Tinnitus for a Week: I Suspect from In-Ear Headphones

Hi everyone,

I've been reading some threads on here and I thought I'd introduce myself and give a backstory of how I think I got tinnitus and where I'm at.

Onset

I am a student and when I went home for Christmas I didn't bring my over ear headphones with me, just my in ear ones. Because of COVID-19 I have been stuck at home for months. I used the in ear headphones a lot over this period. The only times I think they were too loud was when I was watching movies (not very often) or if I had to turn them up because of outside noises were drowning out the headphones. I think it's more the extended use at moderate volume that got me.

About a week or so ago I noticed ringing in my ears. I say my ears but it kind of feels like it's in my brain. It sounds a bit like the rining in this video. It is still quite faint so I don't know if I've had it for a while and I just started noticing it or it has just recently started. Weirdly, I think I noticed it the day after listening to binaural beats.

Treatment?

I saw a Nurse Practioner today for a walk-in appointment. She confirmed my earwax is good and I have no infections. I am going to see my GP when I can and try to get some more testing done including a proper hearing test. I've also had jaw problems for years and I've hear that can cause tinnitus so hopefully I can get that checked.

I know it's early days for me but I feel like it's getting worse and I'm obviously stressing out. It's really messing with my sleep schedule. I've suffered with depression and anxiety before and I can feel it coming back. I'm not using in ear heaphones anymore but I think to stay sane I'm going to have to use over ear headphones at least in moderation.

Thoughts?

I'm trying to stay positive and look forward to seeing a specialist but I'd like to hear from the tinnitus community AKA the real experts

 

Cue @Michael Leigh with his copy paste headphone post...

P.S. Don't listen to his advice. That's my advice.

 

Same here, I'm done with all kind of headphones.

 

Likewise.

 

So it seems headphone use is a contested topic. Do people differentiate between music through headphones and podcasts? I wonder if the effect is different.

 

Headphone use can make tinnitus worse for some people @NowhereFast, so please be careful using them. Click on the links below and read my posts that you might find helpful. Use low level sound enrichment whenever possible, more about this is explained in my posts.

Take care
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

My friend group always stay in touch through online video games and I need headphones for that at least. I've become so attached to using headphones

 

You have noise induced tinnitus and risk making it worse if you use any type of headphones even at low volume. I am telling you this because I have had this condition for many years, corresponded and counselled people with this type of tinnitus. It is no joke when it becomes severe believe me. Some people will tell you headphone and earbud use are fine as long as the volume is kept low however, this is not true for everyone that has noise induced tinnitus.

If the tinnitus increases because of headphone use it's unlikely to reduce to its previous baseline level. The people saying headphones cause no harm will not be able to help you. Click in the search box at the top of the screen, and peruse some of the posts from members of this forum that regret using headphones as it made their tinnitus worse.

 

Hello and welcome.

I am sorry you’re going through this and I do hope that it resolves for you.

There are lots of things that cause tinnitus. You would do well to check out everything including your jaw. I would also go see an ENT and get a hearing test. If by chance you have any hearing loss that they can measure that would likely be a cause.

You may also want to ask for something to help you sleep if you’re really struggling to sleep because you’re not going to be able to deal with this without proper sleep.

There is a fair amount of debate on the site about the potential dangers of using headphones. I’m not going to weigh in one way or the other. I will tell you that both my ENT and my audiologist told me that using headphones are fine provided that your volume is no more than half and noise canceling are better because then you aren’t tempted to increase the volume to cover up outside noise. And I did ask my ENT the question about whether or not there’s a difference between in ear phones versus over the ear headphones and she said no it’s really about the volume. Now I don’t know - there may be other data that suggests otherwise but I can only tell what my hearing related professionals told me.

I personally don’t use them at all except when I’m on a flight. And I use my Bose noise canceling headphones. And since I fly maybe twice a year that’s the limited amount of time that I use them. And I am very careful of the volume. I do worry about my kids, particularly my young one because he does a lot of gaming with headphones on. He keeps it very low though because I can call up to him from downstairs and he can hear me upstairs in his bedroom with the headphones on.

I would suggest you speak to your ENT and or audiologist should you see one for a hearing test.

Hang in there.

 

Thanks so much @Michael Leigh and @Forever hopeful. Going to try to take it easy on my ears and mind while I wait to get further tests done. Wishing you all the best.

 

You are welcome NowhereFast. Please take your time and read my posts in the links that I have sent you. If as I suspect your tinnitus is noise induced, after having tests at ENT, your doctor will probably tell you that your hearing is satisfactory and no underlying medical problems can be found within your auditory system that is causing the tinnitus. You may be advised of some coping techniques to help with habituation that are mentioned in my articles.

Your doctor may also suggest to leave things for a while to see how you get on or might refer you to Audiology, as this is the practice in the UK. If this is happens you will see either a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment. Many people habituate to tinnitus within 6 to 12 months, sometimes longer.

Take care,
Michael

 

I listen to podcasts all the time using my Bose noise cancelling headphones (Quiet Comfort II), usually when I wash dishes or when the landscaper starts up outside, sometimes up to an hour per day, and for 5 hours on a flight. It has not affected my tinnitus or hyperacusis at all -- in fact it has only really benefitted me because they work so well on the plane and at work. I often use them when the landscaper is outside -- where a sound is annoying but not loud enough for plugs or earmuffs.

