Suggestions for Coping? — Early Stages Tinnitus from Stress

Hey everyone,

Some background - I'm a 28 Male. I've had tinnitus in both ears, high pitched for almost a month. I'm 95% sure it's from stress, and I'm having a very hard time sleeping and stopping the ruminating thoughts. I've also been pretty sensitive to sound for a little over a week, I think listening to binaural beats may have caused this.

I'm looking for some advice on how to cope in these early stages. I think my neurotransmitters are misfiring and I'd really like to be proactive and work through this rather than suffer.

I've been meditating, doing yoga and writing in a gratitude journal every day. I'm considering medication to help me sleep but am wary, as many medications come with side effects.

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

I'm starting my fourth month of tinnitus that cannot be masked. The first two months were awful. I think what helped me most was spending time in the Success Stories section of this forum. I've been doing the "Back to Silence" method to help, and while it hasn't necessarily improved my T, it's definitely helped me in my reaction to the T. I also spoke with my physician, who is very supportive and willing to let me try basically any non-addictive med that helps with sleep. That alone helped my sleep, even without taking the meds. Simply knowing that I can use them if I wanted to was able to relieve much of my anxiety.

I've also been using an app on my iPad called resound or something like that, and I found the mix of crickets, brook sounds, and brown noise. When I wake up during the night, I tend to focus on that a bit more than I focus on the T, which helps me relax. Also deep breathing exercises are very relaxing. The key really is to relax.

Also, the reality is, your T is probably from loud noise exposure, but the more stressed, tired and anxious you are, the worse the T is going to be / the worse your reactions are to it.