Tinnitus Since February 2020, It Comes and Goes, Problems with Falling Asleep

Hello all!

I developed ringing in my left ear in February and then my right ear started as well right after a bad cold.

I went to a doctor. I had no fluid but they said I had Eustachian Tube Dysfunction and referred me to an ENT.

Well COVID-19 came and I couldn’t go. But the ringing subsided, it was just very faint in my left ear and I barely noticed it until October 2020. I was fine for 6 months.

At that point a loud ringing started in my left ear. I went to a doctor again. No fluid found but they said my eardrum wasn’t pressurizing correctly but that shouldn’t cause the ringing.

Flash forward to now, the ringing has stayed since October. I had two weeks in January where it was nearly gone. Then it came back. However, I did have a surgery and took a lot of Advil for pain so am wondering if that caused a spike but it’s still lingering.

My biggest issue is falling asleep and the fact that my right ear, since I was a kid, causes a weird uncomfortable sensation down my back when I am exposed to noises, which is why the ringing bothers me so much!

Most of the day I don’t even notice it so it hasn’t majorly impacted my life besides having a hard time sleeping and relaxing.

Is this normal that I went so long without the tinnitus, and that it, now too, sometimes comes and goes?

Any advice? Is this normal? Anyone else have the weird sensation down the back when exposed to noises?

Thanks in advance!

 

What works for me to sleep is melatonin, a fan, and I play water noise on my phone.

 

I do use a sound machine and fan but I think that I still overthink about it and it can overpower me. I almost feel like I make myself hear it if that makes sense?

 

Absolutely understand what you're saying, I will be busy doing things and then stop to see if it's gone and it's still there. Gotta stop doing that.