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I can decide anything I want! I know tinnitus sucks. But, the day I just said 'fuck it, this is me now," was my first step to enjoying life. It did take about five years. I suspect mental illness combined with tinnitus is probably what afflicts most people who can't move on.

Nope, I am not an “activist” by any means. I was a simple volunteer. I know what real pain is. Tinnitus sucks, but it’s not the end of the world. Stop being a crybaby.

Ha. I was tortured and suffered a traumatic brain injury from shrapnel as a human rights volunteer in Bosnia. You might want to gain a little perspective. I have severe tinnitus, but I am grateful to be living and having a beautiful life.

The sooner you stop feeling sorry for yourself and accept your tinnitus, the sooner you will find peace.

Is there any way you can reduce the stress in your life? I have been working very hard on this aspect of my life since I started to see the link between stress and my tinnitus distress. I'm almost nine years into this, and when I get away from stressors in my life for extended periods, I have...

Face it, almost everything and anything causes tinnitus, including worrying about what causes it.

I'm not sure mine could be any louder, but the amount of distress it causes me has decreased a lot over the years. I just surrendered to it and stopped caring. I've had it about 9 years now, and the first 6 were pretty bad, for sure. I know a number of people now that have it and they all say...

Absolutely true. All you need to know: 1) Tinnitus rarely goes away 2) Stress is major contributor or exacerbator 3) Nobody has a cure 4) Your perception of it gets better with time

I’m so sorry you are suffering. I totally understand. My tinnitus came on during a period of intense work anxiety. I have worked very hard to reduce my stress. Even if it’s not helping my tinnitus, it helps me deal with it better..

Don’t worry about comments like this. This is why I rarely come to Tinnitus Talk. A lot of people want to diminish your perception or difficulties with tinnitus because theirs is far worse. I too have had very loud, intrusive tinnitus since 2016. At first it was horrible, but over time, I just...

My tinnitus is normally super loud and sometimes distressing, but after 7 years or so with it, I've sort of adapted to it. My tinnitus is related to my neck, and I've had lots of therapy to try to fix it. I have learned that if I move my head upward as far as I can go and press on my jaw...

Mine is just the opposite. My tinnitus is always at its most extreme when I first awaken. Then it gradually diminishes over the day (usually).

You apparently didn’t really read what I wrote, or can’t understand that I DO have severe tinnitus. Why do I need to explain what I experience daily? We are not all the same. I don’t claim to be habituated. I have no idea what that means. It’s just an internet word to me. I’ve just had far worse...

I’m sorry it is for you, but I would remind people it does not need to be for all. I live quite happily, even though I have very loud tinnitus. Not everyone ‘suffers’ tinnitus. Many of us just ‘live’ with it.

Why am I here? I have severe tinnitus, and I would rather not have it. I keep hoping to see some sign that there will be an effective cure. Why is pointing out mental illness insulting? Cancer is good, but mental illness is bad?

This is probably the doctor I have. I live in Boston. Yep, pretty useless. I will say that I have tinnitus pretty bad, and although I dislike it greatly, I can't see why people get so totally freaked out by it except that other emotional, psychological issues are also involved. I had about a...

I thought I was the only one who thought those posts was annoying. My sister's Peugeot gave me tinnitus. I know it for a fact. It was old and noisy, I didn't like the color.

For me and a lot of people I know, less anxiety = less tinnitus.

I have had tinnitus for about 7 years, quite badly, actually. I felt sorry for myself for about six months, then stopped the self-pity and remembered I had had worse things happen to me before, and seen many other people suffer far worse things, which allowed me to put it in perspective.

Yes, I have in fact, but I have a business I run and family and I miss them! When I retire, it’s my plan to spend significant time there. I’ve always wondered about electric lines and general electromagnetic radiation. It’s possible, but I suspect it’s really just stress. The deep forest is...

