Loud Tinnitus Started Just 2 Days After I Started Using Headphones on Lowest Volume

Hi.

I'm 19 year-old boy, who studies from home right now. Since I live with my family and I needed better focus to my classes, on 3rd March I finally decided to buy and started using over-head headphones. At first I was happy, but I didn't know this was the worst decision in my entire life...

I used them on lowest volume, because I have already had 1/10 tinnitus before and I didn't want to risk making it worse. But what didn't happen? After less than 48 hours, on the evening when I was trying to fall asleep I noticed that my tinnitus is much much higher than normal. I was a bit worried, I have immediately stopped using these headphones and hoped that it will return to previous levels. But I was wrong. It was even worsening. A week later, I had worst night in my life. I woke up in the middle of the night into absolute silence. The tinnitus was raging. I thought I am lying next to a circular saw. I couldn't fall asleep entire night.

I really started to worry. I noticed that the noise I hear when I am working with my laptop doesn't actually come from my laptop...

But that's not everything. When I visited my town, to see some doctors and so on I noticed that I hear some noises from outside with additional noise. For example, when I heard car engine, I also heard some noise like wind. When I am in the shower, I also hear some beeping noise.

Now, one month since this tragedy has passed and nothing has really happened. I can sleep, but I go to sleep sooner than my relatives go, so I don't need to fall asleep in completely silent house. I don't wake up during the night, but I never wake up later than 6 or 7 AM.

However, alongside the huge tinnitus I also have different problems. My neck and cervical spine hurt. I was diagnosed with crooked spine. I suppose it is from sitting in front of my laptop entire day. Now, I have read that tinnitus might me connected with crooked spine. So I started exercising alongside regularly visiting physiotherapist, and I hope it will at least decrease the volume of the tinnitus.

My first tinnitus started circa at the time when my (before healthy) spine started to get crooked from my bad lifestyle. It was like three years ago. However, because Quarantine I was entire year at home with almost no movement and exercise. I suppose this harmed my spine a lot. Now the question is, is the headphone theory just a myth and huge coincidence and the real reason of my tinnitus is crooked spine?

I really hope it is because then I would have some hope to decrease the tinnitus by changing my lifestyle and get a second chance to live fulfilling life. What do you think?

And if I really got damaged my ears just from listening for few hours to school classes on lowest volume, then I ask, why? And what is my prognosis? (Just to be clear, I never visited any concert nor heard an explosion nor used headphones before).

 

There might be comorbidities here, which means that both headphones and the crooked spine might have contributed to the onset of your tinnitus; I personally refuse to believe that a moderate use of headphones at low volume can produce a sensible damage, but that is just my personal opinion. Try to drop the headphones for few months and maybe seek for a physioterapist/chiropractor who has experience with tinnitus patients. With a bit of luck your tinnitus will improve during the next months.

 

I also think something else is going on here as well. I am highly skeptical that low volume headphone use can cause damage. This has been debated many times on here and there is no scientific evidence to suggest it causes damage.

I think your tinnitus may be more connected to your spine issues causing somatic tinnitus. Issues with the neck can cause significant increases for people. It may also somehow be giving you TMJ which can also cause somatic tinnitus. I would look into this possibility and getting it resolved.

 

Thanks for your reply. I don't know whether it is relevant, but I have noticed that when I walk or when I talk I hear cracking sound near my ears. However, my jaw doesn't hurt. But I often grind my teeth out of habit during the day.

 

That sounds like an Eustachian tube issue and potential TMJ. You should discuss both of these with your doctor.

 

Thank you for your opinion about this. I searched the symptoms of this Eustachian Tube Dysfunction and I found out that I have lot of symptoms associated with that, for example feeling of ear fullness and cracking, so there might be a chance this is the issue.

I already have scheduled an appointment at ENT for audiogram test and I can ask him about this ETD thing.

