Tinnitus Began First Week of June 2020 After Wim Hof Breathing

Hey man. I haven’t been doing great. At this point the tinnitus is the least of my worries. All the other symptoms are worse: hyperacusis, pressure, feeling of liquid in ears, etc. and to top it off the tinnitus got worse if anything at all. Very frustrating.

Glad to hear you are still improving. It’s a slow process so keep at it and take your time. How is the equalizing going? Are you able to pop your ears yet?

 

Hey man, I'm really sorry to hear that. When did these other symptoms start for you? I had pretty bad hyperacusis in the beginning and I think it got better as time went on. The liquid in the ears sucks. And your tinnitus is getting worse? What is the sound you're experiencing right now? Is it the constant high-pitch "eeeeee"?

Well, I was doing OK for a while there until I tried surfing this past week. I went out on Thursday and Friday and both days I got very seasick after only being on the board for 45 minutes. Both times I felt nauseous and Friday I felt like I was literally going to vomit. I also felt pressure in my left ear and could have sworn I felt some liquid in there also, but that seemed to go away after a few hours. However, the nausea is taking a few days to subside. I hadn't tried surfing since my Wim Hof experience but it appears that's now a hobby I have to tread very carefully with also, all thanks to Wim Hof... the gift from Satan that keeps on giving.

As for my tinnitus it's been louder these past few of days, especially after surfing. Worth noting, when I was surfing I didn't have any terrible spills. The usual falling off the board here and there and sitting on the board waiting for waves. But it appears that was enough to drive my middle ear into a bad state.

Regarding your two questions about equalizing, no I cannot pop my ears. I use the Xlear sinus wash and gently blow my nose after, which causes the squeaking noise, which I think is a good sign? But still not fully clear yet. I cannot believe it's been a year with this garbage and still dealing with the tinnitus and ear issues.

Have your symptoms gotten better this past week?

 

Interesting! I also went surfing recently (my first time ever), and my tinnitus got very noticeably louder afterwards for a couple of weeks. I think it's starting to return to previous levels now. If I ever go again I will definitely wear those waterproof earplugs.

No idea if this could provide any clue to what we have damaged.

I did not have the nausea you're talking about though. Really sorry to hear about this.

 

Interesting, consider yourself lucky. The nausea was really bad and driving back from the beach like that sucked. I felt like I was driving with a really bad hangover. My guess is it may have something to do with any kind of inflammation or damage that could have happened to our middle ear during the Wim Hof breath hold. The nausea was really bad for me on the second consecutive day. I mean, I still feel it now to a degree and it's been three days. It's taking a while to subside.

Regarding earplugs, that's a great idea and I'm checking these out. They seem to get excellent reviews:

https://surfears.com/product/surfears-3-0/

Also, I purchased these and will wear them the next time I'm out on the water:

https://www.sea-band.com/

The waves here on the northeast coast aren't as frequent as west coast so you're sitting on your board and waiting for waves most of the time. I'll see if the combo of these two items helps!

 

Hey Lukee! What's the word? Feeling any better?

I've been doing alright. The ringing is still low and steady, and not even noticeable much of the time.

Been hitting the gym hard and heavy. Feeling great afterwards. Still working my neck/jaw/head too. I dig the feeling of a strong neck. I've also been using both a Theragun and Hypervolt compression massager all around my neck, ears, and head.

And call me a fool, but I've been doing Wim Hof style breathing again. Since I can't get my hands easily on oxygen, I figure deep slow breathing with a few holds here and there is probably the easiest alternative. I don't think the WHM is complete BS. I think there are some good things to take away from it. I think that it can be used as a good form of oxygen therapy, if used unforced and mellowly. So I've made a few personal tweaks to it. No. 1, I don't do any type of fast, power, or Bhastrika breathing. Everything is slow, deep, and controlled. No. 2, no forcing air pressure into the head. I keep the air pressure below the neck on the retention hold. No. 3, don't force or stress anything; no super long holds.

Since starting this again a couple months ago, I haven't noticed any increase in ringing at all. My ears feel more stable now in a sense. And just like the pre-tinnitus days using the WMH, now relaxation and sleep have been remarkably well. Especially doing a few rounds right before bed. But the morning is a good time for it too, because my stomach is empty and I can get more longer, saturating holds.

Still doing daily ice baths and sound therapies too. And doing pretty much the same herbs and supplements.

I've also been doing this thing with the air in my mouth. I like force a little air into the ear areas and it feels like my tubes (or something else) are stretching out, in a good way. No plugging the nose while doing it. It feels almost like Valsalva, but a little different.

