Specific Cycles of Tinnitus

Does anyone have cycles of tinnitus?
My T goes like this:

Day one, wake @ moderate loud then builds to screaming loud by later in day and night is hell. Off the charts loud. I was shaking in previous months and going though different meds to stabilize me.

Next day is moderate loud @ wake and slowly goes down in volume during day. Still annoying, but I don't need masking much on that day by evening. After 6 months with T, I have somewhat adjusted with extreme anxiety. Maybe the meds helped that, not sure till I taper off of them soon.

Day 3 it's gone @ wake, I mean silent - if I don't oversleep 7 hours. Otherwise it can return.
Day 4 it's gone @ wake - if I don't oversleep 4-5 hours, otherwise it ramps up. I usually get a wake up call from Mr. T and I struggle to stay awake in fear. Its a very tiring day, but quiet.

Day 5 repeats, as day one - moderate loud to screaming loud by later in day into evening.
I am usually stressed by that night knowing the next day will be hell by later in day.
It only happens when I sleep and wake up. Rarely otherwise.

Its hard to adjust to this, even though the quiet days are bliss I suffer with brain fog and anxiety issues that affect my thinking and energy on those days, but I am tapering off very small dosing of clonazepam, so it maybe that?

Its a roller coaster and its hard to adjust. My other issues with depression and anxiety make the quiet days not so nice.

Anyone else cycle with the sleep?

 

My t is all over the place too but nothing as "regular" as what you describe.
I go from fairly good, bad, horrible but without knowing which one is around the corner.

 

I have cycles too. Also affected by sleep.
Usually one silent day then a moderate day.

 

Me too! Mine goes up and down on a normally 2 day up and 1 day down cycle. Also directly after sleep - so when i wake up it is screaming even if the night before it had been so quiet I thought it had gone.
In the beginning it stayed up all the time. Then it transformed to the above cycle.
The only thing that seems to change this cycle is extreme stress. Sometimes it goes down the day after extreme stress and sometimes it goes up.
During the stress though, while the stress is occuring, it defo ramps up.
No meds or sleeping pills.
Have to admit that i gave in today and took half an xanax this evening to take the edge of the anxiety. I woke upi this mroning with it moderately loud today. When I went to sleep it had been so low that I thought it had gone, well almost. I wake up after the usual 4 hours but for the first time, I was able to fall back asleep. Woke up 2 hours later.Spent the day in bed over the laptop looking at this forum. By the time the evening came I found it had ramped up to its highest ever. Hence I gave in and took half a Xanac (very low dose of 0.125mg). It worked and took away a bit of the anxiety but the T remains high.
Tomorrow will be probably be high? The next day Monday may return to a whisper?
No i dont think it is down to the cup of tea I drank, nor the salt, onion or garlic in my dinner (dont normally add salt) or the two chocolate wafers that I ate. Honestly there was so little chocolate on them!
If I pass extreme stress then this seems to break the cycle. Then a week or so passes and it then reverts to the cycle again. Then it is strange cos now it can go up after extreme stress or it can go down to a whisper.
But definitely cyclical and defo fluctuates and notice the difference in the morning after sleep.
So yesterday it was basically gone and today up up up. This morning I woke up after the usual 4 hours. However for the first time I was able to go back to sleeo and sleot a furher 2 hours. No meds or sleeping aids. Havent got a clue as to the why s and wherefores of this.

 

Well, I hope all have a peaceful night and awakening on any day.
Thanks for your stories of cycles.
Larry

 

@Larry OT: Fluctuating tinnitus appears to be common. I don't know the breakdown, but I suspect that many people have fluctuating tinnitus. I'm another one who fluctuates.

I do believe people whose tinnitus fluctuates must have either a stress and/or dietary component that causes the fluctuations. But I haven't been able to figure it out my triggers. Even stress is an inconsistent trigger.

 

Hi Jazz,
I've tried every variance to see what would trigger it. Nothing seems to make a difference except quality of sleep in the cycles, but I have quit taking clorazapan (4th day without)

Today should have been a quiet day and for the first time in a long time it wasn't because I had a real bad sleep. Up a lot. Maybe as the drug wears out of my system it's affected my sleep. It does not affect my T in any way when I took it during day when anxiety was worse.
But as you said maybe the stress has increased.

 

Hi all
Hopefully I can bring this post back up as I was just googling last night and came across this thread . I suffer identically larry with the sleep cycles. Would like to discuss and see how far you have come since nov.

 

Larry committed suicide a few months earlier...you won't hear from him

 

RIP Larry.

 

@Carm
Where did you hear this from?
I am shocked and devastated.
I spoke with Larry many times and my heart is broken to pieces. Rip larry. May you find peace .

