Have You Figured Out What Things Spike Your Tinnitus?

I'm trying to keep a daily journal, but I'm still not certain if it's formatted in a way that is going to help me figure out what it is. I have been getting the following sounds {a lot more recently}:

• Broken electrical wires {with overactive electricity}
• Static
• Oscillating / unstable hissing
• Oscillating / unstable electrical
• High-frequency tuning fork {this is my good sound, but unfortunately, haven't heard it in a while}

You name it, the works. I sometimes feel like I've gotten the worst deal, and that mine is the worst out of anybody's - especially since there's no telling what I'm going to get each day. I'm praying it will go back to normal sometimes soon.

I've concluded it could be from one of the following things {or maybe a combination}:

• Very hot weather {I really hope so}
• Incoming rain and storms {I really hope so}
• Recent consistent use of new medications {Xanax, Adderall}
• CBD use? {taking every day these days}
• Vaping? {it can't really make it that bad, can it?}

But I really can't figure it out. I think the Adderall is useful for me. The Xanax I am now afraid to take, so only try to take sparingly.

And now only recently {keeping my fingers crossed it's not true}, I swear I'm hearing very faint, inaudible voices in the back of my head.

Anyway, still haven't figured it out.

 

Mine doesn't react to anything (aren't I lucky?). Most likely mine is from ototoxic migraine meds. Mine just resets everyday from quiet (barely noticeable) to medium to loud (recently measured at 30db @ 1k Hz by an audiologist) and rarely changes throughout the day (doesn't fluctuate daily, only rarely changes from quiet to louder or vice versa in the morning than stays the same for the remainder of the day). Does anyone else have this? I don't understand it anymore than I understand anything about this condition. Maybe because the tinnitus comes directly from the brain/head? But it that was the case, than why did I have ear issues (itch, ache, clogged feeling, ETD, etc.). The audiologist found no discernable damage to ears and t frequency didn't match hearing loss @ 11,400 Hz (which is considered normal for 45 years old - she said my hearing was excellent?).

 

For sure
Kids screaming
Kids punching me in the ear (one off)
Salicylates

Maybe
Arguing

There may be other things, but the above are the ones I am pretty sure about.

 

• Mowing the lawn
• Watching an action movie
• Travelling all day
• Meeting friends for lunch

All these are things I couldn't do initially as they could be painful and spike me for weeks.

Now they spike me for a day or two, causing a loud steady EEEEEEEEE instead of my usual fluctuating static hiss. I actually prefer the spike noise. Also my hyperacusis seems to be less bad when I'm spiked.

On a few occasions, my spike has been accompanied by temporary hearing loss at varying frequencies, returning to baseline in a week or two. So I don't go out of my way to get spiked.

 

I noticed today that if I plug my ears (today t is quiet) and move my jaw, I can hear my t faintly - only when I move my jaw to the side or out. I never noticed this before. Does that make it somatic and does that mean anything (can it be treated through chiro, etc.)?

 

Chewing medium/hard food does it every single time

 

What meds exactly?

 

Any loud noise spikes me. Feels like I have chronically fragile ears. Wish there was a way to strengthen them.

 

I thought from time to time I knew what spikes it, but I really don't. Lack of sleep makes it seem louder but I don't think it actually is. My T, or my reaction to it, seems to ebb and flow.

I do find that the longer I spend in a totally silent environment, the more the T fades in my perception. For example, sleeping with a fan on makes me notice the T more than sleeping with no sounds at all.

 

I was taking the batteries of out a smoke detector and foolishly forgot to wear ear protection. It beeped at me for maybe 2-3 seconds and I didn't notice a spike or hearing loss right after, but last night—about two days later—I've noticed I have some mild hearing loss in the left ear. I also had a few of those fleeting tinnitus moments, but I think one is here to stay.

Hopefully this is a spike, I haven't had a "spike" before...

How long do they typically last?

 

It feels like being able to determine what causes spikes is a superpower. I don't even think there's a way to definitely know for sure unless you experience one immediately after some sort of instigator, but apparently they can present hours or even days afterwards.

Hell, it can difficult to even tell what's a "spike" and what's you just being overly perceptive.

 

Indeed, determining cause and effect is elusive.

Sometimes, it takes someone else’s comment to help.

Someone mentioned that if you have TMJ, then your tinnitus might spike after eating.
That happened once for me, but not the next time.

So, I’m on the watch for that now too.

In general, my tinnitus just seems to get worse throughout the day until time for sleep.

At that point, I pop a pill and hope for the best.

The next morning, it often resets to a lower level, but then another Groundhog Day begins...

 

Burping... Air goes into my ear canal for some reason and I can physically feel my eardrum stretch, like holding in a sneeze. Usually followed by a spike same day or day after. Doesn't help that I burp a lot when I'm awake and asleep.