Search results for query: *

Start looking for any physical abnormalities in your jaw or facial/head muscles. A wonky jaw (TMJ syndrome) can put pressure on the ear and cause it to ring. Pinched eustacian tubes due to grinding your teeth at night can be a factor as well. Consider if any drugs you are taking have common...

My brain tunes into it way less often. As long as there's anything else to listen to - the sound of my fish tank filter, some music, people talking, I won't hear my tinnitus without specifically putting my mind on it. Only time I hear it nowadays is when I have headphones on with nothing...

TMJ syndrome or bruxism, or both. Classic signs. Speaking as someone suffering from both and tinnitus as a result. Think about it, you jaw rests right up against the inner ear. Please see an orthodontist.

Long time no see. But I'm happy to be reporting in that things have just been getting better! My pains have mostly shifted from my ear to my jaw joint. Which is an annoyance in and of itself, but it means that the tinnitus has been fading as well! The constant tone that assaulted me day and...

A little update: I finally got my mouth guard a little over a week ago. This time everything is going swimmingly. No more toothaches in the morning. The guard doesn't bother my mouth at all. It's too early to say if it's having an effect on my tinnitus or jaw pain. I've definitely been waking...

Hey Michela, my tinnitus is very similar but based in my head instead of my neck. If I press my fingers anywhere around my eyes, the tinnitus gets louder! Somatic tinnitus is pretty weird stuff. But luckily it is often easier to treat. I think your doctor is on the right track. While a massage...

Since tinnitus my ears have had a really funky reaction to exercise. They tend to crackle and pop constantly when doing anything high-impact such as running. When I'm cooling down my ears will start blocking and popping in this crazy short-term symphony. Usually only a few minutes. I definitely...

I'm with @DebInAustralia , I've been told it's because of TMJ disorder and/or anxiety.

The problem with HIV is that it is an adaptive virus with many strains. Scientists have actually used the mutation rate of HIV to identify how old the virus is, where it started, how it spread etc. Same reason we haven't cured the flu, essentially. I think you overestimate the scientific...

Mine's doing the opposite. Used to be a high pitched squeaky annoying screeeeeeeeee...now it's lower in tone and has a kind of fuzzy quality to it. It has moments where it changes back though. :X

I just got a bottle of NatureMade Magnesium 400mg capsules. If I don't notice improvements in 4 weeks, I'll be trying something else. Gotta' go about this scientifically!

I just got a brand new custom-fitted mouth guard! I noticed a small improvement the first night, which might be a coincidence. But still. Here's to hoping that my jaw pain, ear pain, and perhaps even my T get better!

Genital herpes. I managed to get hit with on of the most stigmatized invisible illnesses out there. How I feel about my T is nothing compared to the level of anxiety and self-loathing I feel when I think about herpes. It's just...it's bad. I'm lucky that I don't experience symptoms often so I...

I experience numbness in my chin and lower lip. Symptom of my TMJ syndrome supposedly.

I still notice it a lot. On a good day, I'll get out of bed, go to school, and I'll be kept busy enough that I won't notice it until I get home. But even though I still notice it, I've stopped being bothered by it for the most part.

I wonder how many people have their T get worse because they're grinding their teeth when they sleep. Somatic tinnitus is strange stuff.

From what I found online, it sounds like the TTS response is triggered by sound. Not the case for me. Doesn't feel like a muscle spasm either. Good try though, I'd never heard of it before.

An indie game developer! I love all parts of making games: designing, programming, making art... would love for people to enjoy my work. But I gotta' hone my skills some more first.

From what I've read on the forums, it's common for people to experience ear pain and fullness with the onset of tinnitus. I've had tinnitus for 6 months and I still have ear pain. It's just a sharp jab, usually happens 5-10 times a day in my right ear and 2-3 in my left. Doesn't correspond to...

Because my tinnitus isn't that loud most days. I've habituated enough to where I don't hear it most of the time, and when I do hear it, it bothers me way less. I've definitely used masking tones often during bad days but it's not enough to justify the cost of a masker yet.

