Recent Tinnitus Spike Likely from Headphone Use — Very Severe Anxiety

Hey I’m Danielle, I’m 17 and I’ve had tinnitus for almost 2 years now. It freaked me out when I first got it, but after some time it managed to quiet down and I managed to live with it (so much so to where I could sleep without my noise machine on).

But recently it started to get very very loud, so much so to where I have panic attacks, and nothing really masks it perfectly anymore. Originally I got it from exposure to loud noises through wearing headphones all the time. Initially I wore headphones because music prevents panic attacks for me a lot of the time, but instead it ended up being a bigger problem. I never really STOPPED wearing them, I switched to earbuds for while, no issue then.

But recently I switched back to headphones again, and after a few months of wearing them daily I’m like this.

This started about a week or so ago, when it actually started to bother me. My ears are hurting as well, very bad, also popping. I don’t take anxiety meds at all, and I spent the entire day in the counselor's office yesterday crying over it. I just am really hoping it will quiet down again and not be this loud forever, like last time.

But I’m not sure, and it’s severely freaking me out. Does anyone have any tips?

 

I really thought ear buds were worse than headphones from all the sources I’ve seen, but for me it really seems to be the opposite.

 

Both might be dangerous.

 

True, but I figured if I were careful about volume I’d be okay,

 

This logic works out well for some/most? people. It has horrific consequences for the rest.

 

Yeah, next time I think I’m gonna quit wearing them all together unless I actually need them, as of right now I only wear my headphones on the bus bc people are loud and it makes me anxious

 

If you're getting pain and ear popping that's your ears way of telling you no more. Use earplugs to drown loud environments out instead, and don't worry about what other people think of you. You have to find a new way to cope with your anxiety, this is a must. The most important thing you can do is rest your ears.

 

Definitely gonna work on that, but do you think that means the spike is temporary? And things will eventually go back to normal so I can finally relax?? As of right now there’s an awful cycle of it giving me anxiety, and anxiety making it worse

 

What will you do if you get another (possibly permanent) spike after using the headphone "when you really needed to use them"? Is your plan to wait until that event to finally decide to not use headphones, no matter what?

 

If I’m honest I don’t even think it’s from the loudness of the headphones but rather the amount of time I had them on, not giving my ears enough time to breathe.

 

Since you don't know the real cause, it would seem that the safest thing would be to just stay away from the headphones, at least during the next 2-3 years as your ears gradually recover.

 

@Mercury.inxu

My advice to you is not to use any type of headphones again even at low volume as you risk the tinnitus getting worse. Please read my post below.

All the best
Michael


I have expressed many times in the forum that it is a risk for anyone that has tinnitus which was caused by exposure to loud noise to use any type of headphones even at low volume. There are people in this forum that have tinnitus which was caused by exposure to loud noise and use headphones without any problems. However, there are many people that have Noise induced tinnitus and used headphones at low volume and regretted it, because their tinnitus has increased and will not reduce to its previous baseline level.

The ear canal is approximately 26mm long. When sound is directed into through headphones, it has only one place to go and that is towards the eardrum. This can cause irritation to the cochlea situated behind the eardrum, due the syncopation within music. When listening to music through speakers, there is some dispersion before it is picked up by ear and enters ear-canal. However, if music is too loud one can still cause irritation to the auditory system which can spike the tinnitus and possibly make it worse.

There are people that have tinnitus which was not caused by exposure to loud noise and are quick to say using headphones causes no harm for people with Noise induced tinnitus. These people do not have NIT and therefore, know nothing about the condition. If you choose to follow their advice because they are telling you what you want to hear, that is your choice. Just remember, should your tinnitus increase then you will be the one in distress all by yourself with no-one to help you. Peruse some of the posts in this forum from members that have NIT and used headphones and regretted it.

 

There is no way of knowing for sure until enough time has passed. I'm in the same boat, waiting. You could always have a hearing test done. If you haven't lost any significant amount of hearing then you probably stand a good chance of it dying down with lots of rest. But with pain and earpopping it sounds like you are on the brink of something serious like hyperacusis. Not trying to scare you, but I would seriously ditch both headphones and earbuds. Some of us are just cursed with brittle, sensitive ears. Believe me, I wish I had read the warning signs more carefully. Now my hearing is a mess.

 

I can definitely do that, but what should I do right now for my anxiety? I know for a fact that me getting anxious over it is definitely making it worse, but I really don’t know how to manage it when I constantly dwell on it

 

Tell yourself (the truth!) that chances are this spike is a temporary spike (most spikes are, it isn't easy to get a permanent spike). Temporary spikes can take over 3 months to clear, but most of them begin to fade after about a month. When one is a month in and doesn't notice any fading, one is justified about worrying about the spike being permanent. For now it is reasonable to assume that it is temporary, so there is no good reason to worry and be anxious.

 

I feel your pain, I am having the same vicious cycle with anxiety. That is the struggle we all have with this ailment, and ultimately you will have to figure out a solution. If your hearing ability seems normal then do take comfort in that. It may just take a long time to heal, like months. I'm dealing with nasty hearing damage on top of the T spike after going to a metal concert without protection. Just know that it can get sooo much worse.

