Tinnitus Caused by a Faint Noise?

Hello Everyone,

I am 26 years old and I have been experiencing tinnitus and hyperacusis over the last 10 days.

Throughout my limited research online I have seen a lot of stories about tinnitus being induced by loud noise, but has anyone's tinnitus ever started because of a faint noise?

I have just moved into a new room about a month ago, and there is a high pitched humming noise outside my window, along with a an intermittent high pitched beeping noise. These sounds are pretty loud right at the source, but are somewhat far, and are ever so slightly echoing into my room through the window. They occur in the early morning hours when I am half asleep and also all throughout the day.

At first, they only kept me awake and caused a great deal of anxiety and sleep loss, but now I am hearing ringing in my ears before bed. Even when I sleep at my friends in a completely different town, I can hear ringing. I do not hear it 24/7, sometimes it seems like its gone, and I have also had some quiet nights. I have also noticed that I am constantly focusing on background noises. Like when I am in class, I can be easily distracted by a reversing truck outside, and completely lose focus on the lecture. I am having my ears checked next Monday for hearing loss, but I don't expect there to be any.

Is this kind of tinnitus / sound sensitivity typically long lasting?
What are the chances I can recover if I change my current setting?
Any advice as to how I could get better, faster?

 

You don't mention how loud your tinnitus is when you hear it. If it is low, chances are you habituate to it in time and not pay attention to it any longer. My experience has been the louder the sound, the longer it takes to habituate.

 

sometimes its pretty loud, but when i wake up (like today ) it could be almost completely gone. My right ear had nothing ringing and my left just had a slight humming sound