 

That's just so damn heart breaking!

 

Very sad to hear about Larry!

My T is the same...it is cyclic and is absolutely related to sleep cycles. It began after I had surgery in June, 2014. I think that the anesthetic was a trigger - not sure how, but I do believe it's related.

I usually have no perception of T for 2 days then something happens while I sleep and I wake up with T the third morning and will have it all day. It varies in loudness. On the days I perceive the T, I am impatient, can't concentrate and mostly can't wait to get home and go to sleep knowing it will likely have no perception of it for the following 2 days. On the days that I have no perception of T (very good "normal" days) I don't dare take a nap or doze off or the T perception will begin as soon as I wake up, stay the rest of the day and the following day.

This is absolutely frustrating! I truly feel as if 1/3 of my life is ruined! I often wonder how I will be able to tolerate this for the rest of my life. My husband, family and friends are very kind and understanding about the T, however, I would be sick of me if I were them! I don't take any medications for anxiety or depression. I take Iron and Vitamin D - both my levels are low.

Would be interested in discussion with others that have had the same experiences.

Thanks!

 

So Sorry to hear a bout Larry ...lol glynis

 

I saw this in one of Larry's old posts:

"My anxiety is overwhelming. Every day. I can't control it without the meds. It's not even from the T which is lower. It's my mental state of ongoing confusion and depression and loss of my work in audio. I've become useless. It's too much."

He clearly had issues above and beyond T. I am not sure we should take some random poster's word for it that a person has committed suicide but in the event that it is true I certainly wish him or her peace on the other side.

 

It is not a random word.....It is sadly very true! It was posted by someone on TT but then the post was removed for good reasons that were decided by the managers of TT forum. It was confirmed too on Larry's facebook page so yes it is true. He passed on 31st January. The saddest thing imaginable! RIP...

 

It seems in Larrys case T was just a contributing factor, but saying in 90% of cases it was the depression and not the T, is silly to say. Firstly show me any person who SUFFERS from T (literally suffers) who isnt depressed! Secondly where did you get 90% figure from? (Just made up an arbitrary number?).
There are very very few studies and nothing conclusive about T suicides.
There are many accounts on the net (similar to Gaby' Olthuis story) of pure T and H suicides.
How many people on here have suicide on their minds on a daily basis???
So forgive me if I totally disagree with your statement.

 

T can lead to loss of job, loss of friends, loss of everything.
Then you sit home listening to your severe T all the time.
This will bring you into depression. Of course at the end it is the anxiety and depression, but as a result of T.
Of course anxiety and depression can be treated. But if the underlying factor is not resolved, how do you leave that cycle?

I try hard having a regular daily schedule, doing my job, following my hobbies. I even have a fall-back strategy if I would loose my job or cancel myself. But T can cost you a lot. And the question is how much you can accept.

 

I have wroten for almost a year with Larry. I still miss him.
He wrote to me in his last message that he was taking drugs, he could not handle T anymore.
He wrote that I am an angel and he thanked me for everything.

He did not want to go, because he loved his sons so much, but he could not live anymore with T.
He was so sad, because music was his life and his job, and now that was gone, because of T.
That's why he was so depressed. So his dead was all about T.

He asked people on the funeral not to bring flowers, but give money to tinnitus association.

I was so shocked, because he wrote me many times about the big S-word.
But we promised eachtother not to do it....
We made an appointment to see eachother, to meet eachtother in Greece, the land that we love both.

We made eachother a promise, ... we were in the same boat, T since May 2014. And we should both sail to the Land Of Habituation.

But then, ... January 31th,... he left me. He left us. He left his sons and his family.

I was so sad, and I still miss him. For almost 1 year we wrote to eachtother in TinnitusTalk.
But now... no letters anymore from LarryOt.

For Larry himself I am 'happy'. He has peace now. And now noise in his head anymore.

But I feel sorry for his family. And I miss him also. I cried my heart out. Still miss him.

RIP Larry, my pal (as you named yourself in our letters).
XXX

 

I am afraid to read about someone taking their life because of the T monster.
It's been 4 years now for me and has been so difficult but the thoughts of having it beat me down in a tragic way forces me to be proactive. I have made big changes to my self through the guideance of therapists. Still I wake up every morning to T and I challenge it. I do whatever I have to do to reduce the suffering. I protect my ears, I push to reduce the stress. I made a booklet of suggestions and carry it with me. Cbt I use a lot. When T gets real ugly I reach out to those who love me, to allow them to support me. Honestly, I'm just winging it because I don't know what else to do. We are all different but still we have this in common. This site helps many of us. God bless Larry. I'm so sad for the family left greiving. Hugs to them. Rose