One of the Quietest Stretches with Tinnitus — Then It Started Ramping Up Again

Last week, from Monday Feb 11th until Sunday afternoon on the 17th, I had one of the quietest stretches I've had since getting tinnitus 5 1/2 months ago. I could still hear it in very quiet environments, but the volume was significantly lower and it was much more manageable. It was so dramatic and lasted so long, that I (mistakenly) thought it was fading for good and I was onto a more comfortable path with this.

Unfortunately, on Sunday afternoon, I immediately noticed it start ramping up in volume. I wasn't listening for it, it was obvious it had spiked. It was just completely out of nowhere. I hadn't done anything to aggravate it: No headphones/loud music, no housework or power tools and I'd slept well the night before.

All day this past Monday it was loud and, the worst part, I woke up at 3am this morning with it hissing so loudly that I couldn't fall back to sleep.

I just don't understand why it swings with such intensity. I'm grateful for the quiet periods, but how will I ever habituate to something that's so unpredictable? I guess that's the million dollar question for many of us. I'm trying to not let it get me down, but it's just so hard. Thanks for listening.

 

No, that wasn't a mistake. It seldom gets low in volume and stays there. It takes 1-2 years to get there. What matters is the monthly trend and the global lows. What happens on any given day or week is not important. Hopefully those spikes will keep getting shorter and shorter and the times when it is quiet keep getting longer and quieter.

You might consider seeing whether exposure to moderate noise like a vacuum cleaner or a hairdryer might be causing those spikes. The spike doesn't always begin right after the exposure to the moderate noise - sometime it is delayed until the next day.

 

Yes, it is very tough to habituate to constant changing in volume and also to varying frequency/ T types.
It could be any number of reasons it does it, but no one can really say for sure. Could be due to certain noises as @Bill Bauer mentioned, but it could even be the type of sleep you had (even if you feel you had a good night sleep), what you've eaten, stress levels etc etc. You just have to enjoy the quiet times when they come along and look forward to them coming back when things are tougher.

 

@HiDezGuy74 My tinnitus does the same thing. Extremely quiet stretches followed by a sudden spike. It’s so hard to habituate. I, like you, am grateful for the quiet periods, but am finding it hard to habituate as well when I never know what sound I’ll hear how loud it’ll be. But again, grateful.

My tinnitus seems to spike based on how my neck or jaw are feeling. I’m not sure what caused your tinnitus, but thought I’d throw that out there.

 

Thanks to @Bill Bauer @Gman and @jeas for all of your suggestions and advice. I watched more TV than usual over the weekend and I wonder if that aggravated it. I really need to start tracking my spikes. It's quieter today than it was yesterday; still there for sure, but not at the same intensity.

I'm trying to move away from the daily monitoring of it and focusing on the "volume" all of the time, but I still have to work on that! Back to Silence has helped me think about that in a new way, but it's still a struggle.

 

Can't you just make a mental note if you get a spike following some noise exposure over the past 24 hours?

 

@Bill Bauer Yeah I could. I also found a daily questionnaire from the guy who wrote Rewiring Tinnitus that has a bunch of details to track progress (diet, noise exposure, sleep) that I was thinking about using, too. It's finding that balance of being active in my recovery without being obsessive. This forum has helped.

 

I wish I had an answer for you. I've had several spikes and always have habituated. I'm currently living a spike and will habituate to this. it could take 12-18 months. It is draining. Hang in there. If I could predict what causes my spikes I could prevent them.