More Than 2 Years of Tinnitus — Noise Induced, Made Worse by Anxiety

[Marslum]

Hi guys,

My tinnitus started two years ago. First there was a feeling of fullness in my ears, the tinnitus began later. I also had hyperacusis for a while. I think it was caused by me listening to loud music but I'm not sure because I was under stress, had a messy sleep schedule, anxiety.
I think I handled it poorly.

Just used Ginkgo Biloba afterwards, didn't change anything.

It has started to bother me more again.

Could it be a cause of stress? Or is it always caused by hearing loss?

I went to two ENTs but no audiogram was done. One said my hearing didn't seem to be impacted and I should go to an orthopedist.

So I didn't have an audiogram done. I'm 25 now.

My tinnitus is not loud but still bothers me. When it started I had panic attacks because of it.

 

[Contrast]

My tinnitus started two years ago. First there was a feeling of fullness in my ears, the tinnitus began later. I also had hyperacusis for a while. I think it was caused by me listening to loud music but I'm not sure because I was under stress, had a messy sleep schedule, anxiety.

Anxiety doesn't cause hearing abnormalities. Dangerously loud noise does.

I went to two ENT but no audiogramm was done. One said my hearing didn't seem to be impacted and I should go to an orthopedist.

Hearing test were never designed for showing cochlear damage, they just make sure you have enough hearing to communicate in a 1on1 environment in a quiet room. The standard hearing test was made in the early 20th century long before science had an understanding on how the inner ear worked. Learn more about hidden hearing loss below.
https://hyperacusisfocus.org/innerear/#hiddenloss

 

[Marslum]

I thought as much.

 

[PeteJ]

There's lots of people who claim anxiety causes hearing loss and tinnitus.

It's really annoying to talk to those people. Tinnitus is mostly hearing loss related but some medications and OTC NSAIDs might contribute but probably aren't the main cause. Wearing headphones too often at a loud volume over time is more likely and can be harmful to hearing. But, anxiety alone? How? No one even explains the science of how that would. They get it in their head and they won't consider anything else.

 

[Striveon]

Perhaps TMJ issues??

 

[Marslum]

Perhaps TMJ issues??

I am not sure about that.
The sound gets worse when I put puressure on my jaw, but otherwise it is constant.

 

[Kah Povi]

Anxiety isn't the cause of tinnitus, but in my humble opinion it contributes to the persistence of tinnitus. People who are more likely to obsess and focus on the sound suffer more and can perceive it as louder. There are plenty of people with hearing loss who don't suffer from tinnitus or are not bothered by it. What's the difference? Amongst my five siblings we all have hearing loss, three of us have tinnitus that is bothersome, and one of us -- the one with the most severe hearing loss (from artillery fire in the military) says he noticed tinnitus for a short time once many years ago but it didn't last long. He is by far the most laid- back, least anxious and most loving of us. He's also literally a rocket scientist -- worked for the Jet Propulsion Lab sending probes to Mars.

My point is that there's a component of tinnitus (its persistence and loudness maybe) that's about anxiety and obsessive thinking. I think that the people who have tinnitus and don't notice it much are less anxious in general. I'm not one of those people -- yet.