Tinnitus and Hyperacusis for 3 Months — The Hyperacusis Is a Nightmare

Hi everybody. I have had tinnitus (very high pitched beeping sound) and hyperacusis (sounds like white noise, static or even the ocean) for about 3 months from what I suspect years of torture and strain on my beautiful ears (at least they were).

The tinnitus is very low in volume and high in pitch, and I am not too bothered by it, however the hyperacusis is a nightmare. I am triggered by just small sounds in and around my house and have been doing as everyone suggested by not over protecting my ears and not using them in my house. Today is a really bad day (emotionally) and I decided to put my earplugs in as I know it gives me some relief (makes sounds sound how they should).

I have just one question. Does the hyperacusis get better or disappear? The tinnitus I can live with. But this hyperacusis has made me stop living.

 

A small random sound hurts your ears or are you jumpy and nervous about it?

Hyperacusis normally tends to react to some kind of sounds like paper, cutlery, dishes, glass or is uncomfortable to high noises like cars, trucks, motors, sirens, etc...

By now my house is the only place where I don't use earplugs.

 

First things first: hyperacusis is an umbrella term for different afflictions with similar clinical presentation. Recent research has shown that different types of hyperacusis exist (pain, loudness, fear, and annoyance). A combination of these might also occur in a single individual. May I ask, are certain sounds really loud (loudness hyperacusis), or do you feel pain during and/or after sounds (pain hyperacusis)? As James Brown has pointed out, perhaps sounds tend to make you jumpy and nervous, which would indicate fear or annoyance hyperacusis.

The good news is that hyperacusis tends to get better over time. This may vary from person to person, but I'd say that you could see some improvement in a matter of months (needless to say, this depends on the severity). Have you been to an ENT? They can rule out any underlying pathology that might be causing your symptoms. TRT, or tinnitus retraining therapy, can be effective in some. Though, I have a feeling it's more effective for loudness hyperacusis as opposed to pain hyperacusis.

As for the over protection: this is a pretty controversial subject in medical literature and among sufferers. If we look at the underlying mechanisms, it would make sense to avoid sound in the case of pain hyperacusis (likely to be a form of neuropathic pain), and gradually expose oneself to sound (preferably under the supervision of a professional) in case of loudness, fear, and annoyance hyperacusis. Either way, it is of utmost importance to minimize the amount of setbacks which is key to progress. In my opinion, it is better to over protect than to under protect regardless of the type of hyperacusis, as a single loud sound can exacerbate your condition. If you find yourself in a loud environment, I'd advise you to use protection.