But may I ask you, if my problems were caused by Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, is it good news or bad news? Is it curable? If yes, how long can it take to heal? I searched on the Internet about this but every source says something different.

 

I would suggest you discuss with the audiologist about whether you might want to opt out of having an Acoustic Reflex Test. It seems like it's sort of a standard test they do along with a Tympanometry.

I'm not a medical professional, but I think the Tympanometry is one way they evaluate whether you might have ETD or not. However, the Acoustic Reflex Test is very loud and worsened my tinnitus.

 

ETD is probably good news because that can be treated to some extent if that is what is causing your tinnitus. Your ENT will be able to help discuss options with you.

 

Sorry you’re going through this. I know how awful it is.

Have you had a hearing test? If it comes back normal I would definitely pursue the cervical spine route.

I also believe that limited use of headphones at very low volume should not damage your hearing. Now there are others who disagree with me about that. And I’m not a headphone user or earbud user at all actually. But my ENT and audiologist also do not believe that low volume use causes hearing loss. But again they could be wrong.

I would suggest a hearing test and a visit to the ENT if you haven’t already. Then pursue the cervical spine issues, which is more likely the cause.

Hang in there.

 

No but I plan to go to ENT for a hearing test. In regards of the cervical spine, I already have done three physiotherapy sessions, but I don't see any improvement at all. However, these are just passive things like massages and TENS etc. But after I take part of all these passive therapies, I will go to a next stage where I will probably get some active exercises to do. Do you think the actual excercises can really help me? Because I have unfortunately noticed that my tinnitus is always constant - no matter how do I turn my jaw or head etc. Does that matter, can tinnitus have somatic origin even when it doesn't modulate?

PS: I am so glad to talk with people on this forum. Here where I live, everyone looks at me either like I was a hypochondriac or say they've never ever heard of disease like that (and I hope they never will, really...) Talking with people who know what is it like living with this makes me feel a bit better. Thanks.

 

That said, also be careful to not wander off too much in the depths of this forum. Big part of overcoming/learning to live with tinnitus is a fight against your own brain. Reading some topics on here might actually make that fight harder and, if you're susceptible to it, may actually send your brain in a downwards spiral (and I'm not only talking about the real heavy threads that talk about suicide etc).

Regarding your issue. Playing sounds at very low volume won't create any damage, but damage (that can be seen on an audiogram) is not the only instigator to tinnitus. Many people here have clear audiograms.

I've seen 5 specialists in 2 different countries, connected to University hospitals and they all agreed that my hearing is as good as the hearing of a newborn baby. Many doctors even asked if I wanted to change with them because their hearing was a lot worse (but not all of them had tinnitus)... long story to say: audiograms don't say everything, extended audiograms may say more.

 

I don’t know where you live but you can find plenty of support here. There are some wonderful people on this site, many of whom have had tinnitus for years and years and are always ready to advise and share their experiences.

I really don’t have a tremendous amount of experience with the cervical spine issues. I know physical therapy is often prescribed. I have noticed that I get a very high-pitched, fluctuating hissing sound (different from my other ring in my left ear) that seems to correlate when my neck is bothering me. I use a cervical heating pad and it seems to help a little, not just with my neck but with the volume of the tinnitus. But this hissing also correlates to when my allergies are bad. As a matter fact, right now it’s very loud and driving me crazy, and I can’t wait for the pollen count to go down. I got it last year at this time too. Lasted through the summer until the fall and winter came and it went away and then came back again last week.

As for your neck and cervical issues, I’m calling in reinforcements.

@Greg Sacramento, do you have any advice?

Hopefully Greg will see I mentioned him and will respond. He has a vast wealth of knowledge.

