Tinnitus

[Osbornemrs]

I've had tinnitus for the last few years after a bad ear infection, it came with eustacian tube dysfunction so I've had a whooshing in my head and my ears pop when I swallow for quite some time. I've been stressed out by it but I've learned to live with it. I also have eye floaters too. I think stress and anxiety make all these things much worse.

It's the 2nd year anniversary of my mum's death, we've had builders in our house doing major renovations (living in it throughout) and work never lets up. I have a 5 year old son as well (not that he stresses me - complete opposite).

Anyway last week I woke up to what seemed like a car alarm continuously going off.. it was in my head! I couldn't believe the intensity of it, continuous high pitch.. awful. The day before I was seriously stressed with a meeting I had to lead at work so not sure if my continuous stressed state has caused this to get this bad all of a sudden. During the day it's not as bad but other high pitches noises seem to wake it up.. and then I start to hear it again until I get distracted.

But at night it's unbearable. I have waves or white noise but this noise goes above that. Last night I woke up in the night and thought I was literally going to lose my mind it was so all encompassing that I just lay there feeling like I was going crazy. In the end I tried to calm myself down and it did go down a bit.. Surely this is the power of the mind and is down to me thinking about it and making it worse.

Logically I feel that stress and anxiety is causing this. I am usually so stressed about my eye floaters and I forget about my ears. Now my ears are bad I am not noticing my floaters. It's a vicious cycle.

I guess what I am asking, and sorry for going on, is if others are suffering too and what you do to get on top of it? This is so loud at night I don't want to go to bed, I'm not sleeping well and i'm so stressed I'm hardly eating too. I don't know what I can do to get back to where I was before. I can cope with whooshing but I can't cope with car alarms in my head.

Hey, I am so sorry to hear about this. I have tinnitus, too, but usually a ringing and high pitched only when very stressed, though sometimes when not stressed, but my body must think I am ;)

When it is really loud and high pitched I try to relax and drink lots of water. I am lucky in that it stops usually quickly and cannot imagine how awful it must be to have that for such a long time.

About night time, would it help to listen to something? White noise or music? I fall asleep to an audio book.

I too get tinnitus. I have been very stressed for six months so it has been worse. At night if I wake it is much louder noise; a screeching sound. All day I hear a shooshing sound in one ear and a high pitch in the other but I can be distracted from it during day and can tune out of it. I had read that music at night can help to distract the mind when trying to fall asleep

I had read that eating lots of dark green veg and keeping hydrated helps?! but mine has never improved in 20 years whatever I try.

I carry ear plugs now as it gets worse after loud situations.

I'm so sorry you are suffering especially as you have the eye problem too.

It must be the season for it as i have just started with it and im convinced that its stress and anxiety driven. It becomes a vicious circle as you are listening for the noise which then makes it sound louder ,this makes you more anxious and so the circle goes on.

I am currently lined up for an auditory assessment at the hospital so waiting for that. Doc peered in my lugs with his lamp and saw nothing in the outer ear of concern.

There is a tinnitus association but i guess youve spotted that.

The obvious solution is to have more quiet time,more relaxation etc.

I think anxiety and worrying about it definitely makes it worse! The brain is such a powerful thing! Will have to try different noises tonight to help me get to sleep, rain doesnt mask this new sound. It’s so tiresome.

This qigong exercise - beating the heavenly drum- helped me with long running tinnitus. Someone (can’t rememebr who) introduced it to veterans who suffered awful tinnitus after being close by explosions. Hthw

I've had tinnitus in my right ear for over ten years. Unfortunately my hearing has declined sharply in the last couple of years. My left ear was fine until recently and now it's ringing too.

My only advice is try to distract yourself. There have been times I've woken in the night and the ringing is very loud. It's hard not to panic but you have to think of something else to take your mind off it.

I was a member of a tinnitus group on Facebook but I found I thought and worried about it a lot more so I left the group. Now I just try to get on with things and ignore it as best I can.

I'm sorry you're in the same situation. It's miserable.

Look up gong baths or gong showers on youtube,,find a quiet space,relax and listen at a comfortable volume,,,and relax..

Is it in both ears op? Have you seen your doctor (recently)? Have you had tinnitus management counselling? I've had tinnitus for 18 months now and found the counselling really helped. Stress has a massive impact on my tinnitus (low pitched hum in one eat)as has any even minor illness. If I find myself awake just listening to the sodding noise I give up and get up, I find the frustration of trying to sleep worse than the sleeplessness if that makes sense? I get up and read or watch TV for a bit then retry again.

I have tinnitus also. I started with it almost 2 years ago when I had a really bad sinus infection & my eustation tubes became blocked, when I discovered how to unblocked them on google, the massively 'car alarm' sound that had been ringing in my head for almost 2 weeks solid stopped but I've been left with a slightly muted tone ever since, which gets louder whenever I'm ill (like now).

It's a real bugger, especially in quiet places or if you're alone. I try to keep myself busy so I'm not focusing on it, having to pick up & look after two kids & working part time thank fully keeps me busy most of the time but it's still there & unless you have it, it's difficult to describe to anyone who doesn't.

I hope you find some relief soon, I wish there was a way to stop it, wouldn't that be just fantastic for us all?

Tinnitus has been linked to iron deficiency - I read that somewhere a while ago

I too have tinnitus and definitely find it worsens with stress.
It gets very bad when I have a migraine.
I have intermittent 'clicking ' in one ear, it's like someone is popping bubble wrap, but I can feel it too. Anyone else get that?

OP - have you had your hearing tested? You probably know there's a link to tinnitus and hearing loss and in some cases it can be helped with discreet hearing aids.

Are you clenching your jaw? Holding your neck in a position that makes the muscles tense (lots of iPad and phone use can do this). If so, a mouth guard from your dentist and seeing a physio privately might help with exercises to stop you tensing (if that makes sense!)