Mouth Ulcers and Tinnitus

Hi Dr Nagler

I have suffered and continue to suffer from recurrent mouth ulcers since childhood. I know that mouth ulcers occur during periods of stress and (particularly in my case) when you get run down and have a weird sleep schedule.

My question is does the ACTUAL PAIN caused by these ulcers effect tinnitus in any way? Or is my tinnitus a bit worse when I have ulcers because I am simply tired, run down and perhaps stressed?

Many thanks

Alec

 

Hi Alec -

Interesting question. Pain does not directly affect tinnitus, but pain can increase both stress level and fatigue, either of which can make tinnitus sound louder. And since tinnitus is a totally subjective phenomenon, how loud it sounds is how loud it is!

Rather than focusing on what makes your tinnitus louder, you might consider a habituation-based protocol like TRT or CBT. Why? Because once you have habituated your tinnitus, loudness becomes largely irrelevant!

Something to think about anyway.

stephen nagler