How Does Stress Cause Tinnitus Spikes?

[dpdx]

@dpdx I feel like you have not read my story properly. Yes the wedding DID make my T worse. That is known. After almost 14 years of my initial ear injury and subsequent T being near non existent that night at the wedding aggravated it and brought this all back into my life full force. FOURTEEN years later. It was a shock I am still coming to terms with.

The ISSUE and unthinkable situation is what this thread is about in that just recently I went on a flight and ever since have been hearing a static electricity type noise in my head, almost the sound of a television. Therefore the problem is that my T that got worse after 14 years has just gotten even WORSE to an unbearable point now. Now I'm hoping and praying it just goes back down to the post wedding dance floor point.

Insanity this all is. Please pray for me. Hope you are doing ok tonight, too. Read your story earlier.

Yes it will go down, when I got my second acoustic trauma while doing that ovemp test. My T went from a 2 to a 10, literally I had a huge engine sound in my head and I felt like my head will burst open. That reduced from 10 to a 7/8 where I am currently, so give it time. You also have a second acoustic trauma, now the best thing to do is to see what will happen in the next months.

 

[PDodge]

It'll probably calm down considerably in the upcoming weeks. I'm in the process of recovering from a spike... as well. Same type of electric feeling

 

[Flamingo1]

I did an ear test tha was 100db and lasted for 2 minutes (JANUARY 15), my T went from a 2 to a 8 and I developed H. It didnt get better at all. I lost a lot of hearing because of that.

What audiologist would knowingly subject a person's ears to 100 dB for 2 minutes?! Sounds illegal to me!

 

[Smartone202]

I read your story but you made it worse by that wedding and then you took a flight which added on to it. I hope you wore GOOD earplugs on the airplane because they are LOUD.
You have a second acoustic trauma so the best you can do is wait it out. Usually it will get better in 8 months or so. Did you get H?

The thing is, Tinnitis was not even a THING to me for 14 years. I always knew my left ear was damaged from the injury in 2004 and always tried to protect is the best I could, but the night at the wedding may as well have been the real beginning of T for me. It brought me to these forums, made me freak out, complained to my Dad (who also has T) and overall just feel like I wanted to die for the first time in my life.

To think that this flight may have made things WORSE is surreal to me to a point where I haven't even accepted it yet. But it's pretty obvious that is what happened. To answer your question, yes, believe it or not, I also picked up a drop of H for the first time in my life too after this initial flight as when I was on the road in LA it was a bit painful at times when going over bumps or other rough spots on the highway. I did not wear earplugs on the flight bc it honestly wasn't crazy loud. Just your typical cabin hum. On the flight HOME however I did wear plugs on and off. At times I felt like having the plugs in only made things worse. The flight home was actually a lot noisier and naturally my seat was the one RIGHT NEXT to the engine.

Either way, this just can't be real life. It can't be that I aggravated my T after 14 years of peace and then just 1.5 months later it was made to a horrific level (sounds like a TV is on in my head) bc of going on one round trip flight. I feel this is actually TOO bad to be true and therefore it will subside. As of right now I am actually contemplating taking sick time off from work as there is no way I will be able to concentrate with this. I work in an office in an ultimate type of focus on your work type job.

 

[Smartone202]

It'll probably calm down considerably in the upcoming weeks. I'm in the process of recovering from a spike... as well. Same type of electric feeling

Thanks. I'm actually very optimistic it will too, right now. But the fact that this is even happening is almost too much to handle man.

 

[PDodge]

Thanks. I'm actually very optimistic it will too, right now. But the fact that this is even happening is almost too much to handle man.

I know how you feel. I had tonal for like 3 months before this set it. It's been a battle but it did eventually reduce to a negligible level. If you have an Iphone you download the app "Whist" It was really the only app that was capable of matching it and giving some relief.

 

[85dB T]

But the fact that this is even happening is almost too much to handle man.

Right now just make it your goal to try and stay calm, as ridiculous as that sounds. Find someone to offer emotional support while you deal with all this. Spouse, parent, sibling, or friend?

 

[Deamon22]

Thanks. I'm actually very optimistic it will too, right now. But the fact that this is even happening is almost too much to handle man.

You said yesterday that it went from a 10/10 to a 3/10. Did it get worse again? Or is it the 3/10 that is freaking you out?

 

[Agrajag364]

the more hearing is damaged the worse tinnitus becomes, your only hope is future therapeutics to restore hearing damage

That is not his only hope. If his tinnitus was quiet for so many years it might calm down again. @Smartone202 have you tried relaxation techniques? I know it was the loudness of the wedding that did the damage but when we (understandably) panic when this bastard noise gets worse I think the fear itself can cause the brain to amplify it.

 

[Smartone202]

You said yesterday that it went from a 10/10 to a 3/10. Did it get worse again? Or is it the 3/10 that is freaking you out?

