Long Time Tinnitus Sufferer — A Musician, and Worked 20 Years in Live Theatre

I've had tinnitus for years, no real mystery as to the causes. I am a musician and also worked for 20 years in live theatre as a mechanic, lighting and audio technician so I was exposed to moderately loud sounds most nights.

I had an audiology examination recently and surprisingly my hearing loss is not too bad. I have some high frequency hearing loss but not much more than someone my age (56) should expect to have.

I call my tinnitus "the constant test tone in my head", it consists of several quite pure high frequency tones. It is definitely made worse by stress and pretty much disappears when I play music.

I'm also on the autism spectrum, and have heard that tinnitus is common amongst us. I have various other sensory differences and some quite dramatic sensitivities to some noises. If I could reduce my tinnitus, I think I could reduce my stress levels by a lot and thus cope with the world a bit better.

I hope this forum may be helpful.

 

Did it come on gradually or all of a sudden for you? Do you feel you have habituated over the years?

 

Hi Stuart. Sorry to hear you’re having trouble with tinnitus. Working in music and audio tech would have been good fun.

Tinnitus can cause stress and stress causes more tinnitus. Have a think about what helps you to relax and try prioritising these. Getting good sleep each evening also goes a long way.