Tinnitus Caused by Pregnancy Hormones? Stress? Sleep Deprivation? Any Survival Tips for Me?

Hello,

I’ve been reading that circa 15% of the population has tinnitus. That got me wondering where were they hiding... And here I finally found you. So glad to meet you all.

I first noticed my tinnitus nearly a year ago. I woke up in the middle of the night with this really low “morse code” noise in my right year. That noise slowly progressed to a louder sort of metallic/humming sound. 2 months later, it started on the left ear too.

When it all started I had recently given birth to my baby and was spending time abroad in a foreign country with little support. Every doctor I saw came up with a different theory; pregnancy hormones, stress, sleep deprivation. But still to this day, absolutely no clue of what went on and despite multiple efforts, no signs of improvement either.

I’ve pretty much gotten used to it now but as I start to make peace with the fact this is likely to stay forever, would be great to hear from others in this group what do you suggest as “Do’s” and “Dont’s”?

Any piece of reading that could be useful and also, I’ve read a few comments about diet impacting tinnitus. Any insights on that?

Massive thanks,
Mariana

 

Sorry you are having to deal with this - it can be an adjustment!

Everyone is different - but the generally accepted diet items listed below - most people will tell you that these are items not to eat and /or consume less of. You will have to test each one.

For me, the hardest to give up and modify are caffeine, salt, and alcohol (we all like to have a glass of wine once in a while!)

If you suspect that a particular food is contributing to your tinnitus, avoid eating any for a week.
Then reintroduce the food and take notice if you experience any adverse effects.

• Processed/pre-packaged/fast foods
• MSG
• Table salt
• Artificial sweeteners
• Vegetable oils
• Sulfites
• Saturate fats
• Refined carbohydrates
• Trans fats
• Caffeine
• Processed sugar
• Alcohol

 

Did you have your hearing checked?

 

Wear earmuffs with your new baby crying. Also don’t waste time with diet. Don’t forget any noise exposure even as a youngster can catch up to you as an adult. The damage is cumulative.

 

Thank you so much! I did have my ears checked. No hearing loss, just tinnitus.

 

I have a ‘perfect’ audiogram; however, since they only measure 4 kHz and 6 kHz, my substantial dip at 5 kHz is missed. Audiograms really aren’t worth the paper they are written on, usually there is some degree of hearing loss when tinnitus is present.

Best advice I’ve got is protect your ears in any environment over 80 dB - this includes busy play parks, they can be ridiculously loud. Also research any medications you are given to check if it is ototoxic.

Hope things improve for you going forward.