-pitched and varies in volume and tone by the day. So some days it's pretty quiet and other days it's quite hissy. I consider it daily random. Sometimes I'll get two good days in a row, sometimes two bad in a row.

I've heard others say their tinnitus has longer cycles, like 5-day cycles. There's a good thread started by @Luman called Intermittent Tinnitus that has some describing their variability.

I find it hard to habituate to it since it comes and goes and also changes in quality and pitch. I've started wearing hearing aids recently since I have moderate hearing loss in the high frequencies, and they've actually helped because they provide sounds that my ears normally lack, which happens to be the frequencies that my tinnitus varies in. So the hearing aids in effect create a masking effect.

I also listen to a lot of nature sounds on YouTube, which helps to further mask.

For anxiety, I did a combination of meds, therapy, CBT/DBT training, and I started to apply the Back to Silence method. It helped me accept my condition and change my point of view, dropping my anxiety. I also do a lot of meditation.

Hope that helps.

 

Hi Spchpsrhngb.

You have noise induced tinnitus, which is one of the most common causes of this condition. Typically it is caused by listening to audio at too high a volume through headphones, earbuds, AirPods, headsets, noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones without realizing it. Attending nightclubs or concerts can cause it too as you have mentioned on your profile.

Other types of exposure to loud noise can cause noise induced tinnitus as well. Often but not always hyperacusis (oversensitivity to sound) accompanies the tinnitus. My post Hyperacusis, As I See It, in the link below goes into this in more detail.

In the early stages of noise induced tinnitus, it is not uncommon for it to fluctuate as you have been experiencing. It will eventually settle down but for this to happen, it's important that you don't do anything to aggravate it as you risk making it worse. Therefore, I suggest that you don't listen to audio through any type of headphones as mentioned above even at low volume and keep away from nightclubs and concerts for at least three months or until the tinnitus settles down. Even then you still need to be careful of exposure to loud noise, as wearing noise reducing earplugs is no guarantee your tinnitus won't spike and could increase to a new permanent level.

Please click on the link below and read my post: New to Tinnitus, What to Do?

Go to my started threads and read: Tinnitus, a Personal View, The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Tinnitus and The Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, From Darkness Into Light.

Print the above articles and refer to them often, this way you will absorb and retrain the information better than reading on your phone or computer screen. By referring to them they will reinforce positive thinking which is vitally important during and after the habituation process.

Try to avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night by using low level sound enrichment. More about this is explained in my posts.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Hyperacusis, As I See It | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

No offense but low pitched tinnitus is a different beast than the more common high pitched 'eee' (I have both).

There is a chance it will not settle down, like Michael Leigh above says. For me, at least, it has been fluctuating since the start and it still is (as @Joe Cuber mentioned, and this is true for many).

It's day by day, depending on how I slept, depending on environmental sounds (residual inhibition is a thing with low pitched tinnitus, sometimes it is gone for hours). The key to habituation in this case is not habituation in its purest form, it is: "do not compare".

There was a period where it was constant and very loud, it's crazy but for me that was in fact easier to deal with than the sometimes off, sometimes on.

After car rides especially, my buzz will be 10 times as loud. When there is the slightest humming in the background, it will be off (some good days). So no, chances are it will never "settle down" to a solid baseline, but even then you'll be able to live with it.

 

I am trying to habituate to my tinnitus as well but have so many tones in my ears.

Sometimes my brain focuses on the different ones and I’m worried I will never get used to these sounds.

 

It's not inconceivable @Mandyyyyyyy. I have many different types of pitches/tones/qualities. I'm 8 months since onset, and I'm finding that I often tune out the tinnitus for stretches of time, especially if I'm focused on something.

 

I was advised by more experienced not to try to habituate, to let it happen.

Try to be more patient instead.

 

Thank you so much - that actually makes me feel a little better! I’m worried there’s a window I’ll miss if I don’t habituate right away and I think I’ve been putting unneeded pressure on myself.

 

Actually @Mandyyyyyyy, habituation can come within weeks for some, months or even longer for others.

The good thing about habituation is that there is no window or timeframe to achieve it. There is no boat to miss, so to say.

Everyone is different, in actual fact desperately 'trying' or 'forcing' to habituate may slightly work against you. Habituation is one of those things you can't rush, will happen when it happens, may happen moreso when you least expect it or when you're least thinking about it - and you'll know when it does.

In actual fact, it usually happens best when you're not 'trying', and not trying to think about it.

It is one of those things that comes when it comes.

 

Thank you so much. It is amazing having Tinnitus Talk with others who help guide those of us new to tinnitus. I really appreciate your wisdom. I will try to relax and take everything one day at a time. Thank you for taking the time to help others.

 

As @DeanD said above, habituation is different for everyone for sure. For me habituation ebbs and flows. The sound never abates or quiets but my reaction to it is more nonchalant. It took a very long time to get to this point for me. For others (maybe even yourself) there may actually be moments of silence or a legitimate quieting of the sounds. For them this is habituation. For others not quite so lucky habituation is merely not wanting to disappear. But I can assure you of one thing. It will take time. Be patient and loving with yourself. You will get better one way or another.

 

@spcshpsrshngb, how are you doing now?

 

I have had tinnitus going back 20+ years, and it has just gotten worse over time with new sounds and more fluctuations, except occasionally it might seem a little better or worse.

It seems like no diet or caffeine intake changes ever made a difference to me but exercise gives it a boost in intensity for hours, although exercise helps with depression/anxiety for hours afterwards, so it's a net benefit.

You can think about an irregular beat booming of a subwoofer in a passing car in one ear, high frequency hiss and squeal in both ears, and mid frequency siren going up and down in volume every few seconds in the other ear. All these at the same time. White noise machines / apps / fans don't help much attempting to partially mask all of them at these frequencies, intensities, and fluctuations. I can't imagine anyone habituating to that, but I did pretty good for 20 years until it got louder and with new sounds.

 

@RunningMan, what do you think caused your recent worsening?

 

Over a year ago, I think a malfunctioning Bluetooth transmitter that suddenly started sending a loud continuous chirping noise to my earbuds in the middle of using my treadmill was a factor in the sudden worsening I had back then with the high-frequency tinnitus in both ears. Since I was in the middle of exercise, I endured it, hoping it would stop, but it continued for a while. I didn't notice any immediate change, but that seems like the one unusually high volume exposure right into my ears right around the time of the worsening. I know it's been a lifetime of noise exposure that's really gotten me to this point of hearing loss and tinnitus.

More recently, wind noise from being outside more in the spring for exercise/biking may have helped flare up my low-frequency tinnitus, which wasn't bothering me much until recent weeks. Working for hours with some noisy equipment with loud, whiny cooling fans may have led to the newer mid-frequency tone that varies in volume every 20 seconds or so. Also, some recent dental work seemed to make the mid-tone tinnitus flare up worse in both ears immediately that first night in bed afterwards, but it seems to be reverting to just one ear again. But time will tell.

I'm taking many precautions that I never used to, like always using ear protection for mowing, and I never listen to music with headphones or earbuds.