 

Hey Lukee,

What's your sound therapy regimen look like? Which ones do you use? Are you still sleeping with them? Are you getting any residual silence from them at least?

 

Not really using any sound therapies at the moment. I’ve developed hyperacusis that gets better and worse day by day. So I’ve been pretty wary about exposing myself to anymore sound than I need to.

 

That's whacked, man. Sorry to hear that. I had some of that in the beginning too. I know you're probably well-informed about hyperacusis already, but just a reminder that they say one of the main treatments for it is sound therapy.

 

Hello all,

I wanted to share my current situation.

I started WHM 3 weeks back. After doing it for 5 days, my right ear became clogged. I went to the immediate care and they told me that I had wax build up. Now I've had earwax build up in my right ear in the past. But nothing major that could clog the ear. They pushed water using a syringe and took out two 1/2 inch size chunks. I've never seen that large wax build up in my ear. Wim does mention in his video that toxins will be released. So in a way I was glad that the wax got removed.

Two days later I performed the WHM breathing and did the pushup with breath-hold. I started hearing high frequency "eee". At first I didn't think much of it and thought it might go away. The next day the sound was still there and I started to get worried. It's been 2 1/2 weeks and the "eee" sound is still there.

I feel like it's coming from my left ear. When I open my jaw wide open, I can hear the frequency changing in my left side. Although the sound is there, I'm able to sleep relatively fine. I'm getting 6-7 hours of sleep.

I'm of Indian origin and familiar with yoga. I found a video on YouTube regarding yoga and tinnitus. Started practicing it today. I'm also familiar with Ayurvedic medicine. But I'm not taking taking any Ayurvedic medicines yet.

Have appointment with ENT tomorrow. Not sure what he's going to say about all this. I have an appointment with my chiro as well.

Hoping that some day the ringing will stop. Please do share any suggestions that may be of help.

 

Hi @Surej,

Nothing much we can tell you except cease all WHM immediately and I would protect your ears from any loud noise. You have caused damage to your ears, in some form, and while we don’t quite understand how, we know that it has happened.

Yoga and Ayurvedic medicine has been around for thousands of years. I have read many people getting injured in the same way. If you are able to, I would suggest that you seek help of someone who has dealt with these types of injuries from yoga. An ENT will be more than likely useless but always good to seek out a medical professional.

Keep us updated.

 

@Surej, I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I, like many others including yourself have been dealing with the constant "eee" tinnitus from Wim Hof for quite some time. In my case, since June 2020. In my own opinion, I see Wim Hof as a bastardized form of pranayama breathing which could cause more damage than good.

I believe a lot of us are dealing with trauma to either 1. the kidneys (it is my belief that perhaps the shot of adrenaline instigated by the prolonged holding of breath following the forced air to the head could shock the kidneys, which in turn have an affect on tinnitus), 2. central nervous system (sending the body into sympathetic nervous response), 3. auditory nerves, or 4. the Eustachian tubes.

The exact symptoms I've been dealing with for quite some time have been the high-pitched "eee" which you're experiencing and a feeling of blocked eustachian tubes similar to when you're in a high altitude or flying in a plane. I don't feel pressure but the ears won't completely unblock.

As far as Ayurveda, I tried a combo of Yograj Guggulu and Dashmoola (in the morning to lessen inflammation) and Saraswati Churna (at lunch / dinner to lessen the noise). Saraswati Churna worked the best in lowering the high pitched noise but I had a weird reaction to it, in that my blood pressure went up, perhaps due to the rock salt in it, so I had to stop it. That aside, it really did help. I've had Ashwaganda and Jatamansi in my arsenal too which I may try. I know Ashwagandha is in Saraswati Churna, which I did find some relief from, so perhaps Ashwagandha could help.

As far as medicinal creams, I alternate between Lakshaya Transdermal and Sensitive Plant to help heal the nerves but neither has stopped the tinnitus.

As far as healing modalities, I've tried acupuncture with little success - I may try that again. I don't know if Pranic healing could help rid one of tinnitus but perhaps it could? I would love to hear any professional opinions from someone who is a Pranic healer or Ayurvedic practitioner who has knowledge about healing the central nervous system, and tinnitus specifically. I've consulted two people so far who deal with Ayurvedic medicine but it's been hit or miss up to this point.

As @Lukee mentioned, an ENT will tell you nothing is wrong, have you take an MRI which will come up normal, etc, and have you speak with an audiologist. I wouldn't bother going that route, but that's my own experience talking.

Once again, I'm sorry that you're injured. I hope you can get yourself healed and let us know about your findings and experiences. Welcome to the board (but sorry you're here amongst us!)