Ok when I came home from my flight the "TV buzzing/noise" in my head/brain was at an alarming 10/10 level. I woke up Tuesday and it had subsided to 3/10 although I can probably call it a 5/10 now, comfortably. It goes away for a few seconds when it play with my ears or do the skull thumping trick, if that means anything.

I don't know what's going on anymore but I've been on a bunch of flights in my life and never had this problem. Unless the night at the wedding when I damaged my ear more caused my ear to be more prone to something like this now, although as I stated earlier the plane, while noisy, wasn't anything excessive. But then again maybe my ear is so messed up that it can only take so much. Also while on my vacation I noticed some H for the first time in my life, too while on the roads.

I truly need help right now guys, and @Agrajag364 while I appreciate your concern, there's no way I'm going to get behind a relaxation technique right now. I simply need this brain buzzing to go away before I legitimately lose my mind. Oh, and even when that DOES possibly go away, I still have the regular T caused from the night at the wedding. At this point I'll take that, as horrible as that sounds.

 

[Deamon22]

I'd take it as a good sign if it has subsided so fast from a 10/10 to a 3-5/10. You could always visit your GP or ENT, maybe he thinks you should get a course of steroids (i never got any so no idea if that is the right thing to do).

However there is not much more we can do or tell you at this point. I would give my ears as much rest as possible and see how it develops. Since it already got better i would remain positive.

 

[Vicki14]

Each time you get a spike its a sign that damage is being done. Each one of my spikes was longer and longer until it became permanent.

That's what's so scary about all this crap....

 

[Smartone202]

I thought I experienced my tinnitus getting worse due to stress/anxiety but was never really sure, that was until yesterday.

I was running late for a meeting with a friend and was actually lost for a minute (went the wrong way). I started to get very stressed as I realized I was going to be late especially after I already left my house earlier than expected. While getting my GPS all situated and then speeding down the road in the right direction, my tinnitus went absolutely haywire.

Just curious how many of you experience the same thing and if so please state what kind of tinnitus you have where this happens to you. (i.e. Regular ear ringing, head buzz, etc)

Thank you.

 

[Sam Bridge]

Definitely seems more intense when stressed.

 

[housemzk]

As I found out recently, mine absolutely responds to stress. Which causes a gradual ramp up over the course of a day. Ramp up meaning that the morning hiss changes tone slightly, but becomes gradually more loud and I also get a loud electric pulsing roughly twice a second.

I just bought a car to avoid the loud Metro because of tinnitus and find that driving in the city increases my stress exponentially, which then causes a gradual increase and change in sound on my tinnitus.

My mornings are near silence, as are my weekends. On most week day nights though, my left ear sounds like I'm in a jungle.

I find minor relief in twice daily neck stretches and massaging the masseter muscle.

 

[coffee_girl]

Try a small test on yourself, try it when you feel like you have a spike, focus on the sound Then immediately focus on something really interesting for 10 minutes... Then go back to listening to your T. Notice how for some reason the supposed "spike " is gone or the sound has decreased by 50%. This is how I gage my paranoia factor lol

 

[Smartone202]

Thanks @coffee_girl . I kind of relate to your story in particular as I had Tinnitus for so long, but it was made worse after just one single night. Just curious are you fully habituated or would you say your T has actually gone down in volume since that night years ago?

 

[coffee_girl]

Thanks @coffee_girl . I kind of relate to your story in particular as I had Tinnitus for so long, but it was made worse after just one single night. Just curious are you fully habituated or would you say your T has actually gone down in volume since that night years ago?

It has Baselined now and much more quiet. I'm pretty sure I've had it all my life and it took a very loud concert to make it worse. I remember because when I was younger I used to hear a very very quiet sound in the distance... I used to think it was the sound of "silence" so never gave it a second thought. Now that same sound is what I hear when I lay in bed at night and I know it's just an old friend that was there all along lol

 

[Smartone202]

Glad you can find humor in Tinnitus even though it's not laughing matter for so many. Hoping mine subsides like yours did.

 

[melbournejeremy]

I think with stress and elevated cortisol come a whole host of side-effects one of which is increasing tinnitus levels. Many studies have shown that cortisol that is released in times of stress by the adrenal glands as well as aldosterone which regulates blood pressure. So by getting worked up and elevating cortisol will restrict blood flow by the smooth mussel walls of the blood vessels contracting and potentially changing the blood flow to the inner ear and increasing the tinnitus. The whole process is not well understood other than than to conclude that stress and the host of hormones that follow have an effect tinnitus levels.

 

[MartinH]

Oh yes... stress definitely makes mine worse. I was on a 10 day (mostly) quiet streak and my stress level went from 0-10 in about 5 seconds on Saturday morning last. Took 2 days for it to die down.

