Severe Sleep Deprivation

Hi all,

This is my first post (on any forum ever).

I am 8 weeks into Tinnitus and at the point of desperation. It was triggered by Sertraline which I stopped using after just 12 days. I have done all the usual; white noise, sleep phones, attempts at relaxation and mindfulness etc. But I simply CANNOT get to sleep or stay asleep. I am a total emotional wreck in the day and live in dread of the night hours.

My tinnitus is inexplainable according to my audiologist; I have no hearing loss or damage to speak of. It is thus phantom noise and possibly worsened by stress.
I suspect I may have to take some sleeping medication soon although I am wary of the 'slippery slope' in to dependence effect.

I suppose I am simply posting to ask for any messages of hope. What are my chances of getting used to it and leading a normal and full life? When does habituation occur? Do people who have it chronically get to sleep at night? It is currently dominating my existence and frankly, making me feel fairly dark thoughts. I have a six month old baby to look after also which compounds the fatigue.

I have to feel that this won't be my life, it's simply soul destroying.

Best wishes and any advice appreciated.

Lizzie

 

Hello, Lizzie. Welcome to the forum.

I'm sorry to hear that you're going through this. You are not alone, many of us have been emotional wrecks. What you are feeling is normal, but I want to add that stress and sleep deprivation tends to temporary intensify tinnitus. It is very important that you get adequate sleep and relaxation, something that is much more easier said than done at this point.

I don't think you should be too concerned about sleep medication. There are many different types and not all of them are addicting. Melatonin pills is a nice way to start. These are hormonal sleeping pills, so you're just getting an extra dose of something that already exists in your body. Melatonin is mild so it's unikely to make you doze off immediately but it can make falling asleep easier. It also has few side effects and does not cause any dependence. Some studies even suggest that it can both prevent and improve drug induced tinnitus because it works as a potent antioxidant.

The majority of those who have tinnitus are leading a pretty normal life, so you can definitely too. How long habituation will take is impossible to determine because we are all different. Some habituate around six months and others longer. The goal is to habituate and it should not matter how long it takes, as long as you get there. Most of us here have chronic tinnitus and we do indeed sleep and night.

This dark place you're in is temporary and things will get better so hang in there!

 

It depends on how loud it is. If it is not too loud, habituation can take 6-12 months. If it is loud, habituation might take between 12 and 18 months. It could get so loud that habituation might not happen.

Check out the thread below where I summarize everything (24 tips spread over three posts) I learned about managing tinnitus after reading the posts on this forum for the past 11 months
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...itus-recently-this-info-will-be-useful.25741/
Hopefully you will find some of those tips to be useful.

In particular I talk about melatonin and amitriptyline there. Those drugs (especially the later which is non-addictive) might help you to fall asleep.

Make sure you use sound enrichment.

 

Hey I hope you are doing okay. Your post interests me because you are 6 months postpartum. Were you given the antidepressant recently due to post partum depression? It is none of my business and you do not have to answer that, but it makes me wonder if the tinnitus is due to anxiety/depression and not from your medication. Is this your first baby?

 

Yes, I hope that this isn't long term for you. It is hard to think positive when you are sleep deprived. You have probably heard this before, but please take naps when your baby does. Even short naps is better then none. Get some fresh air, drink lots of water, breathe deeply and relax. Seeing a Dr. for a sleep aid if over the counter teas, melatonin etc. does help is not a big deal, in my opinion.

 

I also had no problems with my ears, also before T no meds and I didn't listen to loud music, for night time I start around 1030 take 2 Tylenol PM, a long shower, no tv, listen to ocean on a sound machine and fan, wear eye mask so the room is dark. I stick to a routine. I tried meds to sleep they did not work for me. But I use a med during the day for anxiety that came after T. Stay calm the best you can.

 

Finding a way to get a good night's sleep is key to dealing with tinnitus. If I have a bad night's sleep, I typically have bad tinnitus the following day. I know you tried white noise, white noise doesn't work for me. What does work is finding a masking sound that matches your tinnitus sound. Since I have high pitched tinnitus, I listen to cricket sounds. My wife compares it to sleeping outdoors but she understands that it works for me. I use 2 sound machines, one for the nightstand and the other for my pillow (I'm a side sleeper). I use a pillow speaker I purchased on Amazon. Once my bad ear hits the pillow, it's lights out for me. I know it sounds like overkill, but I need to fight fire with fire. Good luck with your sleep problem and I hope it gets better.

 

Hi Lizzie
I have had long term T. Sertraline HAS given me many more and severely loud T. It’s hellish and made me a wreck who barely functions. My ENT consultant says stress not meds caused but I know differently.
Coming off sert can cause insomnia, even though you didn’t take it for long, and give you extra anxiety.
Sleep, you are probably scared to go to bed even though you are tired? This should get better as your brain settles from the sert. I now am able to sleep but it’s taken a few weeks. Can you read or is that impossible just now. Try warm milk and know that your body is resting even though you are not sleeping. It WILL get better and you WILL find that you sleep. Hug.

 

Hi guys, thank you all so much for your support here. It's really helpful to know I'm not alone in this, especially at 4 am when the nightly panic sets in.


I think I will look into Melatonin as globally it seems to get very positive reviews. The lack of sleep is just getting silly now so something has to change, even if the meds are only for a short while.


Yes, I had/have post natal depression and anxiety and am sure that this has been a contributing factor. My audiologist said Setraline may have been a trigger but that underlying stress has fed it more. Her view was that I must have a particularly sensitive auditory system however as many people take SSRIs and do not experience T. She also suggested it was likely I would habituate in time; apparently I have primary tinnitus. GP has advised my another AD which I have declined to take, I just can't take the risk of it exacerbating things.


I can't know how loud mine is as I cannot compare to others but from reading other posts online I suspect it is moderate. Honestly, I think I could handle it in the daytime provided I am sleeping well at night. As I said before, the odd sleepless night is manageable but not night after night. Normality is what I'm after, even if it's not a revolution.


Many thanks for the link and the various tips, I will study these with great attention. I suppose ultimately I will learn to live with it relatively comfortably otherwise the 10 percent of the population who have it would literally be going completely crazy!


Thanks again to all and best wishes,


Lizzie

 

I know exactly how you feel. I got T. 2 months after the birth of my baby and was so depressed that i wanted to end it all. Luckily i have had great support from my family as i could'nt cope at all. I felt so unfit to be a mother and i never felt i would be capable of caring for her with 24/7 buzzing in my ear. I'm now 9 months in and i'm doing alot better. Still with ups and downs. You will also learn to sleep with the noise as your brain will percieve it as the new form of silence. Atleast that's what happened to me. What really helps me to sleep is putting your phone underneath your pillow and play calming music or rain or cricket sounds. I put it in a very low setting so that it won't damage my ears. Also magnesium spray and melatonin helps me. I do have a backup of oxazepam which i only take in emergencies. I wish you all the best of luck and strenght!! you will get better.