Using AI to Track Tinnitus

[Ricardo1991]

Today I decided to start a thread with ChatGPT to track my tinnitus. I want to keep a record of spikes, what helps, and what may have triggered them. My plan is to continue this for the next year and see if any patterns emerge. Has anyone else tried doing this?

Here is the prompt I asked another AI to create for me:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
I want to create and maintain a detailed tinnitus & hearing diary to track patterns over time. Please help me design a simple log I can use daily (and weekly summaries) that will let me see possible triggers and improvements over the course of a year.

The log should include:

- Date & time of entry
- Tinnitus intensity (1–10) and description (ringing, static, buzzing, etc.)
- Hearing quality (normal, muffled, distorted, "full" feeling, etc.)
- Recent activities (loud noise, jaw/neck strain, exercise, travel, etc.)
- Diet & drinks (caffeine, alcohol, salty food, etc.)
- Sleep quality
- Stress/mood level (1–10)
- Any remedies or techniques used (e.g. background noise, stretching, medication, supplements)
- Short notes on effectiveness (did it help calm the tinnitus?)

Then, each week, please generate a summary:

- Notable spikes or dips
- Possible triggers
- Things that seemed to help
- Overall trend compared to the previous week

At the end of each month, create a monthly overview with graphs or tables if possible, highlighting recurring triggers and effective coping strategies.
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Essentially, I am hoping to find patterns and discover what actually helps, instead of just guessing and relying on old tricks. Has anyone else tried this, and if so, what results did you get?

 

[withintention]

I'm doing something very similar. I'm using AI to write a program that will pull my Garmin health data into a spreadsheet, so I can track things like sleep quality, heart rate, and stress. It will then run statistical analyses and look for patterns. I'm not sure when it will be finished, but I'll share it here once it is so others can use it.

 

[SueX]

Fantastic idea. I look forward to hearing how it goes.

 

[Ricardo1991]

Fantastic idea. I look forward to hearing how it goes.

Yeah, it's a bit tricky. I've been feeding it daily updates. Right now I'm dealing with a spike, probably from ETD, so I'm adding data every few hours, haha.

 

[Meyer37]

I just started doing the same thing: tracking exposure, sleep, mood, diet, hydration, phone use, exercise, allergy symptoms, socializing, and general activities.

The best part is that you can give it as much unfiltered information as you want, and it can look for patterns later. Sometimes I even upload photos of food labels.

I'm also using a sleep tracking app. Discovering the cause of spikes is such a difficult process since they're often delayed.

I recently learned that people with tinnitus and hyperacusis may need more sleep in general because we don't sleep as deeply. I'm aiming for 8.5 to 9 hours a night.

Speaking of ETD, I heard a highly regarded ear, nose, and throat doctor say that long-term allergies can damage hearing. Not to bring you down, but how far have you gone toward fixing ETD?

After finding out I was allergic to some common molds, we moved into a newly constructed home. After maybe four to six weeks, my symptoms improved dramatically. Since then, we've moved to a different geographic area known to be better for allergies. I'm still on a medication called Ryaltris, which has helped.

In addition to that, maintaining a healthy, low-inflammatory diet has been key.

Back to the topic, ChatGPT could also cross-check your symptoms with posts from Tinnitus Talk. I now cross-check every medication as a general rule.

I absolutely love the thread and your goal of keeping a log. Let's lean into the tech and see if we can uncover some patterns.