Struggling with a Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Setback After Years of Recovery

[Mags]

I am looking for some advice from a place of despair. I developed tinnitus over the course of four and a half years. After the initial nightmare, which included reactivity and hyperacusis, I recovered and was left with mild to moderate tinnitus, which I got used to until last week.

While I was on holiday in a very windy location, my tinnitus spiked. It has now been one week with reactive, loud tinnitus and some hyperacusis. I am devastated that my brain has returned to that very dark place after four years. I have no idea why this happened or whether it is going to settle.

I am not sleeping and I have no energy to fight again. Has this happened to any of you, and have you recovered or gotten used to it again? I need some hope.

 

[Strife_84]

You have the tools. You did it once. It was tough, but you did it. You can do it again!

I am currently in the same situation. I had a pretty good life going, then I went to a club with earplugs on, and now I have a terrible spike that has lasted for a week already.

But we did it once! We went through the darkness and all those horrible thoughts. We survived, learned to enjoy life again, and faced setbacks along the way, but we kept moving forward! We can do this!

I've had some nasty spikes over the years. Sometimes they were my fault, like going to a club without earplugs, and other times they were caused by other factors, such as loud traffic, dental procedures, or similar situations. Usually, my spikes last about two to three weeks. I think my worst one lasted almost a month. But all those spikes eventually went away, so I believe you will be fine. Just protect your ears for now. Wind can be a nasty thing.

I usually get spikes when I start cycling.

 

[Maruashen]

How did it all work out for both of you, @Mags & @Strife_84? Did the tinnitus spike eventually subside?

 

[LisaLisa444]

I had a minor dental procedure last week. There was no drilling, and it wasn't even loud, but suddenly I developed a new tinnitus sound — a weird, static-like loud noise in one ear and a low siren in the other. I'm eight years into dealing with hyperacusis, TTTS, and MEM. I also have some kind of eustachian tube issue, which I think is PET at times, because when I pop my ears, I can hear way too much of my internal sounds. I also have a tender gland under my jaw in my neck.

I've had tinnitus in the past, and I also have pulsatile tinnitus. This whole mess is brutal, and I'm stunned to be having a flare like this. I didn't have anything like this particular tinnitus sound before, and I can't figure it out — unless it's something TMJ-related, since I do clench my teeth. I wear a mouthguard, but that only protects my teeth. It doesn't stop the clenching.

I'm just praying it calms down. I've already been through so much to get to a place where I could function, and now this shows up. I don't have the time or space to retreat right now either, because my daughter is due to have her first child in the next two weeks. She's a five-hour drive away.

I'm not even bothering to see a doctor, because I know from experience they are useless when it comes to actually helping with this. I was chatting with ChatGPT for a while, and it said it's most likely temporary — that inflammation can trigger flares and setbacks. It really seems to have been a rough week for a lot of us.

I've had setbacks with hyperacusis and tinnitus before, and they eventually calmed down, though the time frames really varied. I don't think I've ever had this particular strange air-static type of tinnitus before, though I've had a wide variety of other sounds. I don't know what's going on this time, but maybe tinnitus really is just that unpredictable. The sounds it makes are incredibly unstable.

Hyperacusis is a beast, but in these eight years, it has always eventually returned to its baseline. That baseline isn't great, but I was at least able to go out and function with some Bose headphones. I'm praying that things settle down — for me and for everyone else going through this. It's exhausting and overwhelming.

 

[Strife_84]

How did it all work out for both of you, @Mags & @Strife_84? Did the tinnitus spike eventually subside?

It's been a little over three weeks now. My situation has improved, but I still don't feel like I used to. Some days are better, some days are worse, but overall it's slowly getting better. I've definitely learned my lesson. This is not something to take lightly anymore.

 

[Mags]

I am almost two months into this proper relapse. My tinnitus is better, but hyperacusis has turned into a beast. The world is loud now, and I cannot seem to quiet it down. I have developed some sound distortions and reactivity to artificial sounds.

I have started CBT therapy, so hopefully I will make some progress. I cannot believe that I am going through this again, but it seems to happen to people, so I am not the only one.

I hope everyone is improving.

 

[Bobby 84]

I'm similar to you, @Mags. My tinnitus had become manageable, even though it was still loud, and the distortions and dysacusis were gone. I had been doing fairly well for a couple of years after a four to five-year battle to reach that point.

