Sudden Onset of Severe Nighttime Tinnitus with No Hearing Loss

[ex-engineer]

Hello everyone,

A bit about me… I'm an electrical engineer, and I don't work in a noisy environment. I work from home. I never go to concerts. I do use headphones when I work out, but they're pretty cheap and don't get very loud. I've never had tinnitus last for more than 10 seconds, and only every few months, my whole life. I'm now 56.

A few weeks ago (on July 15), while on a business trip, the ringing started in my right ear out of nowhere. It wasn't too loud at first, but it hasn't gone away. The worst of the sounds is a very high-pitched frequency that almost resembles a hissing noise. It's unbearably loud. It always gets worse when I lay my head down to sleep. It becomes so loud and overwhelming, like the sounds are inside my head. Does that make sense? It's like a squealing sound, similar to a dentist's high-speed drill.

Masking doesn't work. The tinnitus gets louder when I try different masking videos on YouTube. It feels as if the noise is irritating the auditory nerve even more, and the hissing grows even louder, like a mix of squealing and air being released from a tire. This only happens at night. Sometimes, it even seems like it's coming from my left ear too.

I have a wall-mounted AC unit and a fan to circulate air. That's the ambient noise, but it does nothing to mask or distract me from the tinnitus… especially that awful hissing.

The ENT says there are no signs of hearing loss in the past three years. I had two hearing tests in the last three weeks. They told me the testing goes up to 8 kHz. My right eardrum does have a small hole in it. My left ear is normal.

I'm now taking 20 mg of Prednisone for the next 15 days.

Are the masking videos making the tinnitus worse? Am I irritating my auditory nerve and making it louder? What should I do? I just want to sleep. I can deal with the ringing during the day, but the nights are unbearable. Whether I use masking or not, just lying down seems to make the noise explode. That awful hissing sound is enough to make me scream and bring tears to my eyes.

Please help. Any feedback or positive guidance would be deeply appreciated. It feels like some bizarre curse hit me out of nowhere.

By the way, sometimes that awful hissing just stops. Completely gone. Total quiet. That's when I try to fall asleep again.

 

[momus]

I'm a bit confused by your statement that your cheap headphones do not get very loud. In my experience, almost all headphones—whether cheap or expensive—can easily exceed safe hearing levels.

The way you described experiencing only brief, 10-second episodes of tinnitus that would stop afterward sounds like it may have been an early warning sign. I have not often heard of tinnitus that short in duration, but everyone is different to some extent.

You might have what people refer to as "normal" tinnitus now, meaning it is likely to be persistent. That said, there are certain triggers you should try to avoid, such as stress and sudden loud noises.

As an engineer, you probably have no trouble understanding the physiological basis of tinnitus. Once those tiny hair cells in the inner ear become bent or damaged, they usually do not return to their original state. When that happens, they send abnormal signals to the brain, which often results in tinnitus.

 

[ex-engineer]

I'm not sure I've ever met anyone who hasn't had the occasional experience of ear ringing that lasts a few seconds and then goes away. There are many reasons that can happen. I've had that happen once in a long while since I was ten. I'm now 56. I don't think it's an "early warning sign," unless you mean a warning that arrives 46 years in advance.

Yes, all headphones can be played too loud. My comment about them being cheap was simply to compare them to brands like Bose or Beats, which can blast your ears in a flash.

You may be right that this could be permanent, but I don't think you should make such glib comments when you have almost no context. The three ENTs I visited wouldn't even consider making a reckless statement like that. Yes, it can be permanent, and that's exactly what terrifies me, but your comment, well-intentioned or not, was out of line.

Anyway, I posted looking for encouragement, suggestions, ideas, or compassion... and all I got was you.