Tinnitus Spikes Don't Subside for Me. Are You the Same?

Do any of you have this same problem I have where every time I get a tinnitus spike, it is there to stay? It almost never subsides afterward. So, I pretty much have to go through the entire habituation process all over again every time I get one. Which actually really sucks.

It seems that I am the only one myself that experiences this problem. Because Almost everybody's tinnitus spikes go away shortly and the volume goes down. Or the new sound just vanishes without a trace.

 

Hi...Welcome ...
Sorry to hear your situation.
Not everyone's tinnitus spike will subside.
I am sure that they will provide more info.

 

I am surprised that no other response to your thread.
Just want to add an advice --
in your case, you need to be more careful not to spike your T
by staying away loud environment.

 

@RockyDoctah

Tinnitus usually spikes for a reason and often the cause is using headphones or being around loud sounds. Another cause can be hyperacusis. If you have hyperacusis and this hasn't been treated or improved by itself over time, this can cause tinnitus to spike. I do not know your background so I'm making an assumption here. I suspect you are using headphones or going to places where there are loud sounds present. This could be clubs etc. If exposure to sounds is causing your tinnitus to spike and an underlying medical problem within your auditory system isn't not responsible; exposing your ears to headphones use or loud sound will make your tinnitus increase and become permanent. Sorry to sound so sobering but I advise you to be very careful. If you use headphones I advise you to stop using them and if you go to places where loud sounds/music is played then use noise reducing earplugs but you still need to be aware of loud sounds. Please read the post below and click on the link.

All the best
Michael

Are spikes from loud noise permanent?

Someone recently asked me, whether a spike in tinnitus caused by loud noise would be permanent? I don’t think there is a definitive answer, because tinnitus is a complex condition and if hyperacusis is also present it can complicate matters further. Some people habituate to tinnitus but their hyperacusis hasn’t fully cured and this can cause tinnitus to spike.

When a person first develops tinnitus and it was caused by loud noise they have to be careful in future. Tinnitus can and does spike for many people and this is not necessarily caused by loud noise or sounds. After a while it usually returns to baseline or into its normal rhythm. Danger can present itself after a person habituates and the tinnitus has reduced to mild or moderate levels for most of the time. If one isn’t careful, it can be easy to forget and slip back into the old lifestyle of: listening to music through headphones. Attending clubs, concerts and the cinema where sound levels can be quite high.

I believe a person with tinnitus should attend clubs, concerts and the cinema if they want to, providing they use noise-reducing earplugs to protect themselves. However, one should remember that nothing is one hundred percent safe. My advice is to stay clear of large standing floor speakers and if you’re at a concert don’t go to near the front stage where the music is likely to be booming out at high sound levels.

In many instances people will get a warning when visiting these places. If the decibel levels are too high their tinnitus might spike. Usually the tinnitus will return to baseline. However, some people do not pay attention to these warnings and continue to subject their ears to loud sounds and think they are perfectly safe because they are wearing earplugs. Under these circumstances the tinnitus might spike again and this time it might become permanent. I am saying might because nothing is for certain. In my opinion a person with tinnitus needs to follow the warnings their auditory system and tinnitus is telling them.

Regarding headphones. Many people have contacted me after they have habituated to tinnitus and returned to using headphones and listened to music through them at low volume. All of them have noticed an increase in their tinnitus. Some of them noticed their tinnitus spiked but carried on listening to music through headphones and then the tinnitus increased to a higher and more permanent level. It must be said that some people with tinnitus use headphones and have no adverse effects and that is perfectly fine. My opinion on this is, anyone that has tinnitus shouldn’t listen to any type of audio through headphones even at low level.

It saddens to say, if a person doesn’t heed the warning signs their auditory system and tinnitus is telling them, then they will eventually feel because tinnitus is very unforgiving. It is fine when some people are telling others what they want to hear: "listen to music through headphones because life is for living". “Go to the club as often as possible you’re safe with earplugs. If your tinnitus increases you will be the one that will be in the suffering.