 

Hello,

I did the Wim Hof Method for about 20 days.

I always heard an "eeeeeee" when I was doing the breathing round. But at the end of the exercise, the sound stopped.

I didn't do the breathing technique for about 3 days.

I continued with the cold shower.

And one day the "eeeeeee" appeared in my left ear, but also very low in my right ear.

For 2 months now the "eeeee" is still there.

I went to an ENT. He told me that my ears are ok and I can hear very well.

I went to a chiro who worked on my neck but nothing good happened.

If I contract my neck or mandible, the tinnitus sound is amplified.

I never had any issues with my ears before doing the Wim Hof Method.

So my issue definitely came from it. But I hesitate between the breathing technique and/or the cold shower as being the cause.

Because the cold shower can also give tinnitus.

Something is wrong right now. I hope someone could help me.

Best regards.

 

Hey Petit.

Your best bet is to learn to relax and take it in stride. Don’t do anything that could further aggravate it. I highly doubt it is caused by the cold showers, it certainly caused exclusively by the breathing. Wim is a piece of crap and deserves all the karma coming his way for the lives he’s ruined.

I suggest from this point forward to protect your ears. No loud music, no clubs or concerts (maybe with protection). I know this sounds crazy but it could be worse so the best advice I can give you is don’t let it progress.

Good luck.

 

@Petit I agree with @Lukee here. Please protect your ears and please stay away from Wim Hof. I also agree that Wim is a piece of crap. Hundreds of people are suffering from this tinnitus and he does nothing to help. Just peddle his videos to unsuspecting people.

 

@Lukee, I'm wondering if we're dealing with adrenal fatigue syndrome as a result of elevated cortisol during the breath hold which led to the spike in cortisol -> sympathetic response -> tinnitus in a nasty loop.

I'm wondering if this has something to do with our type of tinnitus caused by Wim Hof.

 

It’s possible. We kind of discussed those concepts earlier on but never seemed to really get anywhere with it. I guess if it was adrenal fatigue then wouldn’t we have additional symptoms? I do have adrenal fatigue symptoms but it doesn’t seem like the vast majority do.

Another thing I find interesting is that even though the tinnitus wasn’t caused by noise, it has become pretty evident that we are now more susceptible to subsequent damage like increased tinnitus and hyperacusis. Please protect your hearing. @MrC6688, how have you been doing? Any other symptoms crop up since?

 

I'd been doing the same unfortunately. Still dealing with the high pitched ringing and stuck ears. I noticed the ringing is at its worst in the morning when I wake up, so that's why I was wondering if this was AFS since the morning is when cortisol release is peaking. I don't know man... I'm running out of ideas but I refuse to quit looking for a remedy.

The fact that Wim and his cult brush off tinnitus claims really pisses me off. These people are ruining lives, I don't care how much they try to convince everyone of the opposite.

@Lukee, are you dealing with hyperacusis? I know when there's a loud noise it does bother me. I stopped using headphones or earbuds about a year ago so I am trying to protect my hearing. Another thing that bothers me is if someone is singing at one pitch for too long, like a continuous scream it bothers me and I actually feel uneasy. In the past, it never did that.

Have you had any luck with any supplements? I bought Ginkgo biloba but haven't tried it yet.

 

Ya bud I know the feeling. I’m dealing with hyperacusis, noxacusis (painful version) and now a host of other issues like TMJ and trigeminal neuralgia type symptoms.

Debilitating is an understatement.

You likely have hyperacusis, though only a mild form, so protect yourself around loud noises, from the sounds of it you’re doing a good job.

I have tried a bit of everything and there are only a couple of supplements/meds that have had any effect. One is Sudafed, you can try it for the pressure and see what happens. That should tell you whether the pressure is ETD related or inner ear. Magnesium has helped a bit overall. Nothing really seems to work for the tinnitus and the hyperacusis waxes and wanes but Ambroxol seems to help with some of the hyperacusis and related symptoms, though it varies in efficacy.

Last thing to really try is a ultra-strict, low-histamine diet. You will need to do it for a few weeks to start to see benefit but there are people that it’s working for. It predominantly works on hyperacusis but tinnitus is reducing for some people.

 

Hi fellow unlucky ones (or are we?)... get to that part in another thread...

I too have developed tinnitus after practicing the Wim Hof Method. In the beginning, I would get some strange auditory sensations during, or immediately after the breathing. I figured it was just part of the process. If it had stayed limited to that, I wouldn't be here. The constant eeeeeee sound, hours or days removed from the breathing is the reason I'm here.

