Tinnitus from Prolonged Noise Exposure to Headphones: Two Days After Onset It Got Worse During Sleep

Hello everyone, thought I'd introduce myself. I'm 26 years old and developed tinnitus on the 25th of November 2020 from prolonged use of my headphones, which changed my life forever on that day.

I was using my headphones in the morning. I was having a bad time at home so after a few hours I remember taking my headphones off. Everything seemed fine but I remember hearing a very faint ringing in both my ears.

It was very faint. I could only hear when things went quiet. It didn't bother me at all. I slept like a baby that night and next day the very quiet ringing didn't affect me.

2 days after onset I woke up and the ringing was loud and I could feel it in my head. I was really worried now. I went to the hospital to see a GP who checked my ears and told me my nerves were fine, no wax build up, I did a little hearing test and was told my hearing looks good. The doctor old me about tinnitus and asked if I was stressed. No, my life is perfect. I got home that night and I looked up tinnitus.

I'm on week 6 and it's still pretty loud. It is now like a very high eeeeee, also with a hiss in both of my ears, which has been up and down, like sometimes I feel as if my brain was trying to tune in to something.

Also my right ear has 10% louder tinnitus, and my left ear has a little bit of hyperacusis. I'm still waiting to see a ENT. I'm now giving my ears a big rest. Never using headphones ever again. I'm taking all the supplements that have been mentioned on Tinnitus Talk.

I was a huge mess, very suicidal for weeks. I now cope better and understand that I'll probably have this forever. I'm still struggling to sleep though.

I can hear my tinnitus over everything except for the shower. Is that bad tinnitus? And I don't take any medication.

 

Hi there! Welcome to the forum, though I wish it were under better circumstances.

Resting your ears seems to be the best bet, and this is one of the few pieces of advice I see almost universally offered. Headphone usage is controversial, but if you can manage without them, it's probably for the best. I used to use headphones in my younger years, but I ended up moving to speakers once I achieved some more privacy. This doesn't make you immune to hearing damage as volumes and duration must always been managed, but it's a lot better than having the "speakers" right on your ears. As for supplements, I'm still trying to figure that out myself. You can't really find a single pill that has helped everyone, which is one of the many problems with this symptom.

It is extremely rough to hear that you were suicidal for so long. While I never got to that point, I certainly have and from time to time still do feel incredibly depressed. The fact that you have started coping better already is a good sign, and from what I hear you should only get better with time. Time, time time.

Regarding whether or not your symptom is "bad" will vary from person to person. Subjectivity is so ingrained into this issue that it is even what they call the main category of it. I think it matters less how loud it is or what it sounds like and more how much it bothers you. While it's not perfect, I'd consider taking the TFI to see how "bad" it is for you.

I genuinely hope you continue to get better, either in the sense that you cope further and habituate or the noise itself diminishes to an insignificant extent.

 

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear you suffered so much initially and that you are coping better. Have you tried masking the tinnitus at sleep time? Also have you tried Melatonin for sleep?

You have a high pitched tinnitus. Mine is ultra high pitched that it is like a dentist drill with 10 times the pitch. I could hear it over most things including the raging and roaring rapids in the salmon river that I fish. I could also hear it above the jet noise in the flights I took for travelling after tinnitus. So I understand your pain. I also had severe hyperacusis soon after tinnitus hit. So I was in a mess initially. I never thought I could enjoy good life again. But today I live a happy, productive and quite enjoyable life for almost 10 years. Then about 4 weeks ago my left ear suddenly went deaf overnight with violent vertigo and dizziness to go with it, plus a new rumbling roaring and loud humming from my plugged up left ear. But this time around I am going to stay positive and calm that things will improve over time, even if it means I will only hear from 1 ear. So don't be too stressed out with your high pitched tinnitus. It may fade over time or that you will habituate to it like many members do. You can read their success stories.

I also wrote my story with link below. Hopefully you will find some helpful strategies in it. Take good care. God bless.

From Darkness to Light, How I Recovered from Tinnitus & Hyperacusis

 

Hello, 98 days ago I got tinnitus from a sudden loud noise from the headphones. I am now in the 4th month. I think the hair cells are broken. I am in the same boat as you.

I have tried many things. For example; Betahistine, Piracetam, Magnesium, Zinc, B12, Cinnarizine, Amitriptyline, Cortisone, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (3 sessions). Unfortunately, none of them helped.

I guess none of this works for acoustic trauma. Sometimes it turns into hissing, but I always have electrical noise.

My advice to you is time is the only cure for our tinnitus. You can try the medicine prescribed by the doctors. I suggest you read the Success Stories.