What Type of Tinnitus Do I Have?

[Lilah]

I have a constant sound, most of the time it is tonal but recently there has been a bit more hissing. The volume and pitch do vary greatly, but most of the time loud and disrupting. Sometimes I barely hear anything but other times it wakes me up after an hour of sleep. I have noticed that the tinnitus gets louder when I yawn, lift my head from the pillow, move my jaw around, or clench my teeth. My dentist said I have early TMJ because my jaw bones crackle. My brain/ear MRI came back normal, but I didn't discuss specifics with the doctor regarding hair cells, etc. What I find odd is that the tinnitus started with my left ear and a few weeks later moved to my right ear which is equally loud now, but the sounds in the two ears are different at the same time. Also, my tinnitus can go from soft to blaring over a time period (an hour, an afternoon, etc.) when I am in a quiet environment (sleeping, working at desk, focusing/reading, etc.). Sometimes I have another layer of sound which is pulsatile.

Anyone else has this experience, or is it constantly the same pitch/volume? I think I've had tinnitus for a few months earlier but didn't realize it until it amplified in late December.

I am taking an anti-malarial (Plaquenil) for lupus for 12 years so that may be another cause. I started taking trazodone for sleep which also causes tinnitus. Because the sound varies greatly, I think it has to do with the nerves near my ears, so maybe acupuncture will help.

Any thoughts?

 

[Contrast]

Tinnitus is almost always linked to hearing loss and suprisingly usually TMD/TMJ is present.

 

[Lilah]

My hearing in my left ear is slightly worse, but was told that I have normal hearing.

 

[JohnAdams]

My hearing in my left ear is slightly worse, but was told that I have normal hearing.

same here

 

[Tinniger]

Tinnitus is almost always linked to hearing loss.

I doubt that's true.

 

[Tinniger]

I have noticed that the tinnitus gets louder when I yawn, lift my head from the pillow, move my jaw around, or clench my teeth. My dentist said I have early TMJ because my jaw bones crackle.

That sounds a lot like somatic tinnitus.
Just lifting your head off the pillow in the morning. That's exactly what I have.
I follow the idea that somatic tinnitus is a very unique entity that has nothing to do with hearing loss or noise damage at all...

 

[Lilah]

How do I know if my tinnitus is related to TMJ? As stated above my tinnitus changes with jaw movements. Do most people with tinnitus experience changes with jaw or neck movement?

 

[MBH]

Tinnitus is very complex and drastic, in my opinion it is a mystery, that's why it is so complicated to solve. Mine is also not caused by hearing/noise tinnitus. But I would go to GP who has a hint of what tinnitus is and help with TMJ. There are a lot of different levels that make up tinnitus. I hope for a better tinnitus.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I have a constant sound, most of the time it is tonal but recently there has been a bit more hissing.

That's great - when T switches from a high pitch tone to a hiss, it is a sign of fading and healing.

 

[Lilah]

I've had a variety of sounds recently...more crickets and a bit lower tone (still loud mostly). But the T still rises to a loud high pitch tone too. Sometimes the high pitch tone pulses. It's a bit worse on my left ear and I feel like air is blowing out there/and some vibration. However, my ear MRI came back normal. I would be grateful if the volume goes down enough so I could get off sleep aids.

 

[Lilah]

My T rose to an intense high pitch tone last night and into this morning. Two things I did different yesterday: I dozed off without taking Trazodone and woke up an hour later to the loud sound, and my neck was raised in a bit of uncomfortable way on the sofa. Anyone else had this experience?

 

[Agrajag364]

I have a constant sound, most of the time it is tonal but recently there has been a bit more hissing. The volume and pitch do vary greatly, but most of the time loud and disrupting. Sometimes I barely hear anything but other times it wakes me up after an hour of sleep. I have noticed that the tinnitus gets louder when I yawn, lift my head from the pillow, move my jaw around, or clench my teeth. My dentist said I have early TMJ because my jaw bones crackle. My brain/ear MRI came back normal, but I didn't discuss specifics with the doctor regarding hair cells, etc. What I find odd is that the tinnitus started with my left ear and a few weeks later moved to my right ear which is equally loud now, but the sounds in the two ears are different at the same time. Also, my tinnitus can go from soft to blaring over a time period (an hour, an afternoon, etc.) when I am in a quiet environment (sleeping, working at desk, focusing/reading, etc.). Sometimes I have another layer of sound which is pulsatile.

Anyone else has this experience, or is it constantly the same pitch/volume? I think I've had tinnitus for a few months earlier but didn't realize it until it amplified in late December.