I wonder if we can find a commonality between us, that helps to distinguish why we became unlucky ones? For anyone willing, please answer the following survey questions. Hopefully answers can be short and sweet.

1. Did you do the breathing sitting, or lying down?
2. If lying, what surface, and did you use a pillow?
3. How intense did you go in terms of the breathwork? Light, medium, of full power (for simplicity's sake). We can add context as needed.
4. Did you practice mouth or nose breathing or combo?
5. Did you time yourself? I.e. did you have to move around or get up at the end of a round to check a phone or timer?
6. How many rounds per session on average did you do?
7. Did you practice on an empty stomach?
8. Most amount of rounds you have done in a session?
9. How many days did you do sessions prior to the onset of constant tinnitus? This will be an approximation for most.
10. Had you had any significant changes in elevation in the days prior to the constant tinnitus showing up?
11. Any past or current head/neck or injuries?
12. Did you have tubes in your ears as babies?
13. Do you smoke?
14. Did you splash cold water on your face?
15. Level of cold exposure?
16. Would you say you are a negative person?

Here are my answers:

1. Lying. Although a couple of times- I'd sit up crossed legged for one round only and do nose breathing. Then I'd go back to lying for the remainder.
2. Memory foam bed. Would toggle between pillow or not.
3. Full power. Unfortunately, I'm an idiot who wrongly believes more is better.
4. Typically, mouth. You know, because you can get more air that way. Sometimes would mix it up.
5. Yes, timed my no air holds. And had to move a tad at the end of each round to see my times.
6. 5-7 rounds on average.
7. Mix of empty or non-empty.
8. About 10. Was getting retention holds of up to 4 minutes.
9. Approx 20-30 sessions. At the end was breathing every day.
10. Yes. I live at 10k ft of elevation, and had driven down to almost sea level, and then back up after a week.
11. Yes. Past concussion and fractures of the skull. Also played football, so have some neck weirdness as well. Although neither seemed to be of much concern at the onset of tinnitus.
12. Yes.
13. Yes, but only marijuana.
14. Yes. Very cold water.
15. I would dabble in cold showers, maybe 3 or 4 total. But I was going on night hikes for about 50 minutes in the cold mountains, shorts only.
16. Somewhat negative. I attempt to practice gratitude.

Another thing I did, was on the inhalation after the no air hold, I would take a big breath, and sort of 'come to' about 5-7 seconds after the breath, then I'd take even more air, forcing as much in as possible. I regret that. Like I said - I'm an idiot who needs to learn hardest or most isn't always best. Story of my life in some ways.

Well thanks in advance for anyone willing to answer theses. And thanks for the 19 pages of deep and mindful Tinnitus Talk. Read them all.

Ultimately, here is what I believe: Tinnitus will NOT be permanent for those of us that acquired it through WHM.

To me, it makes sense that for those that acquire tinnitus through hearing loss, it would be more likely to be permanent. As the brain tweaks from the lack of sounds coming in and starts to create its own or compensate in some way.

I think for us, it may take a few years, but it will go away when certain things unknown (cells, veins, vessels, nerves, nano things, hormones, gas concentrations, etc regenerate or return to balance. I also believe that nothing external will be a fix, whether it be medicine, sound therapy, supplements, or doctors. None of that got us into this mess, and it ain't getting us out. This will be an inside job. I'm feeling like for this to change, I have to change in some ways, fundamental drastic ways. Which many of you have undoubtedly began doing. It's like we have been set on a path, whether we like it or not. Life is a wonderful tough bitch it seems.

These beliefs really have me wondering - have we have triggered a kundalini awakening?

 

I wonder if this describes what happened to us:

PATRICK MCKEOWN - BREATHING METHODS - Patrick...

It also seems like - if you went hard, went extra rounds, & breathed through the mouth, it may have contributed to our Dane Bramage. I mean Brain Damage.

That all pertains to the "why". But what do we do now?

As for a solution, I believe Buteyko breathing would be a great start. Ana (on pg. 14) already mentioned this! And although she got pulsating tinnitus rather than the eeeeee, some of her other symptoms seemed similar to mine when my tinnitus first set in. Mostly the elevated heart rate, anxiety, and most of all - a general feeling of being unwell. I really hope she can chime back in to let us know how she has been doing with her tinnitus, the Buteyko, and if she returned to a state of balance.

There is another piece I'm pairing with Buteyko breathing, and I believe I'm having success so far. In the last week, my daily tinnitus seems to toggle between a 0, 1 or 2. For me, it's the most important part of my recovery. Especially after reading the trials on here so many have been encountered since acquiring tinnitus. I really hope you guys have been doing better! I will try and post about the other part soon.

