I think it's been close to three years now since my noise-induced tinnitus began. I won't go into the specifics of how it happened, but basically, a loud, piercing noise was exposed directly to my right ear. For a long while, my tinnitus was all I could think about. I had many sleepless nights, and it led to some serious depression and anxiety. I honestly believed for a while I'd never have a normal life again.
But here I am today, living my life without obsessing over or even noticing my tinnitus most of the time. It's pretty wild to look back and see how far I've come.
Spikes Happen - Don't Panic
Spikes are going to happen. Every time I've had a spike (too many to count, really), it has always gone back to baseline. I used to feel so frustrated, stressed, and even mad at myself whenever I got a spike, thinking I should have been more careful or protected my ears better. Unfortunately, that stress just made things worse.
These days, if an unexpected noise triggers a spike, I'll let myself be annoyed for a moment—maybe a few seconds to a minute—and then I remind myself: "Hey, it's just a spike. It might be annoying for a while, but it'll settle back down soon enough." Sometimes spikes disappear in a few hours, sometimes in a few days, and occasionally, it's taken a month or more. But they've always returned to my usual baseline.
Managing Sleep
When my tinnitus is acting up, I use a white noise app on my phone, and setting it on my nightstand helps me fall asleep. If I'm in a good stretch (no recent spikes), I just go to bed without it.
Managing Stress
I went to two different ENTs and had the same experience many of you have had: they gave me a hearing test, said everything was fine, and basically just told me to wear earplugs whenever I'm in a loud place. It's not super helpful. It kind of blew my mind how limited the medical approach can be for ears and hearing. In a way, I get it. Hearing and tinnitus are so connected to the brain, and that's incredibly complex.
Anyway, I know I've got some level of hidden hearing loss and also deal with hyperacusis, but as far as my ENT or any other medical professional is concerned, there's not much they can do as of right now. I am optimistic for the future. In my opinion, the single best thing you can do is manage your stress. And yes, I realize that's easier said than done because, for most of us, tinnitus is the main source of stress, so trying not to stress about it feels impossible. But honestly, whatever you need to do—do it. Get out of the house, go on walks, hang with friends, seek professional help if you need to. Sometimes, all I could do was reach for a drink.
My Main Takeaways
Remember: it does get better. Hang in there, and know you're not alone.
Feel free to ask me any questions.
But here I am today, living my life without obsessing over or even noticing my tinnitus most of the time. It's pretty wild to look back and see how far I've come.
Spikes Happen - Don't Panic
Spikes are going to happen. Every time I've had a spike (too many to count, really), it has always gone back to baseline. I used to feel so frustrated, stressed, and even mad at myself whenever I got a spike, thinking I should have been more careful or protected my ears better. Unfortunately, that stress just made things worse.
These days, if an unexpected noise triggers a spike, I'll let myself be annoyed for a moment—maybe a few seconds to a minute—and then I remind myself: "Hey, it's just a spike. It might be annoying for a while, but it'll settle back down soon enough." Sometimes spikes disappear in a few hours, sometimes in a few days, and occasionally, it's taken a month or more. But they've always returned to my usual baseline.
Managing Sleep
When my tinnitus is acting up, I use a white noise app on my phone, and setting it on my nightstand helps me fall asleep. If I'm in a good stretch (no recent spikes), I just go to bed without it.
Managing Stress
I went to two different ENTs and had the same experience many of you have had: they gave me a hearing test, said everything was fine, and basically just told me to wear earplugs whenever I'm in a loud place. It's not super helpful. It kind of blew my mind how limited the medical approach can be for ears and hearing. In a way, I get it. Hearing and tinnitus are so connected to the brain, and that's incredibly complex.
Anyway, I know I've got some level of hidden hearing loss and also deal with hyperacusis, but as far as my ENT or any other medical professional is concerned, there's not much they can do as of right now. I am optimistic for the future. In my opinion, the single best thing you can do is manage your stress. And yes, I realize that's easier said than done because, for most of us, tinnitus is the main source of stress, so trying not to stress about it feels impossible. But honestly, whatever you need to do—do it. Get out of the house, go on walks, hang with friends, seek professional help if you need to. Sometimes, all I could do was reach for a drink.
My Main Takeaways
- Be patient. It might take months or even years for your brain to adapt. But I genuinely believe our brains are incredibly complex and can tune out tinnitus over time.
- Live your life. Don't let tinnitus stop you from seeing friends, going to movies, working out, or doing anything else that brings you joy. The more you engage in life, the less tinnitus will dominate your thoughts.
- Protect your hearing. If you're heading to a wedding, a concert, a bar, or any loud event, bring earplugs. It's a small step that can save you a lot of grief later.
Remember: it does get better. Hang in there, and know you're not alone.
Feel free to ask me any questions.