I am taking an anti-malarial (Plaquenil) for lupus for 12 years so that may be another cause. I started taking trazodone for sleep which also causes tinnitus. Because the sound varies greatly, I think it has to do with the nerves near my ears, so maybe acupuncture will help.

Any thoughts?

The anti malarial could possibly be the cause. That is a form of chloroquine and I think that's known to be ototoxic. I think tinnitus can be multifactoral though. TMJ tinnitus is common too. Have you tried a splint?

 

[Lilah]

This week has been crazy. My T is now stronger in my right ear. I've had multiple fleeting T's and seems like my ears are trying to compete with each other. A lot of fluctuations too - from hissing to high pitch to lower-pitch tone. For some reason I feel my 10s are getting louder and consume the whole room. I've noticed I'm slightly more sensitive to high pitch sounds; my T has an extra layer of high pitch chirps which I feel I are blood flow related. When I talk, my voice sounds different slightly. When I plug my ears with fingers, I also felt pop pop/drop drop vibration sensations. When the T is intense, I do feel more sensation in my ear, such as slight dull pain. Does all this mean anything? Am I going forward or backwards?

I went to the acupuncturist about four times so far; he said that fleeting T is a good sign because it shows circulation....Also when I told him that my T increases when I yawn, he said my neck muscles may be involved also.

 

[Contrast]

My hearing in my left ear is slightly worse, but was told that I have normal hearing.

you don't have normal hearing.

You are experiencing the same problem I had with nerve damage.

Recent research indicates that hearing test used at most audiology clinics and ENTs are inaccurate. Tonal audiogram test only check for hearing loss within the human voice range, learn more here about hidden hearing loss and how hearing in noisy enviorments and music preception is not tested on standard hearing test.

http://hyperacusisfocus.org/innerear/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378595516302507

 

[Lilah]

I have another hearing test coming up soon. Does a hearing test at high frequencies worsen T?

 

[Contrast]

I have another hearing test coming up soon. Does a hearing test at high frequencies worsen T?

quit visiting audiologist, they are useless as it waste money.

 

[Lilah]

I am seeing that I don't notice my T at all (most of the time) when I'm talking to someone. However, when I stop talking, the T rises back up quickly. Anyone else have this experience?

 

[Lilah]

Lately, I've noticed that my T rises a bit when or breath or talk. When I talk, there is a buzz that goes along with what I say (in additional to the usual ringing). It also increases when I make movements like stretching. It seems that any slight movement I make increases the T. Anyone else experiences this, and will this go away?

 

[Tinniger]

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There is a high correlation between hearing cell damage and hearing loss for sure.
But, - whether tinnitus is generally and mostly caused by hearing loss is an unproven assumption.
There are very many people with hearing loss and without tinnitus, and also very many tinnitus sufferers whose hearing is not impaired.
Certainly, hearing loss is the cause of tinnitus for a subset of all tinnitus sufferers. Nobody knows whether this subset is 80% or 20%.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Lilah Your problem may be due to your c spine being out of alignment and you may not have actual TMJ.
The atlas or C1 vertebra is the top bone of the neck and it is located close to the ear and jaw. It only takes a mild blow to the head or neck to cause misalignment and it can take years before tinnitus shows up. Years of bad posture with forward head bending can also be a cause. Even if it is misaligned by only ¼ of a millimeter, the rest of the body can pay the price. Facial nerves, the ear, and the jaw can be negatively impacted. Jaw inflammation can occur where muscles in this location can become irritated. All of this can lead to all your somatic tinnitus reactions that you mention above.

Have you had a neck X Ray?

 

[Lilah]

@Lilah Your problem may be due to your c spine being out of alignment and you may not have actual TMJ.
The atlas or C1 vertebra is the top bone of the neck and it is located close to the ear and jaw. It only takes a mild blow to the head or neck to cause misalignment and it can take years before tinnitus shows up. Years of bad posture with forward head bending can also be a cause. Even if it is misaligned by only ¼ of a millimeter, the rest of the body can pay the price. Facial nerves, the ear, and the jaw can be negatively impacted. Jaw inflammation can occur where muscles in this location can become irritated. All of this can lead to all your somatic tinnitus reactions that you mention above.

Have you had a neck X Ray?

I have not had a neck x-ray. I do have a bit of dowager's hump...is that indicative of a misalignment? I may have forward head bend from computer use. Is there any type of relief for this? I asked my GP about a neck x-ray but she did not order it because of radiation. I did have a neck MRA and it was normal.

 

[Lilah]

Today, since my work space is quiet, my T rose very loud high-pitch in my right ear (also experienced fleeting T in my left ear during the same time). However, immediately during a meeting, I did not hear my T but experienced a somewhat sharp ear ache in right ear and slight headache/maybe anxiety. It seemed like my ear was trying to adjust from loud T to a soft T quickly, thus causing the ear ache. What does it mean? Does this sound like any type of T? Once I came back to my work space, my T rose quickly again.