Because I have mild hyperacusis, I never use a high volume and I only listen to podcasts where I know there will be no unexpected increase in volume. Basically podcasts that I know have good sound editing. Generally interview programs like Fresh Air where I know what to expect. I rarely listen to music with them on.

I also make sure I use the do not disturb function on my phone when pairing my headphones with my phone so calls don't come thru while I am washing dishes. Bose headphones sometimes chirp when switching between apps, and while not louder than maybe 40 decibels it's still annoying (mostly because of the frequency) and slightly louder than my podcast volume. Again, I have mild H so things seem quite loud to me.

I don't think headphones pose a risk if used carefully -- which is what my ENT told me and what my experience has taught me. I am very careful with my headphones -- I never have them on when I turn them on just in case the volume is high, and I always remove them before turning them off in case they chirp or something. I have a whole mental checklist I go thru when I use them. So far so good.

 

I went to see a GP today and they did a very basic hearing test with a tuning fork sort of thing. No problems there.

I'm probably going to have to wait 6 weeks and see if it's still there before they will refer me to a specialist.

Still having trouble sleeping but it's getting to be more annoying than anxiety causing.

 

@NowhereFast, that's great that your hearing is fine. That tuning fork test is really a trip! My ENT did that to me once and I still have no idea exactly what was being tested (the audiologists do completely different tests in my HMO).

If nothing is wrong, I think you can trust that it will improve. I also have a buzzing in my head (that doesn't seem hearing loss related) that faded over the course of a year... I almost forgot about it until I had a spike recently, which sent me back here looking for answers because I had not experienced a spike this loud ever. Even so, it has already improved and I have periods of silence and can go most of the day without noticing it, even though it's there. I know if I relax and don't focus on it, it will improve over time. (As I am writing this, mine totally went silent because I was focused on something else! At some point it wont matter if I hear it or not, like it did before this spike... just takes a while to get there psychologically, for me.)

I get annoyed by my tinnitus if I notice it's louder when I go to bed. I've stopped trying to fight through my annoyance with tinnitus -- if I find it irritating as I try to sleep, I now just mask it. I just don't have the energy to do battle with my own brain noise! I also do specific breathing exercises (with and without masking noises) --- box breathing (used by navy seals to stay calm) and 4-7-8 breathing -- the key thing is longer exhales relative to inhales. Breathing with longer exhales activates your parasympathetic nervous system and has a calming effect -- and after a few cycles I generally fall asleep. Also, when I focus on counting and breathing, I can't focus on tinnitus.

Good luck and I hope your head ringing improves quickly.

 

Thought I'd give an update:

No change in my tinnitus. I had a phone consultation with a different GP. He said he would write a letter for me to see an ENT but it could take a YEAR for me to see one. What a joke this country is.

1. Why are we relying on letters for this sort of thing? I checked and they won't email me if/when I get an appointment but I'm moving quite often so I have to hope that it makes its way to my parents and then to me. At least send an email along with the letter. It's not the '60s anymore.

2. Why do I have to wait a YEAR to see a specialist???!! I'm aware they might not be able to do anything but I haven't even had a full hearing test yet. This is ridiculous. Maybe I should tell them I'm gonna kill myself (I'm not) if I don't see someone immediately. I told them I'm having trouble sleeping and suffer from anxiety but I guess I can just live with that for a year.

 

Hi @NowhereFast.

I hope you are doing OK today? I think it's great that you've come back to do an update, so many threads just seem to end with no sense of progress.

I'm really sorry to read that your tinnitus hasn't improved that much - have you seen any improvement at all? I'm double-disappointed, perhaps selfishly, every time I read an update where things are not perhaps going quite as well as they could be... it makes me think perhaps mine won't improve either.

I do wonder if here in the UK the best approach is to go private with this kind of thing. The NHS is great when you have had your arm ripped off, or an eye hanging out but when it comes to less 'tangible' problems they seem sometimes a bit behind. It's all about money in the end though isn't it, and it seems that besides a therapeutic approach there's not much to be done - and I (perhaps stupidly) have always been a bit sceptical about most kinds of therapy...

I really hope things get better for you. It's a really cruel thing, especially when everyone around you seems absolutely fine.

 

Thank you for the reply I think going private would absolutely be the best option with the state of the NHS. Unfortunately because the wait list for NHS dentists is also ridiculous, I have spent lots of money on private dental care and can't afford private health care as well, especially when, like you say, there's likely not much to be done anyway.

As for my tinnitus, it fluctuates slightly but I don't think there has been any improvement. If anything it's got slightly worse. How is yours?

 

I wonder if headphone-associated hearing loss and tinnitus may be mostly the result of shutting off the ear canal from the outside environment. Rather than the sound from the headphones itself, at least in part. That may be the reason why it's dangerous even at low volume. Like the hearing part in your brain losing some synapses due to complete inactivity.

Anyway, I'm never using these ever again.

 

Yes the wait list for dentists is crazy at the moment, I'm guessing there's still a backlog of patients and problems from lockdown. I've never had private dental work, apart from braces when I was a kid, but if there's one thing that I think could definitely be better private it would be dentistry. Does feel a bit conveyor-belt-esq when you're an NHS patient!

My ringing today is definitely noticeable. I'm trying my best to ignore it, but not always possible. I'm early on so still hopeful, but equally terrified honestly speaking.

Cheers.