Tinnitus Recently Started, Some Possible Causes — Looking for Insight

Hello all,

So glad this forum exists. I would like to describe my case and hopefully collect a bit of reassurance regarding my tinnitus.

I'm 30 years old.

I've been having horrible sleep issues for the past ten years which seemed to have been caused by a stressful few years while studying in college. However, it is only very recently that I noticed tinnitus. I have problems with ear wax buildup and had irrigation done twice in the past 5 years with no problems.

In the past month or so, my ears got that squishy feeling again telling me they're full of wax, and it's then that I first heard the ringing. Not too loud. I went to have it removed, and it was done gently again, with warm water, but the ringing has only increased! It has been a constant 24/7 hissing + high pitched sound (like a very boring 2 voice composition).

The other thing is that recently I had been using a CES device (cranial electric stimulation - weak alternating current signals) attached to my earlobes to try to help my insomnia. It is supposed to decrease cortisol and increase Melatonin production. It didn't work for that, but is it possible it may have started the tinnitus? All the CES experts I've asked said no, the 0.5 microamp current and 2.5 volts is too small to cause anything like that.

And finally, and most importantly, I am a classical pianist. Which means I have spent many hours in a small room evoking sounds in the 80-90 dB range. But it's strange that the tinnitus would suddenly come on strongly now (especially as, relatively speaking, I hadn't been practicing that much recently).

Tinnitus is clearly not a good development for my insomnia and is also complicating matters with my piano playing. It bothers me whenever I am in a quiet place, although when I am outside or in a noisier room it is drowned out. What's worrisome is that there has been absolutely no pitch modulation or change at all in the constant 24/7 noise.

Many factors here but maybe someone can chime in with a bit of insight (a much more welcome chiming that that which I am hearing right now.)

 

Hi, I'm sorry you joined the sufferers club.

If you look for it, there are many studies and attempts to treat tinnitus with electrical stimulation. If in fact electrical stimulation does have an effect on the tinnitus, I think it can cause it too. Just my thinking.

But my advice is not to think about what caused your tinnitus. I blame myself a lot for thinking about it too much and that only led to depression and anxiety.