I have read many posts in tinnitus talk, where people had habituated and the tinnitus is low. They returned to listening to music through headphones and clubbing during the week and weekends. Some are now regretting this because their tinnitus has increased and they are in distress. Just because a person habituates doesn't mean they can forget everything and carry on in some instances recklessly. You can of course do this but my advice is to do things in moderation and not to excess, because the end result is often returning to ENT for help and visiting tinnitus forums because you are unable to cope.

Michael

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

Thank you ... Michael !
Tinnitus plus hyperacusis are deadly combined evil to all T sufferers.
More careful treading on our path of lives... the better lives we can have.

 

I do not use headphones/earbuds ever. I only really use the speakers. I do not have hyperacusis, but from what I have read here it looks pretty horrible. I have "reactive" tinnitus though. If that is even a proper term. I don't seem to have hearing loss T as I can hear just as good as before I got it. The hearing test came out okay too.

 

There is no such thing as Reactive tinnitus. It was a term made up in tinnitus forums. Reactive tinnitus is actually hyperacusis and it comes in different levels of severity. I feel your spike is caused by "sound" and this doesn't necessarily have to be loud sounds. You need treatment for this and I suggest trying self help first by following my advice in the link above: hyperacusis, as I see it.

Best of luck
Michael

 

I hate to break it to you Michael, but all terms were made up by people. They are an attempt to precisely describe a thing or concept.

Hyperacusis is where sounds are perceived as being too loud, sometimes painfully so.

Reactive tinnitus is used to describe tinnitus that spikes (another non-official term) after exposure to sound levels that are perceived as being normal volume.

 

My T is louder depending on what I eat (coffee does it but i still drink anyway), sometimes when i get out of the shower my T is louder but only for 30 minutes then normal again. Stress and exercise makes it spike, but it always goes back to normal.

T is different for every body. I think it also has to do with how strong your ears are biologically...is that even possible?

 

@coffee_girl
I feel that you are very positive (no fear) to your tinnitus which is good.
Even a T sufferer should learn to live a full life without spiking the T.

 

My T will be spiked easily.

 

I have discussed the term Reactive tinnitus many times in this forum and choose not to pursue it further. However, I will say: There are some in the medical field that have latched on to the term "Reactive Tinnitus" and I believe thought, what a good idea to make more money out of those in misery. They have come up with the idea to treat Reactive tinnitus with sound therapy and calling it Part 1 of the treatment. When this is completed it is followed by Part 2, which entails treating the hyperacusis with sound therapy. I don't believe in it for a second. Any tinnitus veteran like myself, worth his or her salt knows the truth. There is no such thing as Reactive tinnitus, it is all Hyperacusis.

I wish you well and good day.
Michael

 

Thank you, Michael. I wish the same for you.

 

Often even the spike is only during the elevated sound. Many people here can't mask because their T increases in volume when attempting to mask.

 

Not going to debate, but I know Tinnitus veterans that would vehemently disagree with all of this. So...in "your" opinion is about all you can say. As a T vet myself, I disagree, so there's that. Of course maybe I'm not worth my weight in salt

 

I don't particularly like you but will agree with your quote above and will not be corresponding with you in future.
Good day.
Michael

 

If I'm not wanted around here I can leave. But my hunch is a few would not be pleased. Especially with your demeanor...

 

Definitely don't think that. You're one of the most helpful people here.

 

Thanks

 

I had two spikes before my T got worse and constant. First was in October when I went to a restaurant it lasted for 3 days and then in December when I went to the mall xmas shopping it lasted 4 days.

 

I wish that was the case for me. It takes a long time to go back down.

 

That's no fun sometimes mine will react to say the fan. It immediately increases in volume to low level noise at that frequency, and goes down one the fan ha stopped.

 

I've read about people who experience that phenomenon. Mine seems to be different. I'll just be, say, relaxing in the house and realize that the air conditioning or washing machine is slowly jacking my tinnitus up. My ears (not me) begin to feel increasingly irritated and sensitive from it. And it remains that way even after the sounds are stopped.

 

Same here. I had audiologists actually advise against wearable WNGs because we quickly realized my tinnitus would increase in volume due to the white noise.