The important thing is to remember that even if it doesn’t go away, you can learn to manage. Many of us on here are managing. And I even have good days where I really do enjoy my life. I still have my obnoxious tinnitus, but I can focus on other things. It doesn’t feel that way in the beginning. It really stinks, it’s awful to have and I’m not minimizing any of that. I have my days when I am just so bummed out about it, but I try to remind myself that if it’s going to go away it will and if it doesn’t, I’m going to make sure that my life goes on. When you go see your ENT I suggest you get some custom-made earplugs. Those will help you manage in loud environments going forward and protect your hearing. And ide sound therapy at night to sleep. That’s what I do. However, the hiss in right ear cannot be covered up by anything because of its frequency. So annoying!

Hang in there.

 

Hi.

Firstly, I don't know whether my tinnitus is noise induced, however the coincidence is so huge I can't stop thinking about such possibility.

Many of you, who claim to have noise induced tinnitus, say that you have experienced some huge noise and hear ringing afterwards. This is kinda similar to me, but mine didn't start after a loud concert, or an explosion or long term listening to heavy metal, or various loud experiences. My biggest sin was that I bought headphones and used them for one day on lowest volume. I literally listened to maybe three pop songs on YouTube and used them to two MS Teams meetings. With the volume bar on 1-2/10. Next day evening it started... And loudly.

It might seem absurd, laughable and pathetic, yet this happened and it persists over 5 weeks and nothing has really changed since then. However, the idea that I might have permanently damaged my ears because of such pathetic activity makes me more depressed that actual tinnitus. As I already said, it might not be from the headphones, I have problems with neck and spine, might have ETD, etc., but you know, the coincidence is so strong...

Not just the tinnitus, but I also feel some weird sensation that my ears are full of wax, but they are empty - ENT cleaned them up a week after this started. The tinnitus is also reactive, I hear weird whistling whenever I hear some pink noise. However, I don't feel I have hyperacusis or hearing loss (but I have planned a hearing test)

Now, to the questions.

1. In case my tinnitus is caused by the headphones, is it possible, that after a few months it will decrease in intensity if I abstain from headphone use? (I already stopped using them since this happened).
2. What about this full-ear sensation? Does that mean that I am going to become deaf? Will it ever heal? It also gives me headache.
3. And what about the reactivity issue? If it doesn't heal itself, is it possible to habituate this, since it is not something you hear constantly?
4. Apart from massive hissing noise in both ears, I hear ringing in my right ear. But I can mute the ringing if I lie with my ear pushing against the pillow. Is it normal?
5. If hearing test proves that I have no hearing loss, does that mean that my tinnitus isn't noise induced?

I'm sorry if someone already asked such questions here, I didn't find them.

 

You should let your ears rest from any loud sounds or headphones for a few months.
There is no guarantee it will help improve your tinnitus though.

Many people get fullness feeling in their ears. It usually goes away in a few weeks or months.

It is possible to habituate to the reactivity but it's harder for sure.

Tinnitus can act in mysterious ways.

It doesn't. Your tinnitus could still be noise-induced. Look up hidden hearing loss. Audiograms are very crude and don't tell the whole picture. Hidden hearing loss can be the cause of your tinnitus.

 

So, out of curiosity today I measured the volume of my headphones set on the same level when I was using them on the March 3rd. The results were no more than 35 dB. If THAT damaged my ears then... I don't know what to say, I can just laugh

Now, seriously. Many of you who replied to this post suggested that rather headphones it can be caused by TMJ, ETD, or neck/spine. However there is a catch. I read that people who have somatic tinnitus can actually modulate it by turning head, etc. But I can't! It's constant whatever I do. Only thing I've noticed that one compound of my T gets slightly louder at the moment when I eat something. Not when I just clench the jaw, but when I actually eat. But I read that someone who has TMJ must be also having pain in the jaw, which I don't have.

But I also consider one more option. If you are interested, the headphones were JBL Tune 500 (not sure if I'm allowed to post brands here). If somebody used these, you might know that they are kinda narrow in the way that their clench is very strong. I even felt uncomfortable when I was using them. Guess I would stop using them even if I didn't get tinnitus . Now, could the huge clench alone rather than the noise (really I felt like someone put my head into a clamp) somehow give me tinnitus? I don't know how, but could this be somehow linked with TMJ or something?