I actually have days (rare) where I hear almost no noise. These are almost always days when I have been at my off grid cabin for a few days and am very relaxed and in a meditative state of being. I really believe my tinnitus is caused by stress. I have tried to relieve the stress but it's not...

I might have 2 or 3 good days in a year. All the rest are fire-alarm in my head days.

I would say that it no longer registers on my conscious mind. My mind is all too aware of the screaming in my head, I just don’t care.

I can’t imagine going to a tinnitus support group and not having it make things worse. I‘ve always thought tinnitus and stress/anxiety are very closely related (at least in a lot of people). Everything that I do that relaxes me helps. From how a lot of people seem to post online, I sense there...

I would suggest that anyone with really negative reactions to tinnitus stay off the internet. In the fist years after my onset, I had a hard time with it, but I found that focusing on it just makes it worse. I don’t care about my tinnitus any more. It’s not any quieter, I just decided to move on...

Love my life. My tinnitus is as loud as anyone’s too. I hate the fire alarm in my head, but I decided years ago to just move on. I would not consider myself habituated after 7 or 8 years either. Acceptance that it is permanent was key to me. Staying busy with things I love is also key.

My tinnitus actually is better when I am at my off-grid cabin for a few days away from all stimulus. It’s incredibly quiet. I have always felt that stress was the cause of my tinnitus, and I suspect it's that way for many people.

"Oh, I have that too" I had low level tinnitus too for many years. I only recognize what it was now. It was very slight and not at all intrusive. When people say that I play a recording of what I hear most of the time. That pretty much stops the conversation... But really, what is anyone...

My tinnitus started (at least when it became truly intrusive) about 6 years ago during an extremely stressful time in my life. I'm not linking them directly, but I've noticed that it's only when I'm really free of work pressures (rare) that I have moments of relative silence. But, of course, it...

I'm a couple years out from retirement... but I could. I love what I do, just not the stress. As far as weight loss, it's actually very easy. I've lost 20 lbs this year (working at home/refrigerator). You have to eat less. It's really that simple. I exercise a lot, but you cannot lose weight...

I've read other people report this too, but I have periodic, but rare, episodes where my (normally awful) tinnitus almost completely stops. These usually only last a few hours, never days. I have almost always had this associated with taking time off from my normally super stressful job, but...

But then I wouldn't give others the joy of being condescending to me...

I'm just a little bit skeptical about this explanation for tinnitus. I'm going to lock my teenager away in a sensory deprivation tank and see what happens...

Assuming tinnitus (at least in many cases) is the brain trying to replace frequencies your ears can no longer send signals of to your brain - what if a healthy person without tinnitus wore earplugs constantly, would they also get tinnitus because their brain would no longer be receiving auditory...

That seems to be pretty much what it is. For me, I just have a feeling of sadness and loss. I spend a lot of time in the woods alone. I remember loving the stillness of woods at night. It's all gone now.

Yeah, given tinnitus seems to be brain issue, I am sure there is a lot variability in people’s experience with it. The older people I know that have had tinnitus for >10 years all say they still hear it, it just doesn’t bother them. If it doesn’t bother you, it is no longer a problem. I can go...

It's really hard, but I've learned to be 'ok' with it. I never have full days of no tinnitus, but I do get a few hours sometimes. I can find no rhyme or reason for these episodes of (relative) quietness, but if I had to say one thing, it would be exercise. I really hope you can learn to be...

My hearing aid helps me too - to hear. It’s a powerful, giant industry with many ‘influencers”, the claims to help tinnitus are dubious. Caveat emptor.

Yes, and all the supplements, hearing aids, and audiologists who claim to be able to "help." They are just profiting off people's desperation with this affliction, providing minimal, if any benefit.

I know it's different for different people. I had it very mildly for many years. It was barely there, but I knew it was tinnitus. Then one day, wham - full volume 5 kHz constant (but influenced by certain head movements). I don't even consider what I had before tinnitus now by comparison. I...

