Are Caffeine and Alcohol Especially Dangerous to Tinnitus Sufferers?

[Brooklyn NY]

Hi, I was wondering if alcohol and caffeine are especially dangerous to tinnitus sufferers. I drink 2 cups of coffee per day and have given up all other caffeine drinks. I have maybe 2-3 drinks per week.

Am I playing with fire? Thank you very much...

 

[Bill Bauer]

I have maybe 2-3 drinks per week. Am I playing with fire?

Many people report getting temporary spikes as a result of drinking coffee. Who knows, it is possible that if they keep drinking coffee, that eventually they will end up with a permanent spike (I don't recall anyone saying that this had happened to them).

If you are not experiencing any spikes, you are probably ok. Alternatively, you might experiment with not drinking coffee for a month or two, or longer, and then seeing whether your T improves as a result. Coffee might be keeping your T loud (but it probably isn't doing that).

 

[Brooklyn NY]

Hi Bill, thank you for replying to another of my posts. Sometimes I notice slight temporary spikes while drinking coffee. Realistically, I will try to cut down to one cup per day, and hopefully I will see an overall difference in my symptoms. With this condition, I have become paranoid with everything that I take. Thanks again...

 

[InfiniteLoop]

@Brooklyn NY

Not in my experience. Randomness of maladaptive neural networks is the main variability mechanism. External noise is the only factor that interacts with my tinnitus.

 

[Staceyyy]

I've never noticed a difference in my tinnitus from either of them. In fact alcohol is the only thing that takes the edge off. It doesn't make my tinnitus any quieter, it just makes me not give a shit. Sometimes it helps me to forget about it even if it's just for a minute or two.

 

[JimR]

I have noticed a spike - not a big one, but noticeable - after drinking alcohol. Don't drink caffeine anymore, so can't speak to that.

 

[peter d]

I swopped my coffee in the morning for a cup of camilla tea, and also put more garlic, ginger and kurkuma in my food.
Further I drink 3 cups of coffee daily.
Seems to go better now

 

[JohnAdams]

I drink large amounts of coffee and I drink alcohol every night before bedtime to help me fall asleep. Doesn't seem to affect tinnitus one way or the other.

 

[Kelvin]

Both coffee and alcohol seeme fine for me...luck me
BUT very high Sugar and Salty foods are NOT fine. Both make my type of T hiss like an angry snake...

 

[hans799]

Caffeine reliably gives me bad anxiety roughly 5 hours after taking it. It doesn't affect the T much, but it does enhance the suffering caused by T.

Alcohol is the opposite: it takes the edge off and helps me not care. I've been getting into the habit of drinking 1-2 glasses of red wine at night. Not really healthy but it does help.

 

[Lane]

Chocolate and foods with canola oil are the worst for me.

 

[kmohoruk]

For me coffee and alcohol spike my T a bit, but I love my morning coffee and occasional beer - so I just go on enjoying them and not letting T drive my bus .

 

[Brooklyn NY]

Thanks everyone for sharing their experiences with caffeine and alcohol..it's one less thing to worry about.

 

[PanM]

@Brooklyn NY drink decaf to be sure

 

[Don Tinny]

It does not affect my tinnitus. I wonder why some people experience a louder T after a cafeine intake

 

[coffee_girl]

Dangerous as in dangerously addicting hehe.

 

[Lane]

I wonder why some people experience a louder T after a cafeine intake

I think it all has to do with how different foods/substances affect our brain and neurological system. I've heard the term "cerebral allergies", which I assume means the brain can experience an allergic reaction from any number of things. A likely outcome in at least some cases would be for it to exacerbate tinnitus. I suspect other things can easily do it as well, such as chlorine and fluoride that's often found in regular water.

 

[GlennS]

Caffeine reliably gives me bad anxiety roughly 5 hours after taking it. It doesn't affect the T much, but it does enhance the suffering caused by T.

I became addicted to caffeine almost like being on speed. I suffered through so much insomnia for so long that it may have caused some sort of neurological damage. I've come to believe that caffeine is bad for you. It's bad for your biological clock and by extension bad for your brain. The other chemicals in coffee might be healthy, but NOT the caffeine. Every now and then I'll drink a decaf just for the flavor because coffee is sort of on the same spectrum as chocolate. It's nice to have it with a dessert. That's about it.

 

[AZeurotuner]

I became addicted to caffeine almost like being on speed. I suffered through so much insomnia for so long that it may have caused some sort of neurological damage. I've come to believe that caffeine is bad for you. It's bad for your biological clock and by extension bad for your brain. The other chemicals in coffee might be healthy, but NOT the caffeine. Every now and then I'll drink a decaf just for the flavor because coffee is sort of on the same spectrum as chocolate. It's nice to have it with a dessert. That's about it.

I agree Glenn, caffeine is nasty habit. I was once HIGHLY addicted, many, many, many cups of coffee a day. It had a profound effect on my mental and physical health, and definitely not in a positive way. I had a similar problem with nicotine, quit that as well, just wasn't worth the health risks. The only drug I take now is Marijuana (vaporized concentrate, once or twice a day, sometimes just once or twice a week), and I feel exponentially better now that I have rid my body of that poison.

 

[hans799]

I became addicted to caffeine almost like being on speed. I suffered through so much insomnia for so long that it may have caused some sort of neurological damage. I've come to believe that caffeine is bad for you. It's bad for your biological clock and by extension bad for your brain. The other chemicals in coffee might be healthy, but NOT the caffeine. Every now and then I'll drink a decaf just for the flavor because coffee is sort of on the same spectrum as chocolate. It's nice to have it with a dessert. That's about it.

I think caffeine is a pretty "dirty" substance. Yes, it gives you an energy boost, but it also makes you jittery, wired, headachy, messes with your sleep, can give you anxiety, ups your blood pressure etc. So a lot of side effects for not really that much stimulation. I've also cut it out almost completely. At least it doesn't affect tinnitus much, that's a positive.

I've found armodafinil to be a far superior stimulant - effect is a lot cleaner, lasts much longer (10-12 hours), and much fewer side effects. It is a lot harder to get hold of than caffeine, but I honestly believe that offsetting the occasional bad night's sleep with a half-dose of armodafinil is a lot less damaging in the long run than being jacked up on caffeine every day, like most people are. Also it doesn't seem to affect tinnitus - even when it sometimes gives a mild temporary spike it's gone by next day.

 

[dpdx]

Coffee does nothing,
Alcohol lowers it

 

[Alex Matyjasek]

I drink decaffeinated coffee and no problems for me. Alcahol, yes but between the booze and not thinking about it´s worth it once in a while...

 

[David077]

Caffeine (only dark coffee) helps me with tinnitus, but alcohol spikes my tinnitus after few hours.

 

[GlennS]

There's just no free lunch. I think coffee actually steals your energy from the future such that when the coffee wears off you're actually more tired and more sleepy than if you had just muddled through without it. There's no net gain and maybe a net loss in sleep disruption. Not having coffee hasn't stopped me from being able to work late into the night when necessary. Adrenaline is perfectly capable of kicking in for that purpose. But when you become dependent on coffee it's sort of, like I said, a vicious circle. You feel like you need coffee in the morning, but it's BECAUSE you were coked up on caffeine yesterday that you didn't get enough sleep in the first place.

 

[Digital Doc]

I drink a few cups of coffee, anywhere from 1 to 3 in a day, and have not noticed any difference with the T.

 

[PortalNaut]

Coffee does nothing,
Alcohol lowers it

Agree, same for me.