Now I'm 5 weeks in and I don't see any improvement at all (loudness of tinnitus and my reaction to it is the same). I'm kinda sceptical but do you think it can get better over time? I don't mind if it never vanishes completely, but from your experience, can headphone caused tinnitus reduce in dB? It's crucial to me as I can't focus on my studying. However, it's not THAT bad like many of you have, because I can sleep without masking and any problems. But it is much worse during the day. But if I got like 50% improvement from this, then it would be easy to habituate and live with.

 

@Stanlex, I 4ead all your mentions, including forward head posture, neck pain, ETD, tinnitus increases slightly when eating, headphone use and headphone tightness pressure. Very possible you have cervical spine instability - as to associations.

Do you have C spine X rays notations or digital motion (movement) C spine X rays notations?

 

I have a report from cervical spine X ray and it says my diagnosis is "flattened C-lordosis".

 

Let's not focus on the cause of your lordosis as stuff happens, but forward posture behind a computer may not be the primary cause. Not bending head forward for long periods or lifting head and holding from a reclining position would not be advised now with your condition. Good posture is needed.

If you do also have ETD, then it is very possible a pinched nerve between C3-C4 and/or a bulging C4 disc is causing ETD, as well as your tinnitus. A nerve between the C3-C4 and/or a C4 bulging disc can interfere with ET process.

A pinched nerve can be seen on a MRA radiological exam. MRAs are loud, so maybe consult with your therapist to see if pressure can be released between your C3-C4. Injections to this area may also help and with neck pain. Heating pads or ice packs wrapped with cloth may help.

Having tinnitus increasing when eating could mean your C1- C2 is off balance, and this can be seen with C spine X rays. An off balanced C1-C2 can be helped by touch therapy.

Not having modulation with movement would place C1-C2 and/or a pinched nerve very high as cause of tinnitus. C1-C2 doesn't move with head movement. Muscle spams may have contributed to lordosis and neck muscles may be sore. It may not be a particular muscle causing your tinnitus as yours isn't somatic.

Wishing you the best.

 

Thank you for your comprehensive opinion. If by touch therapy you mean a chiro, then unfortunately, I doubt there is any upper cervical chiropractor in my country. And even then, it looks pretty dangerous.

But is it possible to at least alleviate the symptoms of misaligned C1-C4 by regularly visiting physical therapist and regularly exercising with focus to fix my posture?

 

I have one more question. I have been taking Carbamazepine pills for some neurological issue for the past year that has been already resolved, however, I still need to take it till my neuro says I can stop.

I noticed in the info letter that one of the very rare side effect is tinnitus and hyperacusis.

Is it possible mine is caused by Carbamazepine even when I have taken it for a year?

 

Hi.

I have noticed yesterday that my ears started tingling. It feels like someone put TENS suction cups on my cochleas. I also think that my tinnitus is slightly lower, but not sure.

I have taken vinpocetine for 8 days now.

The tingling itself is quite soothing, to be honest. But what is it?

 

I doubt it. I was prescribed this but I didn't take it. Statistically it's a very low chance.

I'm on Gabapentin which is similar. Maybe ask your neuro to switch. It does the same thing I think.

 

That's not too far off from what I measured using my phone as a speaker and approximating the dB meter microphone where I had my ear when sleeping – I got a max of 32 dB with an average of 30 dB.

Still – even with some toilet paper in my ear – after about two hours of sleep I woke up to my ear doing this ”warped chirp” for a couple of seconds before a high pitched tinnitus started in that ear – I doubt that would have happened if I was lying in a quiet room without music.

I did have ”ear fullness” that week, so my ears were most likely fatigued. That's why I decided to put some paper in my ear and continued with music – something I had done in a similar way most nights for many months without paper in my ear. The difference being I didn't have any ear fullness at that time.