Then, after a recent sound exposure at a sporting event—despite wearing both earplugs and Peltor X5A earmuffs—it all came back, but worse than ever.

Unfortunately, there's been no improvement for me in the past four weeks, and my energy is completely drained.

The ENT prescribed high-strength Prednisolone, which I'm now tapering, and Diazepam to help with sleep. I'm hoping that once I'm off the medications, things might start to improve.

I really hope things get better for you too.

 

[Mags]

Sorry to hear that, @Bobby 84. It really sucks when we work so hard to get better and then things come back. I believe we'll improve again, just like we did before.

I'm functioning better now and doing more, which helps me feel more "normal." During the first month, I was barely leaving the house, but now I go out every day for a few hours.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you.

 

[Bobby 84]

@Mags, thanks for the kind words. I really do hope we both improve and can get back to some kind of normality, or as normal as one can be with this condition. It's great to see you doing a little better and able to do more. My fingers are firmly crossed for you to make a full recovery as well.

I admit I've done the same as you and have been housebound for a month. The reactivity to almost any sound makes it incredibly difficult to even want to go outside.

I've seen an ENT and am scheduled for more tests. I'll update when I get the results, but from what I've been told, that could take a while here in the UK.

At the moment, they haven't offered any solutions or advice, other than suggesting I see my doctor to discuss medication that might help with the anxiety this is causing.

 

[mandyc]

I'm also housebound now. I can't believe how loud the world is. Even the wind and rain feel overwhelming. There are loads of airplanes flying over our house. I never noticed them before, but now they all sound incredibly loud, just like the birds.

And now I'm hardly getting any sleep. I'm averaging about one hour a night. I'm feeling really, really depressed.

 

[Mags]

I'm sorry to hear that, @mandyc. I know exactly what you mean about the loudness of the world. I really struggle with planes. I never used to notice them, but now I can hear every single one!

I make sure to go out every day, but I also take time to be in quiet. It has been three months for me. Some sounds are better now, but planes and buses are still the loudest and they drive me crazy.

I hope you will improve soon. Sending strength.

 

[trevl]

I am looking for some advice from a place of despair. I developed tinnitus over the course of four and a half years. After the initial nightmare, which included reactivity and hyperacusis, I recovered and was left with mild to moderate tinnitus, which I got used to until last week.

While I was on holiday in a very windy location, my tinnitus spiked. It has now been one week with reactive, loud tinnitus and some hyperacusis. I am devastated that my brain has returned to that very dark place after four years. I have no idea why this happened or whether it is going to settle.

I am not sleeping and I have no energy to fight again. Has this happened to any of you, and have you recovered or gotten used to it again? I need some hope.

Tinnitus occurs when the brain "turns up the gain" in response to a loss of signal input from severely damaged hearing cells.

At the same time, the auditory system tries to recruit alternative hearing cells around the damaged frequencies, so that non-native cells send signals to the brain for the frequencies that are lost. If too many hearing cells across too many frequencies are damaged, that cellular recruitment fails to work, and the tinnitus becomes permanent.

I'm confident that cellular recruitment occurs continuously throughout life, across the entire frequency spectrum, to fill in gaps as hearing naturally declines with age. When hearing cell damage is catastrophic and spans a wide frequency range, this process cannot adequately compensate for the lost input, and tinnitus remains.

No audiologist's hearing test with only six or eight points provides enough detail to reveal the true extent of hearing loss.

Because most environmental sounds cover a broad frequency range, it's likely that hearing cells outside the tinnitus frequencies are also somewhat affected, though not as severely. The damage is still there.

Hyperacusis and tinnitus reactivity are symptoms of widespread hearing cell damage, not limited to the specific frequency of the tinnitus itself.

Anyone who has or has had tinnitus should treat it as a warning to be especially cautious with environmental sounds, to prevent further deterioration of their remaining hearing.

During my participation in a tinnitus study in 2024–25, my researcher told me that any sounds over 70 dB can cause hearing cell damage. This means hearing protection should be used in any environment where the sound level exceeds that threshold. Such environments include busy roads, public transport, trucks and buses, noisy cafés, shopping malls, machinery, hospitals, schools, and also places with significant wind noise, such as cycling, skiing, sailing, or walking outdoors on a windy day. Even holidaying in a windy location can be risky.