Tinnitus Relief Help

[Richard24]

Hello everyone,

I am new to this site and thought I would give it a shot for some advice. I've had tinnitus for about 3 months now since January 2017. It started off with waking up in the middle of the night hearing a low hissing noise coming from both ears. Eventually the low hissing developed into a very low pitch ring in my left ear, while my right ear turned out completely fine.

I went to the audiologist and my left ear is borderline hearing loss while my right ear remains completely fine. Lately, the the low pitch noise is improving and could only hear it in very quiet places such as when I'm trying to fall asleep.

A little bit about myself:

I'm a 24 year old male working on construction as an engineer. I've been exposed to loud noises for about a year (since I started this job) and only recently started wearing hearing protection. I'm also exposed to very cold weather on the job as I work in New York. I've also had struggled with anxiety/OCD all my life. I drink a lot of alcohol on the weekends and my diet is mainly poor consisting of a lot of coffee and processed foods.

Recently, I've been improving my lifestyle in terms of diet, alcohol/caffeine consumption, and stress management and noticed slight improvements but the ringing remains nonetheless.

I've noticed my tinnitus goes down after a gym session. It also improves after I've been using nasal spray since my nose is habitually clogged due to cold weather. I was thinking my Eustachian tube is malfunctioning. Any thoughts on this matter?

However, the oddest thing that I find is that my tinnitus completely goes away when I drink alcohol. Even when I stick my finger in my ear to mask all noise, I can't hear anything when I'm drunk.
Why is this?

Speaking of sticking my finger in my ear, I'm a very compulsive person and bit of a perfectionist. I stick my finger in my ear often to see if the noise level improved or not. When I stick my finger in my ear and bend my ear canal (to form a perfect masking seal) I've noticed my ear ringing spikes but immediately turns back to my baseline tinntitus when I pull my finger out. Why is this?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I've been very anxious/depressed over this issue for a while. My ENT didn't really show much concern and I'm getting stressed out.

God bless.

 

[Paul10]

Many people report tinnitus going away or getting less noticeable when drinking alcohol (people report this with medication also). Some say it makes it worse. It's completely dependant on the person. The newest research would show that alcohol is more likely to lessen T than increase it.

If you suspect eustachian tube issues, you could discuss Dymista nasal spray with your doctor (if he/she proscribed this, make sure to take it correctly, many people erroneously think you need to spray it straight up the nose; you actually need to spray it at an angle, you can find instructions for this on the internet). Eustachian tubes can take quiet a while to clear out I've been told.

You need to see a hearing therapist who specialises in tinnitus. They will be able to discuss what may be the reason behind your T, and the best treatment option available for your individual case. This forum is great for support from like minded people but you will find speaking to a professional who specialises in T much more beneficial. I've certainly benefited. In the meantime, it's important to look after your mental wellbeing, do things which relax and de-stress you, be positive and remain positive.Good luck and God bless your recovery.