I like how you expressed it -- Surrender. That pretty much sums it up.

Now after about 6 years with severe, high frequency tinnitus, and having spoken to quite a few people (people known to me and trusted that also have tinnitus), including many doctors, I have come to several general sad conclusions: Tinnitus is usually forever. Habituation just means you don't...

It seemed to at the time, but that was early after my onset. I don't think the chiro helped at all, in retrospect.

My tinnitus is loud and 24x7, 99% of the time. But on rare, and seemingly unpredictable occasions, I have spells of silence. They usually don't last more than an hour or two. I have never been able to pin any associations to sleep, health, diet, exercise, or any other factor. I have always...

Going on 5 years now and realizing that tinnitus is permanent, I just don’t allow myself the luxury of feeling sorry for myself. I know if I did, I would sink into a pathetic, self-pitying slough of despondency. There are worse things.

Best advice I ever got was to stay off this and all internet tinnitus sites. The more I focus on it, the worse it is. The more I focus on things that interest and keep me happy, the less I perceive it and/or care about it. Still, I like to check in here periodically when I want to indulge in...

@Michael Leigh Well, okay, I guess it's just semantics to me. I stressed out for about two weeks, them I just carried on more or less normally. I wouldn't call it a process, I just have had worse stuff in my life that tinnitus seems trivial. ( But someone please cure it!)

I suspect (the mostly silent) majority agree with you completely. Tinnitus sucks, but thinking about it sucking makes it worse. It sure seems to be linked with stress/anxiety. I have a happy life with really loud tinnitus. I wouldn't call it habituated, I just don't whine about it (still, I wish...

As I mentioned in a previous post, my tinnitus goes way up when I cycle. Because mine is somatic and affected by my neck/head position and pressure, I have found that the hyper-extension of the neck and head seem to be a big part of why it temporarily spikes. Overall, being fit is a HUGE benefit...

Yeah, it is strange. A nap will often lessen mine, but a full night of good sleep will cause it to crazy loud in the morning, then it generally decreases during the day. I have wondered about this many times. It comes down to the same thing: nobody know what causes it, really.

My tinnitus is generally very loud. I’ve had it over 2 years now. It has not gotten any better and I strongly suspect it won’t ever. I just don’t left it bother me. I do things that keep me relaxed and calm and it’s just not worth it to agonize over something I can’t control and is not really...

@1000Hz: Sounds like we have (very) similar ways to affect our volume. The traction definitely helps me, but it is only short lived. Relaxing my neck and shoulder muscles in general helps more. I get regular neck massage and that does have lasting benefit, but my tinnitus is still very loud...

My tinnitus is somatic and always worse first thing in the morning (like a teakettle in my head). I have not had a quiet morning since I got this over 18 months ago. I often get specialized massage for my neck early in the morning and the amazing thing is that while I get the massage, often...

I have had very good luck with neck massage. It took me quite a while to find a therapist who knew what she was doing. She does very deep intraoral work and trigger point on my SCM''s. There is no doubt it helps. I doesn't eliminate it. The funniest thing is that when she is actually performing...

I'm very interested in it, but as others have pointed out, the causes appear to be varied, multiple, and hard to diagnose. Sometimes there just is no simple fix. For me, good massage, neck traction, excercise and sleep allow me to be okay with the alarm in my head.

I would suggest finding a good clinical massage therapist that knows how to treat head/neck issues. It has helped my a lot with my somatic tinnitus. Perhaps its just placebo, but it works for me.... My chiropractic adjustment definitely caused a problem I never had before.

I did trial some in ear canal ones. I did hear better, but it did nothing for the tinnitus. I may try another type.

They sure want to sell me $5000 hearing aids, however.

I never attended a concert (except classical) and always used ear protection with loud equipment. Here I am.

The maneuver is called a Chrane lift. I just think messing with your neck and the delicate muscular, nerve, and vascular structures with is more likely to cause harm than benefit and is playing with fire.