I haven't done any of the neck strengthening exercises yet, but I'd like to incorporate those soon as they sound like they have really been helping. I would think jaw strengthening may be beneficial as well.

 

Thanks for contributing to the forum, sorry for my late reply!

I really hope you're right, about WHM tinnitus not being permanent. I've been dealing with this garbage since June 2020 and it hasn't gotten much better. When I'm active, outside, or among friends I don't notice it. But when I'm in a quiet room or watching TV, or on my computer, I do. I really hope we can all recover from this!

I'll answer your questions below...

1. Did you do the breathing sitting, or lying down?
   Lying down
   
   
2. If lying, what surface, and did you use a pillow?
   Pillow under my head, often lying on a carpeted floor.
   
   
3. How intense did you go in terms of the breathwork? Light, medium, of full power (for simplicity's sake). We can add context as needed.
   Hard to tell, I did three rounds and held my breath for 1 minute after the exhale, then did the 15 second breathe in towards the head. It was my second or third day I believe of doing WHM.
   
   
4. Did you practice mouth or nose breathing or combo?
   Combo.
   
   
5. Did you time yourself? I.e. did you have to move around or get up at the end of a round to check a phone or timer?
   No, I was on the floor the entire time and didn't interrupt the session.
   
   
6. How many rounds per session on average did you do?
   The usual three rounds that he speaks about in the beginner video.
   
   
7. Did you practice on an empty stomach?
   I think I had some food in me.
   
   
8. Most amount of rounds you have done in a session?
   Just the three.
   
   
9. How many days did you do sessions prior to the onset of constant tinnitus? This will be an approximation for most.
   I believe it was 2 or 3 days. My original post (you can find it on the very first page of this post), details what I experienced.
   
   
10. Had you had any significant changes in elevation in the days prior to the constant tinnitus showing up?
    No.
    
    
11. Any past or current head/neck or injuries?
    None.
    
    
12. Did you have tubes in your ears as babies?
    No.
    
    
13. Do you smoke?
    No.
    
    
14. Did you splash cold water on your face?
    No.
    
    
15. Level of cold exposure?
    I tried taking a cool shower that week but it was brief.
    
    
16. Would you say you are a negative person?
    No.

 

Hello guys, another victim here. Is it possible that we have Eustachian tube blockage or swelling?

 

Did it go away?

 

@MrC6688, do you notice a difference if you stop breathing? When I stop, the tinnitus subsides.

 

Someone with the same issue as us suggested taking Betaserc to lower pressure in the ear. What do you guys think?

 

Hi Everyone,

I started with a bout of feelings of unexplained unsteadiness around September 2021.

I had been stressed but was exercising regularly and had started with the Wim Hof method. I did the rounds and saw a Neurologist, an ENT, an orthopedic surgeon... you can guess what came out of it... nothing. It was only later on that the tinnitus appeared with a feeling of my ears feeling full.

As recently as this week, the feeling of unsteadiness had improved, and the feeling of fullness in my ears as well. The tinnitus is still present but it is manageable. So I decided to resume working out more intensely and top it off with a short meditation and another Wim Hof breathing session just 2 days ago. And as you can expect, the buzzing in my ears got worse, and now I have my right ear that feels clogged. It has been 2 days...

I just stumbled upon the connection of Wim Hof and my tinnitus yesterday!

I went through the 19 pages of posts. I wanted to thank all the people that contributed their detailed regimen. Your help is invaluable!

I made a long list of what has been recommended but there are so many of them, it would be hard to take them all and practice everything.

So I would like to ask all the people present, what would be your top recommendations to all of us?

Thanks for reading!

 

I don’t know about Betaserc lowering pressure. It’s definitely something to try as it has a pretty good safety profile.

 

All I can say is F**k Wim Hof.

 

I couldn't have said it any better. Last week I found out that a friend and co-worker of mine was doing WHM and I told him to immediately stop it and told him about my tinnitus story. He couldn't believe it and was shocked because he never saw anything on a Wim Hof website warning about tinnitus.

Wim Hof is a selfish bastard in my opinion. He's harming people but doesn't care one bit because he's created a cult following for himself. He's never addressed the tinnitus his technique is causing people because he... doesn't... care.

 

I would suggest trying Betaserc or Cinnarizine, it improves the blood flow of the inner ear. Cinnarizine is also an anti-vasoconstrictor that works on the middle ear.

I can't get my hands on these as of now because the medical system where I live is slow because of COVID-19. It will take me 4 months to get the prescription :/

If anyone tries them and has success, please report. Like said above, it's a med with a high safety profile.