I went through a period of about 9 weeks where I was not able to sleep more than an hour without waking up. It was hell on earth and I started to feel like I was going to lose my mind. So, I know exactly what you are going through right now.
Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
My issue was that I was trying to get some relief through the anti-depressant Zoloft. SSRI's are dangerous drugs though. They take a long time to take effect and before they kick in they can exaggerate the anxiety that they are supposed to alleviate. Even when the meds started to "help," the insomnia didn't go away. As soon as I quit the meds I was able to sleep again.
I had better luck with Benzo's but I was also super cautious using them. I never took more than .25mg per day and only allowed myself to take this small amount once or twice per week. I basically kept them as an emergency resort when I was at the end of my rope and looking towards on-coming busses as a potential solution to my problem.
My best sleep started when I stopped taking all medications and supplements. I still wake up every morning with a jolt of anxiety but, I remind myself that once I take a warm shower and have a cup of coffee things will become easier...and they generally do.
You are in a rough place right now, but try to have confidence that with time you will start to learn how to make peace with the ringing. Just keep moving through every day, putting one foot in front of the next. As the saying goes, "when you are going through hell...keep going!"
It is not easy and you can't rush habituation (it operates on its own snail pace of a timeline) but eventually your brain will get tired of listening to the noise and find something more interesting to focus on. Also continue to reach out to people here...everyone is in the same boat as you. Sometimes a hug from a stranger can get you through the day...so, I'm sending you a hug right now.
Thank you for all the replies. I haven't been taking anything for sleep consistently. Been trying valerian root, melatonin and magnesium, but I need something heavier to put me to sleep.
Tried gabapentin 100 mg and diazepam 5mg last night and still didn't sleep for shit. No consistent hours of sleep. 1 hr here and 1 hr there kinda stuff ,not much deep REM for months it seems. Thinking of trying otc diphenhydramine tonight. Exhausted. Love you brother. Thank you so much for talking to me.
Diphenhydramine is worth a try for sure. I take it if I'm really struggling to sleep.
What is causing the insomnia? Is it anxiety because of the T or the volume of the T? My insomnia was definitely medicine induced. Even melatonin messes with my sleep. It is the strangest thing because it knocks me out super quick but I'm wide awake an hour later without fail.
Everyone is different though. The messed up thing about this problem is that we are all forced to be Guinea pigs in our own experiments with what feels like life or death stakes! Some people do great with medicine. Others find that medicine makes everything worse. It's a fucked up situation.
I read good things about mirtazapine for sleep. I even went so far as to get a prescription for it. But, I never tried it because I was pretty freaked out about my experience with Zoloft. It might be something for you to check out.
Hang in there brother… You're gonna make it through this.
Yeah I can't sleep because of how loud the tinnitus is. Just tried some diphenhydramine, 50mg and it didn't keep me asleep at all. I also slept with a sleep head band with Bluetooth and it feels like it made my right ear that was to the pillow worse. Ugh . I just can't win.
Not sleeping is brutal…Did your T come on suddenly or did it creep in? My experience has always been sudden onset. It is always the worst right in the first few months, then it either diminishes in intensity or I start to acclimate as time goes on. How many months in are you?
I started noticing it in October and stupidly didn't start protecting myself like I should have. I have no clue why I kept going around without ear plugs and went to hear my dad's band play in January and absolutely destroyed me and have had it bad ever since.
It's brutal level ever since and then couple weekends ago i wore eargasm ear plugs and went to a outdoor concert with my lady and made it even worse, fuck eargasm earplugs ,they dont protect for shit.
I dunno how to push on. People keep telling me it'll get better ,but I'm almost 5 months in with it keeping me from any good sleep and have had so many noise exposures I'm afraid I'm on the pain train for life.
Acoustic T seems to have a balloon period where it gets progressively worse for months after the injury. I think this is due to some level of inflammation which in turn triggers an autoimmune response. The autoimmune response is likely the killer in this case.
Every time I have had an injury from events like you describe, it goes from bad to worse to unthinkable before it starts to back down to something that feels survivable. This curve takes roughly 6-9 months for me...