 

[PDodge]

Aboslutely it does. When I first started my job I was pretty inept at dealing with the stress my job brings. So when someone starts overdosing on a train platform and you have someone freaking out on the other end of the phone. EEEEEEEEEEE. It would stop as soon as the phone call ended lol

 

[Smartone202]

@Smartone202

Flying can make tinnitus worse. The pressure changes are bad for damaged ears, and tinnitus always means some kind of ear damage. And airplanes are quite loud, cabin noise levels can easily be over 85 decibels.

It is not fair to say this at all, unless you're maybe implying temporarily. There is no official information anywhere on the internet or through any ENT I've heard of that has ever said to watch out for flying bc it can make things worse. If flying were dangerous in any way for ears or Tinnitus, there would warnings up the gazoo and it would be well documented. It's not. The only known ear related trauma that can happen as a result of flying is Ear Barotrauma. A symptom of that IS ringing in the ears, yes, but only temporarily from everything I've read.

 

[Smartone202]

What audiologist would knowingly subject a person's ears to 100 dB for 2 minutes?! Sounds illegal to me!

Just seems hard to believe.

 

[Deamon22]

@Smartone202 how are you doing now buddy? Got any better?

 

[Smartone202]

@Smartone202 how are you doing now buddy? Got any better?

Thank you for your concern, but no, not much better at all. If anything things have gotten worse and the post flight head buzz has progressed into on and off Pulsatile Tinnitus which began after a horrific nightmare about 2 weeks ago. All anxiety related? Who knows. I've tried to remain calm and have felt calmer, but the extra buzzing/PT is still there. Good news is PT can be treatable, so, now I'm ready to schedule an MRI, but at the same time am thinking of trying a Xanax to see if this all really IS anxiety/stress induced. The flight where this all began was just about one month ago now.

 

[Deamon22]

Thank you for your concern, but no, not much better at all. If anything things have gotten worse and the post flight head buzz has progressed into on and off Pulsatile Tinnitus which began after a horrific nightmare about 2 weeks ago. All anxiety related? Who knows. I've tried to remain calm and have felt calmer, but the extra buzzing/PT is still there. Good news is PT can be treatable, so, now I'm ready to schedule an MRI. The flight where this all began was just about one month ago now.

Damn, i'm so sorry man. It's really hard to believe that you got pulsatile after a nightmare, thats really bad luck. Good luck with the MRI. I hope the head buzz goes away with time. Mine luckily has resolved now after a few weeks.

 

[Smartone202]

Damn, i'm so sorry man. It's really hard to believe that you got pulsatile after a nightmare, thats really bad luck. Good luck with the MRI. I hope the head buzz goes away with time. Mine luckily has resolved now after a few weeks.

No what's really hard to believe or even comprehend is that I came on these forums in late August upset and concerned about a regular basic spike, and somehow, someway, a few weeks later anything and everything started taking a turn for the absolute worse with my T. Head Buzz, PT.

But again, all beginning the night after that flight.

Glad to hear you're doing better. What was your story in a nutshell again?

 

[Deamon22]

No what's really hard to believe or even comprehend is that I came on these forums in late August upset and concerned about a regular basic spike, and somehow, someway, a few weeks later anything and everything started taking a turn for the absolute worse with my T. Head Buzz, PT.

But again, all beginning the night after that flight.

Glad to hear you're doing better. What was your story in a nutshell again?

Yea, thats pretty incredible. I can't really tell you anything new what to do unfortunately, except maybe try out a few relaxation excercises and maybe check your posture and massage neck and facial muscles like @Greg Sacramento told me. I think the worst that can happen is that nothing happens.

I had whiplash from a light car accident. After that i noticed occasional some hyperacusis, but since i had no idea back then, i thought it was just anxiety. My tinnitus started then together with a bad cold 1 month later in both ears. Luckily it is mostly very mild. A few weeks ago i got this terrible head buzz, which wasn't really loud but a frequency you can hear over a lot of things. Not it has subsided again fully.

 

[Jemina]

It is not fair to say this at all, unless you're maybe implying temporarily.

It can cause temporary spikes, at least.

I know someony who's T got louder after a flight. She has chronic eustachian tube problems and asthma so her sinuses and e tubes are always congested. The pressure changes make her ears hurt badly, dysfunctioning eustachian tubes can't equalize the pressure. Her t didn't drop back to its former level.

But some people still enjoy flights, and don't get any spikes. Tinnitus is so unpredictable.

Everyone's ears and sound tolerance is a bit different. My mom's friend has had tinnitus for 10 years and the sound stays the same, no spikes, unless she cries (causes a temporary spike). But for me, even normal sounds cause spikes but I have bad hyperacusis so my sound tolerance is not good. Dropped a plate a few days ago, horrible t spike...

But, about flights. Maybe people who have other ear, sinus, eustachian tube dysfunction, etc problems, are more prone to t spikes or permanent worsening of their symptoms. Who knows, t really is unpredictable.


I got a bad spike from a long bus trip 4,5 weeks ago, but my t went back to "normal" this week. Phew..!