New to Forums — Tinnitus Worsening Over Last Couple of Years

Hi all,

I've been a lurker on the forums for a while. It's both depressing and heartening to read about other folks' struggles with tinnitus.

It's clear that I have a relatively mild case compared to some, but it's still annoying as hell and not something I want to live with for the rest of my life (let alone get worse). I'm interested in learning more about therapies and medications that might improve the situation.

I did some reading around ACRN therapy over the last year and decided to write an app to implement it. If you're interested in trying it out, let me know.

Anyway, that's me.

-- Ben from Houston

 

I probably should mention some more details, as it may be relevant to future discussions.

- I'm 40
- I play guitar and have been exposed to fairly loud amplifiers over the last 10 years. Since my tinnitus started I rarely expose myself to loud guitar sounds anymore.
- I'm an avid listener of music, but I try not to listen at loud volumes.
- I use my AirPods everyday, mostly for podcasts and audiobooks. I'm reading other posts suggesting that these may be a cause (or make it worse)
- I drink ~2 cups of coffee every day
- Stress is pretty much a constant in my life, despite my best efforts. I suspect others are probably the same in this regard

 

Music is a big part of my life too Ben! Even though my tinnitus never, ever stops, not for one second, I find that when I lose myself in music I can ignore it more effectively than at any other time. But it has made playing my own music much harder... I used to be a stand-up bass player, and I still strum a guitar now and then.

 

Hey Ben,

Does this app come in an Android version?

 

I'll be interested to know how the ACRN therapy works for you. I had a noise trauma decades ago which gave me both hyperacusis and tinnitus. The hyperacusis was the big problem. I have always been able to deal with the tinnitus. But, it has gotten worse over time, and that seems to be due to exposure to noise events.

To keep it from getting worse, I would suggest using hearing protection when around louder than normal sounds, and especially impact noises. That would include when being around power equipment, but also when around continuously elevated noise. With hearing protection you might still be able to do most things, it really depends on your situation. So the key is to be careful to keep it from getting worse while still not depriving yourself of normal life activities. Earbuds and headphone might be ok if you are careful to keep the volume low, but it is easy for it to become too loud, and that is a problem. There are many people who have tinnitus or hyperacusis who definitely came to regret continuing their use.

Have you had a hearing test lately? If you are losing some hearing, that could account for any increase in tinnitus, in which case hearing aids might actually reduce the tinnitus you are experiencing.

If the tinnitus is mostly the same but is just annoying, then perhaps some habituation therapy as with TRT could help that. Some people have found CBT to be helpful, so that could also be something to explore.

You can experiment with your diet (caffeine, salt, sugar) so see if that makes a difference. It never has for me, though some claim it does for them. I don't think there is any need for a special diet unless you find that a particular change actually helps. The same thing for supplements.