Wish I had just totally stopped playing music at night for a few days or at least set a timer so the music would stop within an hour or so.

It's just 2.5 weeks in now, so every day is overshadowed by this mistake that I feel might follow me for the rest of my life unless scientific research comes up with something sooner rather than later.

Let's keep our hope up!

 

Anyone also have such tinnitus that has some tone or hiss and sounds like eeeee-eeee?

Like suddenly randomly pauses for 1 second for no reason and then continues?

It happens to me few times every minute.

Is there any reason or explanation why does it act like this?

 

Update here. Still no change to any of the symptoms at all. However, many additional exams were made and many possible causes were ruled out.

I still do not know the cause, as almost everything possible has been ruled out. No hearing loss is present, nothing tinnitus related has been found on my MRI, no ear infections, no ETD, possibly no cervical spine issues as well.

The only possible cause that still has not been explored is potential TMJ disorder, although I do not have jaw pain, albeit there is some cracking when opening/closing mouth (I am careful with that, not sure if that is normal or not). But the truth is that I have a big overbite, had a lot braces, and the tinnitus exacerbated half a year after I stopped using a retainer, and I noticed my teeth have moved a lot since. Not sure if that is relevant though.

Another symptom I still face today is headaches or head pressure with tiredness. This is even more of a delicate thing.

Doctors think — and they say it with big certainty — that it is due to a very massive maxillary sinus cyst they have accidentally found on the MRI. Therefore they also push me to undergo an operation to extract that thing.

However, I am a bit sceptical and I think: what if my headaches and tiredness etc. are also caused by the tinnitus instead? The tinnitus is very loud and exhausting. I told that to doctors but they laughed me off. However, they do not have tinnitus and they do not know how it feels like. And there on Tinnitus Talk there are many people who complain of headaches as a secondary symptom of tinnitus.

It would be cool if the headaches and tiredness were caused by the massive cyst. Because it can be easily cured by undergoing an operation. However, if it is not, then it is pointless to have the operation.

Also, is there any chance the cyst (really massive, it almost fills up the entire hole on the screen, lol) would cause or exacerbate tinnitus? I haven't found much info about this on the net and also doctors don't really think so; but remember, my tinnitus is the most weird tinnitus ever. It is changes randomly every few milliseconds in tone and loudness, it is definitely not the classic cochlear noise induced tinnitus that 90% have there.

 

A brief list of my progress so far. If anyone is interested.

List of potential causes (not means it has been proven to not be a cause):

Noise trauma - no hearing loss so probably not
Ear infection - not
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction - not
Earwax - not
Acoustic neuroma - not
Neuro-vascular conflict - not
Meniere's disease - most probably not
Otosclerosis - not
Atherosclerosis - most probably not
Blood pressure - not
Nutrition deficiency - most probably not
TMJ - probably not
Thyroid - ?, but more likely no than yes
COVID-19 - ?, but more likely no than yes
Neck (muscle) - maybe
Neck (bones) - maybe
-----------------------------------------------------
So ATM the neck/cervical spine issues seems to be most probable cause of all the known causes. It still does not mean it is the cause because there still may be something unknown.

But because many examinations have been done, it looks that it is most likely not from ear but from the neck which isn't in good condition either. My future investigation will therefore be aimed at the neck to get the details.

List of treatments tried (all unsuccessful):

1. Ginkgo Biloba
2. Earwax removal
3. Physiotherapy 1 - massages etc
4. Physiotherapy 2 - some sports
5. Vinpocetine
6. Betahistine
7. Oxygen Therapy

Planned treatments:
1. Neck collar
2. More physio

Also more physio because the first course did not only not help with tinnitus, but also didn't help with neck pain, neck mobility as well. Meaning it was probably done wrong and I need to repeat it.

 

How is the tingling and tinnitus? Has the neck collar (or) physio helped?

 

@Stanlex, how are you? Have news for us about your tinnitus?