Strange Phenomenon: Tinnitus Gets Stronger at Work

[Xynic]

Just an observation I wanted to share. In the past couple of weeks, my T has gotten quite intensive, weirdly enough it gets intensive at work. I know that now because this weekend it was almost gone, and now it's roaring again! The weird thing is my work is quiet and largely stress-free. I work as a programmer, but I don't necessarily have a whole load of pressure on me. I also tend to spend quite a lot of time sitting down in front of the computer when I'm home, so it's not my posture, either. It's crazy - I'm almost beginning to think it's something in the office!

Did anyone else experience this sort of craziness?

 

[glynis]

Xynic,
For some people computers can cause tinnitus.
EMR from computers can worsen tinnitus for some people so keep a check on computer usage.lots of love glynis

 

[Xynic]

Very interesting. I have my laptop on at home at all times, but maybe it's the external screens I use at work, or one of the other computers. I'll try to work from home for a little while and see how that develops.

 

[Dawn Whinetaker]

I mean, it's really a hypothetical throw here- but are there a lot of wireless signals in your office? Wifi, laptop connections, Bluetooth connections, phones, etc.? Just a weird thought, but maybe all of those 'unseen' waves could worsen our hearing? I read a study about the affects of it somewhere, a long time ago- but I can't find it now. The scientist was studying that particular hypothesis. It'd be interesting to see what the results were...

 

[linearb]

I mean, it's really a hypothetical throw here- but are there a lot of wireless signals in your office? Wifi, laptop connections, Bluetooth connections, phones, etc.? Just a weird thought, but maybe all of those 'unseen' waves could worsen our hearing? I read a study about the affects of it somewhere, a long time ago- but I can't find it now. The scientist was studying that particular hypothesis. It'd be interesting to see what the results were...

I was curious enough about this to go camping in Green Bank, WV, right in the middle of the National Radio Quiet Zone. No cell coverage, FM, wifi, etc.

My ears still rang after 3 days. YMMV.

 

[marqualler]

Just an observation I wanted to share. In the past couple of weeks, my T has gotten quite intensive, weirdly enough it gets intensive at work. I know that now because this weekend it was almost gone, and now it's roaring again! The weird thing is my work is quiet and largely stress-free. I work as a programmer, but I don't necessarily have a whole load of pressure on me. I also tend to spend quite a lot of time sitting down in front of the computer when I'm home, so it's not my posture, either. It's crazy - I'm almost beginning to think it's something in the office!

Did anyone else experience this sort of craziness?

Mine sometimes goes up and down in intensity during work. I think some of it is due to sitting/standing/straining my neck and head in ways I don't when I'm at home. But I also notice it the least because I'm the most busy and I have pleasant background music playing at my desk (from the great Seattle, WA-based radio station KEXP.)

(I promise I'm not paid by KEXP...I just really like them. Listening to them at work was a big step toward habituating.)

 

[Xynic]

I mean, it's really a hypothetical throw here- but are there a lot of wireless signals in your office? Wifi, laptop connections, Bluetooth connections, phones, etc.? Just a weird thought, but maybe all of those 'unseen' waves could worsen our hearing? I read a study about the affects of it somewhere, a long time ago- but I can't find it now. The scientist was studying that particular hypothesis. It'd be interesting to see what the results were...

I don't believe in that really. In the modern world, wireless signals are literally everywhere, not just in offices. People would have bad hearing all over. Besides, my hearing is just fine - it's just that my tinnitus seems to get stronger.

I'm working from home today though and it's definitely way better. I am sort of thinking at the moment that it might just be the sleep, haha. I sleep less when I go to the office.

Mine sometimes goes up and down in intensity during work. I think some of it is due to sitting/standing/straining my neck and head in ways I don't when I'm at home. But I also notice it the least because I'm the most busy and I have pleasant background music playing at my desk (from the great Seattle, WA-based radio station KEXP.)

(I promise I'm not paid by KEXP...I just really like them. Listening to them at work was a big step toward habituating.)

Sure, I notice it the least when I'm most busy and also have background music on most of the time, but the crazy thing is it goes up anyway! Maybe it's some unconscious process I can't easily identify. Maybe... while I THINK I am working hard... I am ACTUALLY distracting myself.

I was curious enough about this to go camping in Green Bank, WV, right in the middle of the National Radio Quiet Zone. No cell coverage, FM, wifi, etc.

My ears still rang after 3 days. YMMV.

Yeah, as I said, I don't believe in the wireless signal theory. But it sounds like a nice camping vacation anyway?

 

[nills]

body posture, neck/vertibrade compression and blood pressure are the most plausible reasons ...

We also have computer humming and fridges as possible causes ... because so many machines are there your hearing tends to lose it`s ability to place the sound in space and stats to appear from your own head. Turn your head around to see if the sound changes and you know it has to do with some electrical source.

 

[sandra72]

With me is that if i am working the sound is always louder than at home. But when leaving te big room the sounds goes down. I am sitting in a room with 14 people and computers.

 

[Xynic]

Interesting... I work in a relatively small office with just three other people. We all have newer MBPs, so no towers or anything like that, no loud fans. External monitors are the only other things working. It's really quite crazy.

It might really just be natural fluctuation. I notice now that the sound is still strong today, even though I'm working from home and slept well. I'm guessing it's just posture/mood/natural fluctuation-related. TBH my tinnitus does tend to transform quite a lot from week to week in frequency and intensity, so my guess is half the things I tend to correlate with it aren't actually connected at all.

 

[sandra72]

My t transform also a lot. some days is it very low, can sit in silent en most look for it. And some days i can hear it over the Tv. Most of the time when its low is when i am free from work or holiday's.

And for me is it hard to habutate. Because when i have a low day i almost dont think about my T. I am happy en feel free but when it is louder it can make me nervous again. Dont get me wrong i am mutch better than in the beginning but it still can irritate me.

 

[linearb]

Yeah, as I said, I don't believe in the wireless signal theory. But it sounds like a nice camping vacation anyway?

It was!

My feeling on the wifi/cellular thing is: wireless networks, almost certainly, do have metabolic effects that are not fully understood or appreciated. There is an absolute wealth of data from the last 10-25 years to support that idea. However, connecting this to any specific problem, like tinnitus, seems like a stretch.

 

[Mike TerMaaten]

When you're indoors with all those electronics, you're gonna hearing it more, and it's probably what caused it.

 

[Mad maggot]

I find fleurescent lighting makes mine worse and computer screens seem to - not the noise of computer but the lighting.

 

[Stein]

Hello. I have the same symptoms. When I use machines like the macbook pro retina or even the macbook 12 my tinnitus worsens. I have an older laptop (toshiba) but that doesnt cause the tinnitus to get worse. Maybe its the ssd drive in the macbooks that aggrevates the tinnitus?

 

[LadyDi]

I know and accept there is no proof that WiFi, computers, fluorescent lights, etc. can cause tinnitus to ramp up. But I do know that I work in a large open room most of the day that has WiFi, is filled with 60-plus computers and lighted by fluorescents. My T almost always is louder in here -- even though the work itself provides distraction that I need. I just try to ignore it and when it gets too much, go to masking noise on a headset. Oh, and I run a small fan on my desk.

Also, like @linearb, I once camped at a lovely spot in the Florida Keys that unfortunately has high-tension power lines on its border. My ears shrieked the entire time.