Can Humidity Make Tinnitus Worse?

Hello all,

I have had tinnitus condition since mid March, and it seems like it was worse when it first started. I now have some very good stretches when the tinnitus is tolerable and basically non existent...

Lately, however we've been stuck in a lousy weather pattern of muck and humidity. I noticed the ringing/hissing sound to be much louder and aggravating.

I also have some significant traveling coming up shortly and that's causing some stressing too...

Has anyone noticed humidity related tinnitus spikes...? The weather is changing big time over the next 48 hours so I'm hoping to go back down to where it was prior to the lousy weather...

Thoughts?

 

Yes, I tend to notice the same, but I'm currently dealing with a spike and the weather here in San Diego is great.

 

I have noticed my tinnitus also seems to get louder in volume and gets worse when the weather changes, rain, humidity. It has been raining all day and more coming, my tinnitus is louder today than it has been. I have ETD so I don’t know if the weather affects that or not.

 

I think it depends on the type/cause of tinnitus. Makes sense. People with joint problems, metal plates, complain about increased symptoms when the weather changes.

 

I recently moved from Tucson to Little Rock. Arizona is very dry, and we have a lot more humidity in Arkansas. I noticed that my tinnitus is louder here, and after a quick Google search found that increases in humidity can make this happen. Who knew?

I would really, really hate to leave the South, as Tucson's culture was the worst place on earth for a friendly Southerner. But I never even thought of this happening until now. I lived 8 years in Florida (not the South, but in the southern part of the U.S., and certainly high humidity) and many years in Hawaii. This didn't happen in either place, but then I wasn't in my 70s in those places either.

Has anyone else experienced this sort of thing?

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Thanks @CrystalB and @gmpknick. So it is possible it's related to humidity. Nothing else has changed in my life. If anything, my diet is better, I'm staying away from simple carbs, still get out for at least an hour's ride on my bike, and there's no extra stress in my life. Very strange this has happened right out of the blue.

Might go see a doctor, to check if anything is blocking my ear canal. That happened once before in Florida, ear wax had hardened, causing a tinnitus spike.

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Ah ha! I think I found a very possible reason for this. I have high cholesterol, and it's specifically high in the TRG and LDL cholesterol. My old cholesterol prescription ran out, and since my new insurance is worthless, I've been trying to lower it through diet until I get a better insurer in a week or so.

There is actually clinical evidence that lowering cholesterol, especially the TRG and LDL levels, can reduce tinnitus. There is also clinical evidence that high cholesterol can cause tinnitus, as well as worsen existing tinnitus in people that already have it.

I love the internet. It's given me so much good health information if I just keep on and on searching for things.

Increased Serum Lipid Levels in Patients with Subjective Tinnitus

 

I found your post interesting.

I am in the throes of another relapse following taking Amoxicillin.

I am nearing menopause, so I believe hormones have something to do with this too (as I have noticed my hormones have dropped since taking Amoxicillin).

Long term elevated cholesterol - not currently treating, but considering it. Two products come to mind that are safer than statins (Policosanol and BergaMet Plus).

Interestingly, around the time of the relapse, i started experiencing right upper quadrant abdominal pain and change in my bowels. An ultrasound has confirmed fatty infiltration around my liver ligament (can't remember the name of it).

I have switched to a plant based diet again, taking probiotics, and working on my hormonal balance. I'll be doing a hepatic detoxification profile soon along with gut microbiome testing (as I am now experiencing downstream effects of Amoxicillin that I'll spare you of right now).

I will look at adding in Policosanol to see if I can drive down cholesterol also.

What are you doing to lower your cholesterol? How are you getting on?