I think the original morse code sound is the result of an ear infection. The constant tone that I only got in december might might might be noise-related, but there was no one event I can pin it on.

Right ear actually recently acquired a third noise. Constant tone, morse code, and kettle boiling. Kettle noise comes and goes. Might actually be a morphing of the morse code, hard to tell. Left ear only has constant tone.

I think this has been posted about once before, I think in relation to finding your tinnitus frequency. A few people, myself included, can't seem to do it because when we get close the tone temporarily stops the tinnitus. For me it works for 2-3min usually.

I think some of it is in the brain, but it's possible you're sometimes grinding your teeth at night (bruxism) which has the potential to make tinnitus worse.

I've been drawing since I could hold a pencil, and I still make a point to practice when I can. It can still completely obsess me when an idea strikes. Until I get a hand cramp, that is! Video games are my main passion these days, and one of the few activities I often do with friends. I love...

I took it for 6 months about 5 years ago and didn't experience tinnitus. Is it a common side-effect?

Mine's this way some days. Think it has to do with stress, my days often end with a new burden of homework, not relaxation. Curiously, the only time my tinnitus consistently gets louder is when I'm sleeping. If I wake up in the middle of the night it's always twice as loud as normal. But it's...

One of my tinnitus noises tends to chirp in a kind of morse code type pattern. When I wake up it's a constant tone that slowly degrades into chirping as the day goes on. Not sure if that means it's getting better or worse. :P

@Penelope33 : It sounds like you have post-partum depression. I know it's a taboo topic among new mothers but you need to seek help for this. It can and will pass with a bit of help. If you had a doctor you saw during pregnancy they should be able to assist you.

It's not easy to admit, but I have genital herpes. As much as tinnitus has affected my life, it'll never compare to how I felt after that diagnosis. :(

Video games are pretty much the only time I %100 can't hear my tinnitus. Combination of masking and just...being so involved with the game, I don't hear it. If there's enough interest, we should create a Steam group!

Hey Bruce, not a doctor myself, but I believe the mechanism for hearing loss related tinnitus is relatively well established. When the fine hair cells in your inner ear that sense sound get damaged, the brain gets confused. It was once receiving information in that frequency range, and it's now...

@baddream : That is indeed, bullshit. Grinding your teeth can make it worse though.

Does anyone know if this won't be effective in the long run if played with other masking noises? For instance, I'm currently playing it "behind" some music where it's still clearly audible but not as present. It temporarily relieves my tinnitus nevertheless.

First noise started when I was recovering from the flu. After my fever went down I started having ear pain and fullness. Ringing followed shortly after. Second noise started just over a month ago, out of nowhere. Quiet Thanksgiving weekend. The only thing I can even think of that could have...

It's nearly impossible for me to not sleep on my side, so I feel you. Unless I'm so exhausted that I'll fall asleep in less than 5 minutes, I sleep with a fan on. My T varies in volume a good bit so I usually end up sleeping with my "good" ear at the time to the pillow.

I had trouble using it in Chrome. Had to switch to Firefox. Hope that helps.

My main T noise varies A LOT. I'll have hours where I'll have to go to a quiet room and plug my ears to see if it's still there. Then some nights I'll wake up hours before my alarm because the ringing got so loud. I've habituated for the most part though. There's a bit of calm in knowing that...

Thanks @LeQuack , that helps A TON! I was hoping I would be able to make the test before my next long drive in a couple days, but I think I'll end up purchasing a real sound meter for future use.

I take 7-8 hour long drives a few times a month though, and apparently Honda is known for having less sound insulation than normal. Add in some radio and I think it may have pushed it over the safe sound limit. >.<

Does anyone know of a reliable app for measuring sound levels? I've tried two, Sound Meter and Noise Meter. On my phone, an HTC OneX, both apps get readings ~10db lower than the same apps on other devices. Specifically tested also on a Nexus 7 and a Galaxy S3. Makes me think there might just...

Find an orthodontist or dentist who specializes in TMJ treatment. They will probably have you fill out a survey of your symptoms. When you go in, they will measure your bite in various ways. In that first meeting they should be able to tell if you have TMJ disorder. They should also be able to...

