How Long Does a Tinnitus Spike Usually Last? Months? Weeks? Days? Hours?

[katriina]

I have wondered that how long T spikes last usually when they come... I have had few loud spikes in my both ears that has lasted like 5-10 seconds... Are these "spikes"? Or does spike means that T volume increases like for an hour, day or longer and then calms down again?

 

[Stina]

I also have these oocasional louder sounds lasting for several seconds. However, from what I understand spike is when your tinnitus gets louder for a longer time and may or may not go away.

 

[Micky]

Hi im quite sure a typical Tinnitus spike can last for several hours or several days .. 5 or 10 seconds is definitely not a spike... Micky

 

[Markku]

I have wondered that how long T spikes last usually when they come... I have had few loud spikes in my both ears that has lasted like 5-10 seconds... Are these "spikes"? Or does spike means that T volume increases like for an hour, day or longer and then calms down again?

Based on your description it could be this.

I get those too.

 

[Sameer advani]

Hi. Got a very major t spike in both my ears. ....I was exercising to release my stress on the tread mill ... I walked on the treadmill for about 2 hrs as I was watched a movie ....could not hear the sound of the treadmill,a high frequency motor sound , as it was camouflaged by the sound of the movie ...I measured. The total sound it was about 80 db ...when I got off the tread mill I perceived a major spike in my t ...it's real loud haven't been able to sleep for a couple of days even with masking ...don't know what to do , is this spike temporary or do I have some additional high frequency hearing loss ...it's really bad can't live with it will have to rehabituate .... Hope the spike goes away but at the moment it seems unlikely some new damage may have happened ....will I have to wear ear plugs on the treadmill as well ...

 

[EatMoTacos]

How long does a spike usually last? Weeks? Months? Days? Hours?

Last time I had a really bad spike it only lasted for a couple of hours then went away, this was 5 years ago when it happened.

Since then my T was really quite and in the background. I had no problem falling asleep and take short naps during the day. I used to drink coffee on a regular basis and even alcohol with no issue of my T going crazy. I used to eat what I wanted and travel regularly in airplanes and helicopters for my job (of course wearing hearing protection all the time). For the past 5 years I have been so comfortable and happy until about 3 weeks ago I noticed a sudden increase of my T in my right and my whooshing in my left!!! WTF!!!!

Could this be my new base level of T now?

 

[Valentin]

yes it is at least for a while

 

[EatMoTacos]

how long was yours?

 

[Asian]

I have noticed that I get a spike a couple of hours after having Chinese cuisine and schezwan sauce...it lasts until I get a proper night's sleep and is usually quieter the next morning ..maybe it's because of MSG

 

[Luca]

1-30 seconds to 2 weeks for me. Anything goes

 

[Lisa88]

I have had a spike for 2-3 months - high pitch, that then went away.

 

[MikeA]

I had a "spike" early this year that tapered down noticeably over a period of about 3-4 months. Still a bit louder now than pre-spike, but not nearly as bothersome as it was a few months ago.

 

[Kathi]

You might be experiencing fleeting T. I get this quite frequently. I even get it in my right ear--where I don't have T. I used to get it in both ears even before my T set into my left ear. It lasts about 30 seconds. I think most people experience this and it does not effect my T at all once it passes.

 

[Sean]

Hi every one,

My burglar alarm went off and I was about 6-7 feet away from it for 7to 10 seconds. I have had a very very quite T from last few months. I was loving it! I evry rarely had to use white noise at night to sleep.
Now I hear this god damn T and I need white noise and also hear my T at work. Spike is not as loud as I had 2-3 years go after a concert, but its creating a panic and anxiety !! I really hate this feeling.
I would appreciate if you guys can advise me how long it will take for my T to go to baseline. I know tough thing to answer and I know deep down that T will subside and T volume is not that bad..but I am just super panicking!!

 

[Valentin]

few hours usually but the longest i had was around 48h. my brother experienced a spike that lasted for a week few month ago.

 

[Sean]

My spike won't subside ..this shit sucks !

 

[adam2525]

I think the 10 - 30 second tinnitus spike is called transient tinnitus. Even people without chronic tinnitus get that. So I don't consider that a spike. We all get that.

In answer to the question my spikes have lasted from a day up to three weeks.

 

[Garden Ring]

Until recently I thought that the 'spikes' everybody speaks about here is just a matter of your attitude, i.e. today I'm sad and grumpy, and I pay attention to my ringing a lot, tomorrow I am outdoors with my friends and never notice it.
However, a day ago I had an actual spike. I was at my friends' place, where I go very often, doing the usual stuff, having some beer, watching movies and chatting, when I noticed that my ringing is about twice as loud as usual. I tried to measure its level against some other sounds to make sure I'm not imagining it, and it really was audible in situations it never was before. It's safe to assume that I freaked out, but then tried to calm down and go to sleep. In the morning it was gone.

