It Gets Better — I No Longer Obsess Over or Notice My Tinnitus Most of the Time

[Omar_M]

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

I'm very happy to finally write a success story of my own because there was a time I truly thought I was screwed. That it would never get better. Reading the success stories here really helped me through my worst days, so I hope I can do the same for someone else.

Remember: it does get better. Hang in there, and know you're not alone.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

 

[Furetto]

Thank you for the report. Many success stories often leave out crucial details, such as how loud the tinnitus was initially, whether it became quieter over time, and how long it took before noticeable improvements occurred. I appreciate your input!

 

[monnie]

I have tinnitus, but along with it, I also feel off balance. My neck feels tight, and I seem to hold myself rigid, constantly thinking I am going to fall because of the unsteadiness. It feels like I am walking on a trampoline.

Is there anyone else experiencing these same problems?

 

[Luman]

This is a very good success story. One thing to keep in mind is that movie theaters often play soundtracks at very high volumes, which can be risky even when wearing earplugs. For this reason, I only watch movies at home since my tinnitus began.

 

[Sven]

Spikes do happen, and as you say they tend to return to the baseline. However, there's still the possibility of your tinnitus worsening. I've experienced both.

Besides that, I'd say your post matches my experience of the last 25+ years of having tinnitus.

 

[Jupiterman]

It is always encouraging to read success stories. They give every sufferer a glimmer of hope.

Whenever I come across a success story, the first thing I do is click on the original poster's profile and read their early posts. I am particularly interested in understanding how severe their tinnitus was at the beginning, usually a few years back. This provides a complete before-and-after picture, allowing me to gauge the degree of their success.

May I suggest that readers of this thread do the same? Click on the original poster's profile and take a look.

You will find there is no "before."

In fact, their success story—which I admit I did not read—is their only post!

It feels like picking up a trophy without running the race.

I am sorry, but I need proof of their original tinnitus state before I can acknowledge their success.

 

[Mark F.]

I have tinnitus, but along with it, I also feel off balance. My neck feels tight, and I seem to hold myself rigid, constantly thinking I am going to fall because of the unsteadiness. It feels like I am walking on a trampoline.

Is there anyone else experiencing these same problems?

Your symptoms sound a bit like mild vertigo. I experienced something similar once. I felt dizzy and noticed I was walking more slowly and upright, trying to maintain my balance. When I visited my doctor, he discovered a ball of earwax in one of my ears. After flushing it out with water, I felt immediate relief. It might be a good idea to have a doctor check your ears.

 

[Omar_M]

It is always encouraging to read success stories. They give every sufferer a glimmer of hope.

Whenever I come across a success story, the first thing I do is click on the original poster's profile and read their early posts. I am particularly interested in understanding how severe their tinnitus was at the beginning, usually a few years back. This provides a complete before-and-after picture, allowing me to gauge the degree of their success.

May I suggest that readers of this thread do the same? Click on the original poster's profile and take a look.

You will find there is no "before."

In fact, their success story—which I admit I did not read—is their only post!

It feels like picking up a trophy without running the race.

I am sorry, but I need proof of their original tinnitus state before I can acknowledge their success.

This isn't your race to run, and there's no trophy. What I'm sharing is about my experience with tinnitus.

When I was at my worst moments with tinnitus, I saw no benefit in creating posts.

There were times I was very active in this community, but only as a reader—not as a contributor. I focused on absorbing other people's experiences rather than sharing my own.

I'm not going to apologize for not providing proof of my suffering. You'll simply have to take my word for it.

I have no intention of remaining active here, as I don't see much to gain. If you've read my post, you'll understand that I've reached a point where tinnitus is no longer the sole thing I'm fixated on.

 

[Tara Lyons]

I've had tinnitus for five years (so crazy), and I agree with this sentiment. I was a complete wreck—suicidal, depressed, and barely functioning for such a long time. But over time, I slowly reclaimed my life.

It gets better, either because it fades or because, after enough time, you finally adjust.

 

[jjflyman]

This isn't your race to run, and there's no trophy. What I'm sharing is about my experience with tinnitus.

When I was at my worst moments with tinnitus, I saw no benefit in creating posts.

There were times I was very active in this community, but only as a reader—not as a contributor. I focused on absorbing other people's experiences rather than sharing my own.

I'm not going to apologize for not providing proof of my suffering. You'll simply have to take my word for it.

I have no intention of remaining active here, as I don't see much to gain. If you've read my post, you'll understand that I've reached a point where tinnitus is no longer the sole thing I'm fixated on.

Thank you for coming back to share your story.

I experienced acoustic trauma about 20 years ago, and my tinnitus and hyperacusis were at a 10 out of 10. Over the next two years, they faded to near zero.

Since then, I have had several other noise-related incidents over the past 20 years—just the things that happen in life. My tinnitus has increased somewhat but remains mild. I also experience occasional spikes, some lasting for several months, but so far, they have always returned to a manageable level.

 

[GSC]

I have tinnitus, but along with it, I also feel off balance. My neck feels tight, and I seem to hold myself rigid, constantly thinking I am going to fall because of the unsteadiness. It feels like I am walking on a trampoline.

Is there anyone else experiencing these same problems?