 

I’ve occasionally decided I’m gonna stop using headphones for good, and find other ways to cope when in public spaces. I realize now that it’s damaging my hearing more than a concert will.

 

I really hope you’re right, the problem with tinnitus is it’s very unpredictable at times, especially for me. I don’t know what makes it worse and what doesn’t, like should I take over the counter pain meds for headaches everyday or not?? I am assuming (since I’m having pains and popping) that it’s temporary, because last time when my t first started it was also much louder than it was after a few months, and I was also having pain and popping for a couple months. I just don’t want to relive that again, that’s what’s making it so stressful. I’m currently sleeping with my mom because I’m too anxious alone. I also CONSTANTLY check if it’s still there, which I know for a fact has made it worse, if I could just properly ignore it I know it would get quieter, I feel like a big reason why it can get so bad is from dwelling on it

 

Ughh concerts are the worst for tinnitus, I went to see blink 182 in august and had to wear earplugs because I was too scared it would get bad, which really sucked because it did muffle the concert for a bit, and I had a spike for a day or two, but it wasn’t anything bad.

 

It is my understanding that everything except Tylenol is ototoxic. So I think you can take Tylenol.

The above proves that you have not been taking your condition seriously. I believe that unless you begin learning from your mistakes, it will just keep getting worse and worse.

 

I will add that hot baths are amazing for anxiety.

Unfortunately for me I was at a death metal show lol. High on Fire broke me. I was oblivious and a total concert noob, was my 3rd show ever. The buddy who took me only complains of having mild T after over a decade of concert going with no earplugs. I wish I had done my research beforehand instead of listening to him. You were wise beyond your years to wear plugs for blink. I'm 26 with really messed up hearing now. I know your T is killing you atm but look at it this way, you're now armed with the knowledge I never had. I'd avoid concerts even with plugs for a while. You can beat this.

 

Thank you! It really sucks bc I was planning on seeing green day and Weezer sometime in the fall this year, but I may have to just cancel it due to this, I need to start being weary of what I expose my ears to. But if I’m honest, earbuds and headphones bother my T much more than outside sounds, I went to a con where we had a rave like dance march last year and came home fine with no issues with my ears. There’s another this year but I’ll just wear earplugs this time, since this con truly is my fav part of the year.

 

The thing to keep in mind is that hearing damage is cumulitive. I've got a dB measurer app on my phone now and have been shocked by how loud everyday places are. Think of your ears as having a budget, you want to spend it gradually over your life. Concerts take a bigger chunk out depending on how loud they are, and even if you don't notice right away. Also, judging something based on how much it upsets your ears is really bad. That was my logic and look where I am lol. You should measure the dB's and let them be the rule. If it's much over 80dB and you're gonna be there for a while, earplugs.

 

I’m a tad confused on what you mean by not taking my condition seriously? I’ve only been to three concerts my entire life, the other two a year before my t started, since I’ve gotten t I’ve been way more careful with events that I go to and how loud their gonna be, that’s why I purchased ear plugs before this concert, which helped me a ton

 

Definitely, though I got my hearing checked about a year and a half ago and it came back normal? But I do think there’s issues, in crowed spaces is someone is talking directly to me, I can’t understand what they’re saying and it gets muffled, I thought maybe that was a part of hearing loss but I’m honestly not sure, since it came back completely normal lol

 

You have been exposing yourself to loud noises.

"Way more careful" means doing all you can to not get exposed to loud noises. Going to a concert and wearing earplugs is NOT trying to minimize your exposure to noises.
Check out the experiences below

And check out this article (and especially the quotes below):
https://www.buzzfeed.com/joycecohen/noise-kills-when-everyday-sound-becomes-torture
More useful quotes from that buzzfeed article

Regarding a person who had committed suicide as a result of tinnitus and hyperacusis:

and here's one more

Check out the advice below

 

I’d hate for this to sound rude, but an article about suicide while I’ve been having suicidal thoughts really doesn’t seem like a helpful thing right now. I really joined this website for some sort of hope of things getting better for me, and learn some ways to cope with my t better and relax, but I’m finding this to just start stressing me out even more. I’ve already decided to quit using headphones and earbuds for good today, I don’t know what else you want me to do, this concert was months ago, already done, there’s nothing I can do about it now

 

In the long run, it IS helpful. You are having suicidal thoughts as a result of being reckless, and at the same time you plan to continue being reckless. The person in the article did what you were planning to do, and it hasn't worked out for him. If you haven't learned from your own mistakes, perhaps you will learn from others' mistakes. If you Learn, then, like I said, in the long run you will be Less likely to have a reason to be suicidal. Makes sense?

That's Exactly what my post above is accomplishing. If you learn from your mistakes, there is a reason to hope that you will eventually get better. My post has offered you a way to cope (feeling good about being serious about protecting your ears and doing something about your tinnitus). If it isn't what you expected to hear, then that's good - you learned something new, and got to look at your tinnitus from a new angle. Unless you want to interact with some "yes men" who will tell you to continue doing what you have been doing (and that has clearly Not been working well for you), enabling you to crash and burn.

 

Commit to being serious about doing what you can to protect your ears.