Vagus Nerve Problem... Tinnitus Cause?

I was scratching the outer portion of my ears with my nails quite gently, and happened to pass above the area where the vagus nerve innervates the outer ear. Afterwards I had some twitching in my ear, followed by some nausea, droning noises, and some hearing loss. I know the vagus nerve is partly responsible for allowing the eardrum to conduct sounds efficiently.

This seems to be a good clue. Anyone else see changes in their tinnitus/hearing when stimulating the vagus nerve in that spot of the ear?

 

I'm all about the vagus (which is odd because I'm a gay man ) but I have never heard one can "stimulate" it near the ears. I thought breathing exercises were the primary way of doing so. Where can I find more info on this?