Never experienced these symptoms, but do you have pulsatile tinnitus by chance?

 

[FellowSufferer]

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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.

I'm very happy to finally write a success story of my own because there was a time I truly thought I was screwed. That it would never get better. Reading the success stories here really helped me through my worst days, so I hope I can do the same for someone else.

Remember: it does get better. Hang in there, and know you're not alone.

Feel free to ask me any questions.

I'm glad to hear that you've truly habituated, and that's definitely a great point about protecting your hearing!

 

[Fazdoll]

I am sorry, but I need proof of their original tinnitus state before I can acknowledge their success.

I would modify this to say: I would like a description of the original tinnitus to better understand how much success there really was. Recovering from a mild case does not offer as much hope to sufferers as recovering from a severe case.

That said, all of these habituation stories sound awful, and habituation itself seems useless. 'Oh, it's just as loud as before, but I don't care about it anymore.' Nope—I want it GONE. (Though I know that will likely never happen.)

 

[MindOverMatter]

That said, all of these habituation stories sound awful, and habituation itself seems useless. 'Oh, it's just as loud as before, but I don't care about it anymore.' Nope—I want it GONE. (Though I know that will likely never happen.)

You can have this thought, but it's 100% counterintuitive when it comes to getting better, whether through habituation or any other approach.

Habituation is not awful at all. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

 

[MarcB]

@Jupiterman, what the hell is wrong with you? You're like some kind of "tinnitus troll". Get a life.Very weird.

@Omar_M, great post. I've recently posted too as I can remember what it was like at the beginning and thought it may be beneficial to let others know you can get through this

 

[mzrach03]

Thank you for coming back to share your story.

I experienced acoustic trauma about 20 years ago, and my tinnitus and hyperacusis were at a 10 out of 10. Over the next two years, they faded to near zero.

Since then, I have had several other noise-related incidents over the past 20 years—just the things that happen in life. My tinnitus has increased somewhat but remains mild. I also experience occasional spikes, some lasting for several months, but so far, they have always returned to a manageable level.

How long did your hyperacusis last? When were you able to attend social events again? I developed it a month ago, and bells, loud music, and loud conversations are painful. How long should I stay indoors?

 

[adrian rojas]

Thank you so much for this.

I have had tinnitus since April of last year due to acoustic trauma from a 9mm shot with no ear protection. For a while, I was doing great. Then, out of nowhere, it started coming back—all the stages of depression, the dark thoughts, the loudness. I guess you could say I had already habituated. I could be in a quiet room, and it was barely noticeable. But now, it has heightened and turned into an ugly hiss, like an old CRT TV.

I know it is back at the forefront of my mind, but I also know it is possible to get back to where I was—just like you said, with time. I work out almost every day, and that helps me a lot. Like you, I went through a full course with Treble Health, sound therapy, and CBT. I think it partially helped me habituate.

I know a lot of my current spike has to do with stress from work and exhaustion, but I have faith and hope that it will get better again.

Thank you for your post. You have no idea how much I needed to see this. I just saw @MarcB's post, which was similar to yours. Y'all don't know how much this helps me. I felt I was habituated, but I know I can get back there by just letting it be and not letting it haunt me.

Thank you—y'all are lifesavers. Hopefully, I can write my success story soon too, despite all these setbacks.

 

[Fazdoll]

@Jupiterman, what the hell is wrong with you? You're like some kind of "tinnitus troll". Get a life.Very weird.

Unfortunately, that's what we all want more than anything... to have a life. A life like everyone else. We're all in pain, and harsh words only make things worse.

 

[DamagedJoe]

That said, all of these habituation stories sound awful, and habituation itself seems useless. 'Oh, it's just as loud as before, but I don't care about it anymore.' Nope—I want it GONE. (Though I know that will likely never happen.)

I feel exactly the same.

 

[jjflyman]

How long did your hyperacusis last? When were you able to attend social events again? I developed it a month ago, and bells, loud music, and loud conversations are painful. How long should I stay indoors?

It took close to a year for my hyperacusis to go away completely, but I am still sensitive to certain sounds. My tinnitus and hyperacusis were catastrophic at first—very loud and piercing. Yours may not take that long to resolve.

It took nearly two years for my tinnitus to fade, but it did fade to zero. Since then, I have had two other traumas (just life stuff happens) that left me with mild tinnitus. I am currently experiencing a spike after a TV soundbar blasted too loud for five seconds.

You can attend social events as soon as you feel mentally ready, but I suggest wearing earplugs. Try to avoid loud environments until your ears have healed, which could take many months.

 

[delta784]

It took close to a year for my hyperacusis to go away completely, but I am still sensitive to certain sounds. My tinnitus and hyperacusis were catastrophic at first—very loud and piercing. Yours may not take that long to resolve.

It took nearly two years for my tinnitus to fade, but it did fade to zero. Since then, I have had two other traumas (just life stuff happens) that left me with mild tinnitus. I am currently experiencing a spike after a TV soundbar blasted too loud for five seconds.

You can attend social events as soon as you feel mentally ready, but I suggest wearing earplugs. Try to avoid loud environments until your ears have healed, which could take many months.

Was your tinnitus/hyperacusis noise or medicine induced?