 

[Gabrielle]

I'm nearly 6 month's in with T.
A week is like this: 4 days spike (very loud ieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh).
2 days the sounds are lower.
1 day a week COMPLETE SILENCE.

I kept a journal but there is no pattern, i mean, like what i eat, drink, or had a good or bad sleep, or stress or relaxt... it all does not affect the T. It's lifving his own life.
But it's strange isn't it... one day a week complete silence......

Gabrielle

 

[MisterMystery]

I've had two spikes in recent memory - one when my friend's toddler entered that phase where kids shriek to get attention; the other just two days ago, though I'm not sure why - either from taking two Claritins at once or from typing with my neck bent. This spike is much worse than the last. Has anyone heard of a spike from having your head and neck in an awkward position?

 

[robinbird]

I have noticed that I get a spike a couple of hours after having Chinese cuisine and schezwan sauce...it lasts until I get a proper night's sleep and is usually quieter the next morning ..maybe it's because of MSG

Same thing happened to me when I had Chinese and red wine. This was about four weeks into having T. Thought my head was going to explode with pressure and noise. Drank two glasses of water and in a few hours it settled down.

 

[Rust]

My spike won't subside ..this shit sucks !

Did the spike ever subside, Mick?

I'm having the same issue after a car horn!

 

[linearb]

"spike" doesn't have any clinical meaning, and everyone's experience of tinnitus seems to be pretty different. So, I don't think there's a "right" definition.

Very short, loud increases in tinnitus which come out of nowhere and fade over 30-6000 seconds are called "fleeting tinnitus", and are very common, even among people with no chronic tinnitus. This is not what's generally meant by "spike", but, again, there's no right definition.

 

[socalsurfer]

I'm nearly 6 month's in with T.
A week is like this: 4 days spike (very loud ieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh).
2 days the sounds are lower.
1 day a week COMPLETE SILENCE.

I kept a journal but there is no pattern, i mean, like what i eat, drink, or had a good or bad sleep, or stress or relaxt... it all does not affect the T. It's lifving his own life.
But it's strange isn't it... one day a week complete silence......

Gabrielle

I am on my 4th month and have same pattern as yours. Did your T ever go away?

 

[ReyKalinic]

I'm nearly 6 month's in with T.
A week is like this: 4 days spike (very loud ieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee and ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhh).
2 days the sounds are lower.
1 day a week COMPLETE SILENCE.

I kept a journal but there is no pattern, i mean, like what i eat, drink, or had a good or bad sleep, or stress or relaxt... it all does not affect the T. It's lifving his own life.
But it's strange isn't it... one day a week complete silence......

Gabrielle

The same for me! Frustrating! :*

 

[Fleegle]

I would like to know what this forum considers a "spike". I avoid that word because it has no meaning or context.
My longest period for when my T is ON has been 10 days (and 9 OFF). Yes I have kept a record of each day - as well as other related statistics - for 2 years. I am finding correlation with some aspects of my life.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I avoid that word because it has no meaning or context.
My longest period for when my T is ON has been 10 days (and 9 OFF).

Most people's T is not as variable as your T. We hear a certain baseline level, and any fading is barely noticeable. A spike is any significant, noticeable change in volume or pitch that makes T harder to ignore...

 

[Fleegle]

Thanks @Bill Bauer this is exactly what I am trying to pursue. I think my T is one of many (two?) kinds brought about by non-damage related T (my theory). If I can just figure out why then maybe I can turn it off. When it is ON then I see the door to the most terrible place and feel so bad that I cannot do anything to try and solve it (I am barely functioning as a human being), and when OFF it is so quiet that I don't bother with trying to find the answer.
Another way: something is causing it and I am determined to find out why. Statistics don't help, unless I am trying to correlate with some other metric. And I don't have much to go on. I am willing to pursue any theory no matter how weird it may seem.

 

[Bill Bauer]

I am willing to pursue any theory no matter how weird it may seem.

You might want to try to find others whose T goes through these cycles. Over the past year, I remember reading posts by around 10 people who mentioned it.

 

[Highlands]

My tinnitus is spiking today and I'm trying to have a positive attitude. If it follows the same pattern then tomorrow will be a quiet day. Thinking of this helps me get through the day and evening. Why does it seem to get even louder later in the day? Maybe, because I'm tired. I'll do a session with mindfulness on YouTube that I found to help relax me. Even though I do feel sorta relaxed and not as uptight as I used to be.