Tinnitus (No Hearing Loss) After Sleeping with Bose Sleepbuds II

Hi all,

I have had tinnitus for the last month after going to sleep with Bose Sleepbuds II in my ears at about 60% volume. (They didn't seem that loud and they are designed to be worn to sleep). A recent hearing test showed that I have no hearing loss.

Since most tinnitus cases are associated with hearing loss / the ringing is a result of damaged hair cells and something believed to be similar to a phantom limb syndrome, does anyone know what is causing the ringing in my case? Additionally, does tinnitus without hearing loss have similar recovery rates to tinnitus with hearing loss?

The ringing is bearable if I distract myself, but the aural fullness and cheek pain (maybe from teeth clenching?) is harder to tolerate. Any advice or recommendations would be immensely appreciated.

Thank you very much in advance.

 

Please do not think most cases of tinnitus result in hearing loss as this is not true. You have noise induced tinnitus which is the most common type of this condition. It is caused by listening to sounds that are too loud. Headphones, earbuds, headsets, AirPods and the Bose Sleepbuds you have been using are typically responsible, as people tend to listen to audio at high volume without realizing it. Exposure to other types of loud noise can cause the ringing too.

If this is the first time you have heard tinnitus, then you might be fortunate that is goes away completely or reduces to a low level so it isn't too bothersome. To achieve this, my advice is to stop using the Sleepbuds even at low volume for at least 3 months. Don't use other types of headphones or headsets either. If the tinnitus goes away and you decide to return to using the Sleepbuds, headphones etc then keep the volume low. However, my advice is not to use the Sleepbuds ever again or any type of headphones but it's your choice. If you continue using the Sleepbuds and don't give your ears a rest as I've suggested, then you risk the tinnitus getting much worse. Please click on the links below and read my posts.

All the best
Michael

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

 

Thank you very much for your prompt reply and advice. I did believe that the majority of tinnitus cases were associated with some extent of hearing loss (the auditory complex is "missing" sounds of a certain frequency so it creates its own noise to fill in the blank) so thank you for this.

I definitely stopped using the earbuds and returned them right away.

 

You have been doing some research on tinnitus Witty and that's good. You are correct tinnitus can cause some hearing loss. To compensate the brain will increase its background activity in an attempt to hear frequencies that is can no longer hear. By increasing its background activity tinnitus can increase. The fitting of a hearing aid(s) replaces the missing frequencies and in some cases help reduce the tinnitus, if the original cause of the tinnitus was hearing loss and not caused by loud noise as in your case. Hearing aids can still help when noise induced tinnitus results in some hearing loss.

When a person develops noise induced tinnitus as you I and others in this forum, the cochlea in the inner ear has been affected. This can cause some of the hair cells attached to it becoming damaged that can result in some hearing loss but not always. The amount of hearing loss will differ between people and sometimes they may require a hearing aid(s). When the cochlea has been affected by loud noise it sends a distress signal along the auditory nerve to the auditory centre in the brain and then to the Limbic system. It is here the signal is generated into tinnitus.

I believe you'll be fine just give it time for the tinnitus to settle. Please read my articles and keep away from headphones and use low level sound enrichment at night and during the day.

Take care
Michael

 

If you do not mind me asking, what "causes" the ringing sensation if not for phantom limb syndrome? The limbic system is responsible for memory, flight or flight responses, etc. Do scientists know if the release of a specific hormone causes the sensation? I would be interested to learn the mechanism of cause and recovery as hair cells in mammals never recover. If this is the case, does recovery only correspond with habitualization? (Apologies, these were just random questions that came to mind).

Are you familiar with aural fullness / feeling achy in the bilateral cheek and temporal areas? The ENT, who did not perform a detailed examination, suggested that this may be due to tooth grinding due to stress / the ringing, and that I should obtain a mouth guard from the dentist.

Your articles have been very helpful - thank you for writing them.

 

Thank you for your kind comments.

I have had noise induced tinnitus a long time and acquired a certain amount of experience the same as other people in this forum. However, I tend to stay within certain areas when giving advice to people that ask for help. Your questions are not ones I know the answers to and therefore, will not try to bluff my way through them in an attempt to impress so will be honest and say I don't know, largely because they are based on theory that can't really be proven but understand the importance they can have to some people such as yourself.

The limbic system does interest me because this part of the brain is responsible for our mental and emotional wellbeing: love, hate fear etc. It is here that the tinnitus lives and cannot be separated from it. Therefore, our thoughts and emotions have a direct impact on the way tinnitus behaves. The articles on my started threads are mostly about how to manage tinnitus emotionally by keeping stress levels under control, which is in tune with what you have written one's flight or flight response. Once a person has learnt to deal with the tinnitus it can be successfully managed which many call habituation and is described in my post: The Habituation Process on my started threads.

For some people habituation is not easy while others can acquire it within a short period of time. To prove my point ask your friends, members of your family or co-workers if they experience tinnitus? A common reply is: I get that and just ignore it. I only hear mine at night or in quiet surroundings, but it's no problem at all.

These types of tinnitus are common and nothing like the unrelenting cacophony of noise some people in this forum and beyond endure daily. This is the reason a lot of people don't understand how debilitating it can be when it's severe. Science has its place in tinnitus and I'm thankful for the some of the medications and sound therapies that can help people manage the condition better. Without science this wouldn't be possible or enable doctors to help people that have an underlying medical condition that causes the tinnitus. However, to understand tinnitus one has to experience it and ideally to know what it's like when it's mild, moderate and severe.

I wish you well.
Michael

 

Good Morning,

I have a general habituation question and would greatly welcome your thoughts. I have had acoustic induced tinnitus without hearing loss for almost 6 weeks now. The ENT said that 90% of cases resolve within 6 months, but until it goes away my mindset is unfortunately that it will last forever.

It looks like most individuals habituate themselves to the noise. Does this mean that you no longer need to sleep with white noise or distract yourself otherwise during the day?

Thank you very much for all of your time and consideration.

 

I've had tinnitus for 1.5 years. I've used a loud box fan my entire life with no problems (my tinnitus was caused by ear infection / perforation / surgery). Now I can't sleep without the fan + speaker playing the sound of a brook (water).

I have been wondering if this could make my tinnitus worse or not get better. But I can't imagine sleeping without this sound. Do you think listening to these sounds is a mistake?