Why Do We Experience Spikes? What Happens in Our Brain?

I wish a medical person would explain us why we get spikes... what does it mean? What happens in our brain? I wish we knew more about tinnitus!

 

Don't know why but can tell you they become less and less, i have some theory about pressure imbalances in the ear, but that might just be personal.

 

Unfortunatelly the medical community is mostly clueless when it comes to T...all they have is bunch of different theories and "one size fits all" advices.
Spikes could happen for different reasons and I think they are very much tied with the cause of tinnitus.

For example a person who's T is caused by bad circulation will likely experience a spike after eating salty food, because salt constricts the veins even further...on the other hand a person with good circulation may be able to enjoy salty food with no ill consequences, but can get a spike from something that would not affect the person with bad circulation..
In my case spikes are caused by noise...today I was driving on highway with my windows down, as I felt it was too soon in season to turn on my AC...
I did get a temporary spike, but I knocked it back down when I got home by playing my T frequency back to me from online tone generator in 15 second intervals for about 10 minutes in total....all good now.

 

It is sad. I do not see any new treatments soon...

 

I read on another thread that it’s all @Bill Bauer ’s fault...

 

If you think @Gman is joking:

 

Are spikes from loud noise permanent?

Someone recently asked me, whether a spike in tinnitus caused by loud noise would be permanent? I don’t think there is a definitive answer, because tinnitus is a complex condition and if hyperacusis is also present it can complicate matters further. Some people habituate to tinnitus but their hyperacusis hasn’t fully cured and this can cause tinnitus to spike.

When a person first develops tinnitus and it was caused by loud noise they have to be careful in future. Tinnitus can and does spike for many people and this is not necessarily caused by loud noise or sounds. After a while it usually returns to baseline or into its normal rhythm. Danger can present itself after a person habituates and the tinnitus has reduced to mild or moderate levels for most of the time. If one isn’t careful, it can be easy to forget and slip back into the old lifestyle of: listening to music through headphones. Attending clubs, concerts and the cinema where sound levels can be quite high.

I believe a person with tinnitus should attend clubs, concerts and the cinema if they want to, providing they use noise-reducing earplugs to protect themselves. However, one should remember that nothing is one hundred percent safe. My advice is to stay clear of large standing floor speakers and if you’re at a concert don’t go to near the front stage where the music is likely to be booming out at high sound levels.

In many instances people will get a warning when visiting these places. If the decibel levels are too high their tinnitus might spike. Usually the tinnitus will return to baseline. However, some people do not pay attention to these warnings and continue to subject their ears to loud sounds and think they are perfectly safe because they are wearing earplugs. Under these circumstances the tinnitus might spike again and this time it might become permanent. I am saying might because nothing is for certain. In my opinion a person with tinnitus needs to follow the warnings their auditory system and tinnitus is telling them.

Regarding headphones. Many people have contacted me after they have habituated to tinnitus and returned to using headphones and listened to music through them at low volume. All of them have noticed an increase in their tinnitus. Some of them noticed their tinnitus spiked but carried on listening to music through headphones and then the tinnitus increased to a higher and more permanent level. It must be said that some people with tinnitus use headphones and have no adverse effects and that is perfectly fine. My opinion on this is, anyone that has tinnitus shouldn’t listen to any type of audio through headphones even at low level.

It saddens to say, if a person doesn’t heed the warning signs their auditory system and tinnitus is telling them, then they will eventually feel because tinnitus is very unforgiving. It is fine when some people are telling others what they want to hear: "listen to music through headphones because life is for living". “Go to the club as often as possible you’re safe with earplugs. If your tinnitus increases you will be the one that will be in the suffering.

I have read many posts in tinnitus talk, where people had habituated and the tinnitus is low. They returned to listening to music through headphones and clubbing during the week and weekends. Some are now regretting this because their tinnitus has increased and they are in distress. Just because a person habituates doesn't mean they can forget everything and carry on in some instances recklessly. You can of course do this but my advice is to do things in moderation and not to excess, because the end result is often returning to ENT for help and visiting tinnitus forums because you are unable to cope.

Michael

 

Our brain and nervous system are connected to other parts and systems in our body. This inter-connectivity is probably even more connected than we humans probably know. That's why it's so common to see people get a one disorder or disease that results in other complications and/or disorders or diseases. For instance, a fair amount of people with T end up developing a condition called Visual Snow Syndrome (or vice versa where people with Visual Snow Syndrome end up developing T). When one part of the body experiences a change, it isn't uncommon for other parts of the body including the brain and nervous system to react.

When your eyes detect something that the brain registers as a threat, the visual input goes to the brain, the brain translates that as a threat and sends signals at an extremely fast rate through the nervous system to the rest of your body, causing increased blood flow, increased perspiration, adrenaline, etc...

The human body is a network of systems all connected to each other. It's no surprise that something like diet, exercise, noise, and other things can affect our brain and turn up the T.

 

The short answer is that nobody knows for sure. It is associated with neuronal hyperactivity, but how this can change on a day to day basis is anyone’s guess. There are many mechanisms at play.

Also, our gut health can play a huge role.

 

Hi. Have you got any info on this?

 

Do you hear that? No not the sound of T... it's air rushing over the head...

