New to Tinnitus, Sleep Became Impossible

Hello, my name is John. I have been reading some of the posts recently, found some really good conversation and advice. So decided to join the club.

Tinnitus suddenly hit me about six weeks ago. High pitch ringing in one ear. I can not think of any reason, maybe stress. Since then I have seen my family doctor, ENT, had an MRI and a hearing test. Nothing found, hearing is good. Doctor said get used to it.

During the day T does not bother me much. Usually pretty mild, with a few spikes. But sleeping became a nightmare. A few minutes after I lie down, T becomes like an alarm ringing inside my head. Falling asleep is impossible. I just lie around, and listen to the shrieking inside. Somebody described as being fight or flight mode as opposed to relaxed mode.

Doctor gave me sleeping pills, they give me a few hours of sleep, then T wakes me up. And I cannot take the pills forever. I tried music, nature sound, T masking sounds, deep breathing. T rises above all.

Did anybody have similar experience? I know T is supposed to be louder at night. But for me, the shrieking starts, and sleep is simply impossible. I would appreciate any advice.

 

Hello John Rose ,
I hope you are doing well. I would advice you to put a fan on and to take 5mg melatonine before your sleep that will be a great help for you.

 

John, I am sorry to hear that your tinnitus won’t let you sleep. Hang in there, and slowly things will get better. Use the forum for support. Here you will find knowledge, comfort, and hope.
TinA#7oct

 

Hello, I have what is called head T, but this is what works for me. I start by taking a long shower, 2 Tylenol pm, sound machine and fan, no tv, eye mask is a must. Relax quietly. I stick to the routine. During the day I work I have a radio, and 2 fans on me all day. I also have masker, but I had to negotiate with my ear person for them. I use them when needed, i hope my tips help you.

 

I agree with alex on the melotonine only i use full strength 10 mg.
It was the only thing that gave me relief in the beginning.
I know the sleepless nights we all do.
Wishing you some relief.

 

First, I had the same mindset in the early months, then I realized sleep is possible. Try to change your attitude towards it or better still don't think about it. You will sleep. Make sure your sleep hygiene is good by following you routine and doing what you need to relax. Take out caffeine if you can.

 

It's not necessarily louder at night, but the nights are generally quieter in terms of environmental noises, so the T stands out more...
It takes time to be able to sleep with your T. Try various arrangements of sound enrichment and see what works best for you: there is no "one size fits all" in terms of sound enrichment, as each T sound is different and needs a custom targeted sound to "blend in". You don't need to target a total masking of the T, but just enough sounds that T gets mixed in there and stops standing out.

Also, I suggest you go down the diagnosis path (hearing tests, etc...).

Good luck.

 

Thank you for the support. Any precedence when lack of sleep and fear from lack of sleep ended up in a medical condition? I am scared that I am getting there...

 

Well, yes, lack of sleep is a predictor for a ton of comorbidities. It also makes T much more difficult to cope with.
What meds are you taking to sleep? You may have to try a few different ones until you find the one that suits you best: talk to your doc about it.

 

@John Rose - the best result is when your nervous system finally stops fighting and learns to live with it. In the interim, establish a pre-bed ritual and stick by it. This means unwind and go to bed around the same time every day. The more relaxed you are, the better it will be for you to sleep. It will take some time (took months for me), but after that hurdle, it will be much easier to get a good night's rest and enjoy life once more. Good luck!

 

Greg, Mike, thank you for your answers. Minutes after I go to bed, T becomes unbearable. During the day, cannot concentrate, off work for the third week. Prescription sleeping pills, benzo, melatonin do not help. I have pre-bed ritual. Around the same time: pills, shower, meditation, deep breathing. Still, minutes after going to bed, T volume is up in the sky. White noise helps a little. Ultimately, my brain allows me 2-3 hours of sleep during the night. Enough to keep me alive, not enough to function properly. Doctors cannot help, all tests were negative.

Anybody had similar experience? Or is this unique?

 

Definitely not unique.

 

Unfortunately, since there is no medical avenue for you to go down, this is something you will need to address on your own. What I can tell you is the more you think about it and try to fight it, the tougher it will be for you to put the noise behind you. I, too, tried to fight it head on then realized I cannot win, so I simply let it beat me and from that point on, I was have been able to co-exist with it. Now, don't get me wrong... some days are tougher than others...

 

There is a lot of truth in what GregCA said about the environmental noises, but sometimes the environmental noises can help you. I've had T since 2006 from Meniere's Dx. Whenever I would have an attack, my hearing would fluctuate and my T would increase. Due to a very stressful and sad period in my life last year (death of friends and both my cats) I woke up one morning deaf in my rt ear and my T was extremely louder. I now had/have a whole symphony of noises at different volumes.

After all the tests I was told my ear was basically broken and there isn't anything that could be done. I do take medication to help me sleep through the night HOWEVER . . . falling asleep is a different story. I actually find having something else to focus on helps me fall asleep. For me it's the TV. Contrary to what everyone tells you about not falling asleep watching TV, that is the one thing I've tried that does help me get my mind off the T and fall asleep.

Hang in there John. It's very depressing sometimes and extremely frustrating looking for answers but don't give up. Everyone's T is different and everyone's remedy to live with is will be too. Keep trying everything you can until you find what helps you the best. Good Luck.

 

Do you mind if I ask some questions about your tinnitus, it would be really helpful if you took the time to answer.

1: So in general your said your tinnitus is mild, but does it fluctuate in volume?

2: Is your tinnitus low, mid or high pitched or more complex?

3: Do you have painful sensitivity or notice abnormal loudness (hyperacusis) to noise or ear twitching(TTTS)?

4: Does anything in your diet effect tinnitus, especially salty foods?

5: Did you do anything in the recent past or anytime in your life that may have been risky to hearing?
Loud concerts, loud mp3 player, work in construction ect, medicines that can damage hearing.

6: Do you have spine, neck, jaw problems? TMD?

7: Have you suffered head trauma accident?

New researches comes in and suggest that most cases of tinnitus are caused by hearing loss and that audiograms used to test for hearing loss are outdated. Other cases are neck/jaw problems and direct trauma to the audiotory brain.

When it comes to sleep I don't really know try melatonin and seek therapy, hopefully there will be treatment for tinnitus soon such as University of Michigan and Frequency Therapeutics working on ways to help hearing loss and or tinnitus sufferers.

I just ask these questions because I'm trying to figure out tinnitus for myself. By doing these mini surveys with users to find similarities. Stay well