Poll: Which Ear Is Your Tinnitus Worse In?

[Damocles]

*this poll is for bilateral tinnitus sufferers only*

As the title asks, please share which ear of the two is host to the most intrusive tinnitus sound, and I'll explain why I ask after I've collected a satisfactory number of votes.

Many thanks for your participation in advance.

 

[Foamearplugssuck]

My right ear is worse, and it has more damage. My ear canal on that side is especially wonky, so it's impossible to get earplugs to fit. I even have difficulty with my custom ones at times. It sucks!

 

[Marshall]

I feel like they're equally bad in their own way. One I can hear everywhere and the other is more disturbing even though I can only hear it inside.

 

[Rockman]

Both plus in my head. Right ear more sensitive.

 

[DebInAustralia]

Head and ears.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Both ears are equal and in my head.

 

[UKBloke]

Left ear's worse.

 

[Steph1710]

Left is by far worse. More tones plus pulsatile tinnitus in that ear only. It was the first ear to get tinnitus. It did eventually spread to my right ear, but right ear has far fewer tones and isn't anywhere near as loud as the left. But, right ear has hyperacusis and left ear doesn't seem to be as sensitive. So strange.

Recently, I have also had a lot of head static - though, I don't mind that so much.

 

[TheDanishGirl]

Both ears are equally bad. I have head tinnitus and different, but equally bad tones in each ear.

 

[makeyourownluck]

Right ear is the worst. More hearing loss in that ear, louder tinnitus, and pulsatile tinnitus. My tinnitus is only in my ears.

 

[Stacken77]

Left ear is by far the worst. Was silent at onset but has grown past my right in loudness since last year.

 

[martinberryhorse]

Hard to tell, but my left will spike while the right doesn't, so I put left.

 

[Exit]

Damaged right ear is reactive...

Can't really get worse.

 

[Marshall]

Left is by far worse. More tones plus pulsatile tinnitus in that ear only. It was the first ear to get tinnitus. It did eventually spread to my right ear, but right ear has far fewer tones and isn't anywhere near as loud as the left. But, right ear has hyperacusis and left ear doesn't seem to be as sensitive. So strange.

Recently, I have also had a lot of head static - though, I don't mind that so much.

Static to me is almost calming. I used to always have white noise around me, so when I get static days I feel like I have my own personal white noise generators. Almost like it more than silence.

 

[ZFire]

Definitely left ear.

 

[Steph1710]

Static to me is almost calming. I used to always have white noise around me, so when I get static days I feel like I have my own personal white noise generators. Almost like it more than silence.

Yeah, I have always liked my static too. And I totally agree - it is calming. I'm the same. I always had to have some kind of background noise, and the static is kinda like that.

 

[Steph1710]

@Damocles, I really like this poll. It's so interesting to learn whose ears are worse/better etc. Thank you.

 

[emmalee]

Left ear for me for sure.

Fleeting tinnitus will give radio frequency in both, when it happens. Always an all over head buzz, though.

 

[martinberryhorse]

Static to me is almost calming. I used to always have white noise around me, so when I get static days I feel like I have my own personal white noise generators. Almost like it more than silence.

I'd cut off two fingers to have static instead of the ring.

 

[Steph1710]

I'd cut off two fingers to have static instead of the ring.

I think he has static as well as the ringing, like me. I have multiple tones and static too. The static in comparison is quite relaxing. Also, I would kill to have just my ringing back instead of an intermittent chirping sound. I guess it's all about perspective.

Hope you're okay.

 

[Tinniger]

Sorry, I did not read the big red font and immediately voted for the left ear. But am only affected on one side.

 

[Marshall]

I'd cut off two fingers to have static instead of the ring.

I get static like once a week and my mood is exceptionally better that day. I just have to avoid fans because white noise irritates it pretty bad.

 

[LilSass]

My right ear is worse in terms of damage. My tinnitus is bilateral (in my head) except when it is quiet, when I can tell that it is coming from my right ear. Mine is like static and is sometimes so quiet I don't notice it (1/3 of the time). The other 1/3 it is louder and annoying, and the remaining 1/3 of the time it is somewhere in between (I think I would prefer it if it was just like this all of the time so it would be easier to habituate and is fairly easy to mask, it changes volume from day to day - intermittent/variable).

I only get fleeting tinnitus in my right ear, and sometimes my right ear crackles a bit when certain frequencies are played, usually from the radio and sometimes from my own voice, oh and when my dog barks too loud, which luckily isn't too often.

 

[Damocles]

So, there's a part of me that feels it would be proper to let the poll stand at least a week before reaching a conclusion, but my instincts are telling me there'll only be a continuation of the current trend we're seeing; which is a greater prevalence of a sufferer's most distressing tinnitus sound appearing in the left ear of bilateral sufferers.

What that means, I don't know, but I was sure I had noticed this pattern emerging when reading accounts by people describing their tinnitus on profile posts, and when introducing themselves.

@Markku and @Hazel, this trend may already have been established as usable data (I'd expect something like this shows up on questionnaires when people apply to take part in trials), but in case it hasn't, I suppose it's an interesting piece of information that could be passed onto researchers that include in their studies the neurological aspect of tinnitus.

Also @Christiaan, as you correspond with Dr. De Ridder quite often (take-up of official Tinnitus Talk ambassador to the doctor pending), I thought you might mention this to him/ask him if it's something he had noticed before, next time you speak, as he fits the bill of researchers I was thinking of when I got to the end of that last paragraph.

 

[Hazel]

Hi @Damocles, I checked and you're right:

This was from our 2020 survey, with over 8,000 responses.

To give you the specific percentages:

• From the unilateral cases: 6.8% of people have tinnitus only in the right ear and 10.5% only in the left ear;
  
• From the bilateral cases: 11.7% have it mostly in the right ear and 16.4% mostly in the left ear.

In both cases, there's a clear, and I would say statistically significant, predominance of the left ear.

 

[Damocles]

Hi @Damocles, I checked and you're right:

View attachment 50087

This was from our 2020 survey, with over 8,000 responses.

To give you the specific percentages:

• From the unilateral cases: 6.8% of people have tinnitus only in the right ear and 10.5% only in the left ear;
  
• From the bilateral cases: 11.7% have it mostly in the right ear and 16.4% mostly in the left ear.

In both cases, there's a clear, and I would say statistically significant, predominance of the left ear.

That's amazing @Hazel; glad to see Tinnitus Talk/Hub keeping on top of these things and making nice bar graphs too!

As you say, there is definitely something to this; another piece of the jigsaw, but with no corresponding piece to pair it to (yet). I hope this changes soon and some mysteries are revealed.

In any case, thank you for sharing this and confirming my suspicions. ♥

 

[Hazel]

That's amazing @Hazel; glad to see Tinnitus Talk/Hub keeping on top of these things and making nice bar graphs too!

Thanks!

I think the effect might have something to do with the so-called 'right ear advantage' in hearing, but this definitely warrants some deeper digging. I've also emailed some researchers to ask whether this is a known effect or not and whether our data provides any leads for further research. I'll let you know if anything comes of it

 

[Johan001]

Just a random thought… Would it have to do with people being left/right handed?

I am right handed, my tinnitus is on the right, as well as in the head too. However, when I am using phone, I have always, subconsciously, used my left ear for calls.

 

[Steph1710]

I am right handed, my tinnitus is on the right, as well as in the head too. However, when I am using phone, I have always, subconsciously, used my left ear for calls.

I am right handed but my tinnitus is predominant in my left ear.

 

[Johan001]

I am right handed but my tinnitus is predominant in my left ear.

It may also have nothing to do with it, tinnitus is such an illogical thing...