I also have these tiny muscle spasms in my ear, spasms that go up and down the sides of my tongue, and on the roof of my mouth as the T increases. I feel my ears are vibrating.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

If you had a beat to the spasms (roof of mouth and tongue) then sometimes association is to pulsatile tinnitus from over saliva gland activity. Jaw tension and anxiety probably is cause of your located spasms. Jaw tension also can relate to fleeting T and cause an earache.

@Lilah I think your on way to improvement and complete recovery. Be kind to your jaw, use neck and jaw posture control, take care of management of other health problem.

 

[Lilah]

If you had a beat to the spasms (roof of mouth and tongue) then sometimes association is to pulsatile tinnitus from over saliva gland activity. Jaw tension and anxiety probably is cause of your located spasms. Jaw tension also can relate to fleeting T and cause an earache.

@Lilah I think your on way to improvement and complete recovery. Be kind to your jaw, use neck and jaw posture control, take care of management of other health problem.

Thank you. I'm really praying for this, but I do have moments of hopelessness every day.

 

[Lilah]

@Lilah I think your on way to improvement and complete recovery. Be kind to your jaw, use neck and jaw posture control, take care of management of other health problem.

@Greg Sacramento Curious, why do you think I am improving? I had a pretty loud day today.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Curious, why do you think I am improving? I had a pretty loud day today.

Sorry about your bad day, but you just had a period where you didn't hear your T. During the day focus on relaxing your jaw. Teeth slightly apart in a relaxed position and lips together when not talking. If you are using a keyboard try to place it on something where there's less forward stress on your body. The head being forward off balanced can place a pound of weight pressure on your jaw and cause the neck and shoulders to become sore.

 

[lymebite]

I follow the idea that somatic tinnitus is a very unique entity

Somatic tinnitus seems to be present with a majority of tinnitus sufferers. In studies as many as 85 percent of tinnitus sufferers have been able to affect their tinnitus with somatic modulation.

From page 7 at the link:

"Somatic modulation has been reported in approximately two-thirds of examined subjects3,29; somatic pressures were shown to influence tinnitus in one-third of the subjects examined by Rubinstein et al.64 In a study of 70 patients, Levine22 reported modulation of tinnitus by somatic maneuvers in 68% of patients, and Sanchez et al.20 reported modulation in 65.3% of 121 patients after performing a series of somatic maneuvers. Other studies revealed tinnitus modulation in 85%,32 83.3%,6579%,66 57.9%,67 78%,26 and 57.1%23 of patients. A comparison of previous studies on tinnitus modulation is shown in Table 1."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5536427/

 

[Tinniger]

This very informative contribution does not clarify whether somatic tinnitus means that one can modulate a tinnitus somatically, or whether a somatic disease is the cause and origin of the tinnitus.

 

[Lilah]

Past few days, my tinnitus has been more a loud high pitch hiss (more rhythmic/pulsatile) and less tone. This hiss seems louder than what I have experienced, but still better than pure tones. I have been getting small (pop pop) and big muscle spasms (thumps) inside my ears. I'm feeling a lot of pressure on my face, especially, nose area, forehead, and even head feels pressurized and heavy. My nose is not runny though. The area around my ears are also vibrating, roof of mouth, and my throat sometimes. Overall, I just feel very pressurized and a strong intense/current type feeling in my ears. I feel the pressure increases when the tinnitus increases. What could cause all this? Does it point to a specific type of tinnitus? The tinnitus is also very somatic, and reactive I feel when I talk (or maybe it is my muscle movements when talking that is causing the slight buzz increase?).

 

[Greg Sacramento]

The palate - roof of mouth is innervated by the pharyngeal plexus which takes its motor fibers from the vagus nerve (CN X) and the cranial portion of the accessory nerve (CN XI). The vagus nerve sends sensory information to the accessory nerve with help from neck muscles. The sternocleidomastoid and these muscles.
Scalenes, Trapezius, Semispinalis Capitis, Semispinalis, Cervicis Splenius, Suboccipital, Levator Scapulae
Fast metabolism per somatic and PT in relation to what you mention above sometimes runs in families more so on the mother's side. You might get kinks in the neck. ETD can come and go along with a sore throat and pressure to the ears. All this takes is a small amount of off center of C1 or straightening of the c spine. All this can also associate to the thyroid including roof of mouth.
A MRI will not show these problems. Discuss with your doctors as mentioned in a post above; complete blood work including a thyroid panel and neck X Ray.