Intro and Some Questions

Hi! I finally decided to start looking into treatments for tinnitus because mine seems to have flared up recently.

I've had tinnitus for as long as I can remember. I had no history of loud noise exposure or anything else that commonly associated with causes of T. I simply have a constantly, high-pitched sound that seems to come from the center of my head.

I've lived with it pretty well until the past week or so, when it seems to have gotten a bit worse. I'm hoping it's just from election stress but I'm still concerned.

Any thoughts on what the causes of my T might be given my history? Should I try anything to help reduce it?

 

Hi anon,

Welcome to the site!

So, you have have 20 years of experience with tinnitus. Wow! You could probably write a book.

I've only had tinnitus since March 2016, but in my experience anxiety, stress, and inadequate sleep are the prime culprits for me. As an example, I got a good night's rest last night and the ringing has lessened in volume.

You could simply be experiencing a "spike", due to some type of noise exposure as well. It should go away!

If you go to the ENT, they will tell you there is nothing they can do for you after taking money from your health insurance in addition to your co-pay. I went to one ENT back in March and after he checked my ears and nose and said "all clear",

Some things you may want to consider include taking vitamin B12, going to bed earlier, go for a nice walk every day (1 mile minimum), yoga/meditation,

 

There are many causes which can trigger or aggravate tinnitus including drug reaction or side-effects, ear or Eustachian tube infection, ear drum injury, fluid build-up feeling pressured, TMJ, high blood pressure or blood circulation problem, loud noise exposure or acoustic trauma, head injury, neck muscle problems, hearing loss, Meniere's, barotrauma from flight, grief for the loss of love ones, sleep deprivation, untreated sleep apnea, elevated stress, anxiety & panic disorder, etc. See if you have any of these lately. Whatever it is, try to keep calm and positive about it. Spikes usually come and go. The more calm and relax about it, the easier for it to fade, at least for most people this is the case. So take it easy. If it becomes bothersome, try masking it. Take good care. God bless.

 

If I were you I would have my MD or ENT check your ears for wax buildup for that certainly could be the problem. See if you have obtained hearing loss or perhaps infection. Other than that stress effects most of us so perhaps something could be bothering you if you think hard about it. Also are you eating, drinking anything different or any new medications since the T has become more loud. Hope you get to the bottom of the problem and any of the above info might be helpful. God bless and try to keep busy maybe join a health club, yoga or tai chi all stress relievers. Or take a mile walk everyday. I do the above except yoga just cant get into that......

 

Indeed Mike, I have had tinnitus 20 years and I'm in the process of writing a book...don't know if it'll be any good though!

 

You guys are a very welcoming bunch! I thank you for that. Having it all my life has made it much easier to deal with, especially since it's usually pretty mild. It's just that it's flared up recently quite a bit. I'll try to adjust my sleep schedule, exercise more regularly (I typically go to the gym 3-4 times a week) and work on stress levels. Again, thank you guys!