Tinnitus That Follows a Sleep-Linked On and Off Pattern: Explanation for Cyclical/Intermittent Tinnitus?

[pspa123]

Mine comes and goes in a very regular pattern that lasts a few days. It is always sleep that either restarts it or suppresses it. When it is absent, it is not just a matter of noticing it less, it is truly gone or barely there.

I am probably thinking about it the wrong way, but it seems to me that if there were a clear physiological cause—such as hearing loss, a circulatory problem, or a medication side effect—that factor would be constantly present and would produce a more or less consistent symptom, not one that truly comes and goes.

Perhaps it is not that unusual, but I can literally go to sleep in near silence and then wake up a half hour later with loud, intrusive hissing. It feels as though there is some kind of on and off switch at work.

Any thoughts or insights would be much appreciated. Perhaps it is not even a relevant question as to what might be happening, but since I have never had it answered, I remain curious.

 

[MrChips13]

If I get a good night's sleep, the volume is MUCH lower in the morning, sometimes almost undetectable. I often wonder why that happens.

 

[judylo]

Mine is a very similar case. It comes on almost exclusively during sleep, and then almost always, whatever I have stays for the day. The pattern is every other day, though lately I sometimes get two bad days in a row or even two good days in a row. When it's a good day, it's either barely there, like it has been all my life until last June, or very low. Occasionally, if I go back to sleep for a few hours (I am retired), I can wake up without it.

I do have some hearing loss, asymmetrical, diagnosed in February. In July, I finally got the brain MRI the ENT wanted me to have, to rule out the rare acoustic neuroma. It took months to get an appointment. By the time of the MRI, I'd had tinnitus for a month. And yes, I do have an acoustic neuroma, small enough to just wait and monitor. That might explain the tinnitus, but again, why is it almost gone every other day? I can't habituate to it.

I also feel muscular tension in the neck contributes, and I usually sense some sinus involvement (though the ENT and my doctor didn't see much). I have been taking Claritin, Sudafed, Flonase, and Azelastine nasal spray prescribed by my internist.

I've also tried Lipo Flavonoids, the French bark extract Pycnogenol, homeopathic remedies, YouTube acupressure videos, and currently Taurine and Benfotiamine.

When I get it, it can become very loud, like now. It's mostly whooshing, rushing, or hissing, like a radiator or pressure being released.

The ENTs have no solutions. I am 71, live alone, and feel hopeless. This intermittent type seems rare, often even without hearing loss or an acoustic neuroma. How can one habituate when some days feel completely normal?

Does anyone have any insight or a possible solution? I'm thinking of consulting a neurologist or trying very expensive hearing aids.

Thank you for any help.