I'd get it checked out. When your jaw cracks like that it means that the soft tissue in the joint isn't moving properly, and might be getting worn down. There's only a very thin padding between the jaw joint and ear. So if your jaw is slamming back into your ear without the proper protection, it...

Hey Geoff, Ear wax buildup, ear infections, TMJ disorder, and other muscular problems in the neck/head have been linked to tinnitus as well. Anxiety and depression can make the TMJ and muscular ones worse especially. You should start by getting a hearing test, and if that it's conclusive then...

I've seen a few threads on Reddit where people have learned to use their tinnitus positively in meditation. http://www.reddit.com/r/Meditation/comments/1sekxh/meditation_for_a_beginner_with_tinnitus/

I only began to suffer from T around the same time I began experiencing frequent neck and jaw pain. The volume tends to relate pretty well to how much my jaw hurts. I've heard that TMJ issues can cause neck pain, but I dunno. I'm inclined to say I just need to improve my posture since I sit in...

Funnily enough, I've been considering taking up the violin again now that I have tinnitus. Playing required so much concentration it was a complete release from my worries for a short while. It's been 8 years, I wonder if I'll have to start from square one.

The length of exposure to those noises shouldn't be harmful. When in doubt, ask the dentist. I'm sure you're not the only one who's annoyed by those drills.

See, to me it sounds more like a somatic issue. The whole being able to lay on the ear to make it go away, the eye pain, headache, ears constantly popping, all sound like muscular or jaw issues. A lot of it could just be due to stress and the flu though, of course.

I was listening to Radiolab the other day, and I was struck by a particular story about a woman with chronic pain. I can't help but feel like it applies to many of us struggling with tinnitus. The story starts at 13:45, you can listen to it here: http://www.radiolab.org/story/161758-break-cycle/

Yes, when the tinnitus is especially loud I can clearly hear a pitch change based on how my jaw is oriented.

I don't think it's offensive. I suffer from another, much more serious and impacting condition and it has helped put my tinnitus in perspective. This kind of perspective might not help everyone, but remember. Everyone has their own way of coping.

A positive, post-christmas update! Despite the spike, everything has gone back to normal...and better. The past week I have had days where I have been able to barely hear my tinnitus. Sometimes it actually goes so low that I have to plug my ears in a quiet room to tell if it's still there...

Hey, @onedayatatime . I've experienced the same effect with playing a noise similar to my tinnitus frequency. I also have TMJ disorder. It only works with my T sound that is a constant pitch, but still. I wonder if this is some of the reason maskers work?

What you described with your jaw problems and jaw muscles getting tighter during the day is very similar to my experience. My T changes in volume a lot based on how stressed I am and how much I talk/chew. You have a complicated case but I think it's worth ruling out TMJ disorder. At the very...

@Valentin : I didn't get to keep a copy of the results, but I believe it went up to 16khz. @Per : No buttons to press for the test I'm speaking of. They literally just put a small device in my ear and let it beep at various frequencies. It was over in a minute. It was called an otoacoustic...

Something strange happened yesterday, and I had a follow up hearing test today. Yesterday I was walking to the car to unload my stuff after a 7 hour drive, and the noise in my left ear just shot up in a split second. I've never had that happen before. But I don't think I've been that sleep...

I don't mask very often during the day. If I do, I tend to snap back to the tinnitus noise when I walk away, which is often the case when I use a fan. Something about the act of purposefully masking also brings my mind to the T and the related anxiety more often. I always have to turn the fan...

@Per : I actually had a hearing test today, so I may be able to shed some light on this. A more typical hearing test where they ask if you can hear the beeps isn't what they're talking about. I was given a test for the responsiveness of the hairs that detect sound. These hairs can detect sounds...

Correlation doesn't equate to causation. I first noticed my tinnitus when I had the flu, so I thought it was from an ear infection. I got sent to an ENT first, but he sent me to a TMJ specialist once he heard about how my T reacts to physical stimuli. So maybe I'm projecting, but it's just too...