 

It is known that our gut health is linked to our mental/brain health. You can do more research into this but here’s two quick links:

The first links gut health to the brain via migraines. The second links migraines to tinnitus. But, it goes beyond this. Our gut health affects our entire body and can be the root cause of inflammation elsewhere in the body.

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp....tes-food-trigger-study-suggests?client=safari


http://www.migrainedisorders.org/symptoms/

 

I can make an educated guess based on my years of experience. A spike is not always a sign that we have damaged our ears. If something happens, wether the noise is loud or not (all of us are different and loudness and how we perceive it will be different to all people.), then we tend to act-react to that noise/stimulus.

This "new" shock that the brain experiences can then give us a spike. It's the noise + the stress that can do this. Sometimes it doesn't even have to be a loud noise, just the stress itself and the anxiety itself can bring on a horrible spike, that can last simply due to the stress and anxiety.....that we have associated with that event.

 

In my experience, sleep is possibly the single biggest influencing factor. Each day I wake up to a different intensity. Sleep seems to reset the brain for some of us.

 

In my case , I get spikes every time I think of How bad my hearing loss is. It make me stress and depressed. I keep blaming myself although it was a accident. Can’t get this off my mind. Wish to just stop thinking of that horrible day.

 

Guilt is one of the worst emotions. Especially when we blame ourselves for a life changing event that can’t be altered.

Try and move forwards and forget past mistakes.

 

Or continual use of ototoxic medications that can be slowly damaging your auditory system: 1. Some antibiotics like Aminoglycoside (gentamicin & amikacin), Macrolides (erythromycin); 2. Cytotoxic drugs (cytostatics); 3. Diuretics; 4. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); AND unfortunately long term use of psychopharmaceutics that are oftentimes used to fight anxiety & depression associated with hearing loss and tinnitus (e.g. benzodiazepines such as Valium or Klonopin/Clonazepam shouldn't be taken for more than 2 - 3 weeks) - more in this small paragraph on benzos and tinnitus by Linda Beeley: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1670117/?page=1 Antidepressants such as SSRIs are poison as well. More here: https://www.audiology.org/news/ssri-and-tinnitus

Ototoxic monitoring should be completed through performing distortion product otoacoustic emission testing or high frequency audiometry. But who cares, right?? Ototoxic treatment: Noneexisent.

If you realise all this, you can get pretty anxious too and bang → t. spike.

 

What about people getting spikes after noises that they thought were safe, and that they were not worried about (many such cases)?

 

Sorry but clonazepam is not on the ototoxic lists of medications that I have seen. Whether it actually is or not, who knows.

 

I’m not sure that jiri was implying that’s the only cause of t spikes, unlike other posters in other threads who think they know everything.
I can say in my experience I have had spikes from noise alone, without a doubt. No anxiety connection. But I have also had t spikes because of anxiety with and without noise.

 

Don't be. In my understanding Clonazepam should be the least harmful antiepileptic out of all the bezodiazepine class of drugs. It is also widely used to try and treat tinnitus with it (I think I saw some studies on nlm.nih.gov). Still, if taken regularly it shouldn't be taken for more then 2 - 3 weeks. If it's a month or more you might have to start weaning off the drug slowly (the general rule I learned in orded to minimize possible adverse reactions is 10% of the original dose every 2 - 3 weeks, ofc also depending on how much and for how long you have been told to take it in the first place by your physician). This is a little off topic here but I posted a guide: https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/antidepressants-ssris-snris-maos-tcas-tecas.768/page-19 on how to wean yourself safely off of the psychofarmaceutic class of drugs - they mess with your brain chemistry, and most of the times it is not just one drug someone's taking at the same time. E.g. in the information leaflet for Pregabalin (Lyrica) it is noted, that this type of anticonvulsant is usually taken along with other drugs (right off the top of my head I can't remember which ones). I trusted my doctors who had M.D., & Ph.D. titles and were psychiatrists as well who indicate these types of drugs. They got me on Trintellix, Lyrica & Clonazepam. You're on all of these drugs in an instant and they upper intake your dosing quite quickly too. However, they did not afterwards provide me with sufficient information, that is 1. how long to stay on them AND 2. how to taper off of them! This is your basic (and a common sense) right according to the Universal Declaration of Mental Rights and Freedoms. Ok, I'm done ranting - I do not wish to freak anyone out (it is also why I'm not posting this directly to the 'Antidepressant SSRI, etc.' thread). I myself am pretty upset and worried about it bec ototoxicity could just now add up to possible causes of my own tinnitus or worsening of my hearing. Our uni lecturer always said: "If you want to make the right decisions, you need to first have the correct piece of information". I learned when it comes to possible interactions of drugs, it is for the best to consult this with a clinical pharmacologist (the ones u find at unis) and not just your ordinary chemist. All in all, just knowing this could provoke a stress related spike. In my opinion it is super important to get the right piece of information about the drugs and their side effects you're about to start taking, also for how long you should be on them AND how to properly taper. Psychiatrists themselves do not seem to know though so you end up feeling like a Guinea pig. It is also the reason why I want to switch to natural remedies e.g. valerian root pills (@Bill Bauer recommendation). To calm everyone down, on the other hand I know people who have been taking Valium for decades, almost on a daily basis and they're ok.

Don't take it just from me, if you get yourself a chance then watch this:

Psychiatric Drugs Are More Dangerous than You...