Can Alcohol Increase Your Tinnitus Permanently?

[Widex]

I was wondering, if there is any possibility that alcohol can increase tinnitus permanently?

I'm asking this because I drink alcohol a lot last few months because it knocks me down for sleeping.

I'd rather drink 5 or 6 beers every night than taking sleeping pils.

Thank you in advance folks!

 

[Michael B]

From the BTA

Alcohol
It is often recommended that people with tinnitus should abstain from alcohol, with red wine frequently coming in for special criticism. Once again, there seems little hard evidence to justify these statements. The majority of the evidence that is available suggests that alcohol is more frequently helpful rather than harmful with respect to tinnitus. There have, however, been some pieces of research that have identified particular groups of people such as teenagers for whom alcohol does seem to be associated with increased levels of tinnitus.

As with foods, a trial withdrawal and reintroduction would seem to be the sensible way for an individual to establish whether alcohol is related to the level of tinnitus.

A word of caution needs to be sounded here: some people find that alcohol actually helps their tinnitus. We should all keep our alcohol consumption within safe limits and people with tinnitus are no exception to this rule. The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol per day for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and 2-3 units of alcohol per day for women (equivalent to a 175 ml glass of wine).

 

[Jack Straw]

I have thought about this a lot and formed my own theories about it. I am by no means a doctor or a scientist so take none of this as fact, but mere speculation. I am just an idiot who thinks a lot. I think it may affect tinnitus in the following ways:

1) Reduction in blood pressure. This may reduce or increase tinnitus in some where their tinnitus is directly linked to blood pressure issues.

2) Relaxation. Help someone relax and destress, which in turn lowers tinnitus.

3) Increase inflammation. Alcohol is know to increase inflammation in the body so maybe for some people it can cause inflammation in the auditory system.

4) Alcohol Addiction / Withdrawal. Like Benzo addiction and withdrawal it may potentially lead to development or worsening of tinnitus.

Again, I wouldn't take any of this as fact, this is just what I think. Everyone reacts to drugs differently so it's hard to say. I would suggest being careful about high level of alcohol consumption because it is not good for your overall health.

Hang in there @Widex!

Jack

 

[Lipshitz]

Alcohol should not be consumed frequently or in large amounts, especially if you take daily medication, as it can significantly increase the risk of ototoxic effects.

 

[tnddub]

I actually find that drinking 8 to 10 oz of a good European red wine nearly always
reduces my T for at least an hour or two. It's nice relief but it almost always comes back so I try and drink it later in the evening when I'm going to go to bed within a couple of hours. I don't typically wake up with louder ringing in the middle of the night or in the morning. But when I drink and inexpensive red wine, or a cab, it does nothing or it increases the ringing. I try not to do it more than 2 to 3 times a week.