Questions for the Experienced: Does Tinnitus Improve or Increase with Time?

[Tom88]

So, I have some questions on which I read a lot of different answers in different topics. I'm curious about your experiences. I have noise induced ringing, which brings up a lot of anxiety. I can cope, for now, but am afraid it will get worse in the future.

1. I've read that tinnitus can gradually reduce over time. By how much did it reduce for the you, was the reduction continuous and how long did it take? I've read the threads with researches on T completely disappearing as time passes, however this forum still seems to have a lot of active users which are suffering for many years now.

2. As we age, hearing will get less. My mother does not hear very well (TV is turned up to an annoying level), but does not have any signs of tinnitus. My girlfriend hears less than me as well (or at least I can hear higher frequencies). Will tinnitus get worse as we age and as hearing capacity decreases, if we already have tinnitus now? Or is there no influence (except for new exposure to loud noise, worsening the condition)?

Thank you all.

 

[glynis]

It's a hard question to answer as we are all so different-
Hormones
Ear disease
Virus
Hearingloss
In the family
Anxiety/stress levels
Environment
Just a few reasons listed above.
Tinnitus over time can settle for some people and how we react to it and enjoy life as normal.
Some need hearing aids etc.

All I can say is try not worry about the future as all that can change at any time but try to push extra hard to be happy and if don't feel like doing anything set your self a simple task.
eg put the kettle on and go round with the duster and relax with a cuppa.
Keep pushing yourself and not dwell on your sound .
It's hard but try keep going .
Love glynis x

 

[Bill Bauer]

For many people there is a gradual continuous improvement until 6-12-24 months after onset they can hear their T only in quiet places. Having said this, getting secondary acoustic traumas or taking ototoxic medication could make T louder, and sometimes these spikes are permanent.

 

[Greg Clarke]

I have had it for 12 years. First 8 were no problem but I had an increase in 2014 that I can't explain, have since habituated.

Just to put it out there, most people here would have experienced a worsening of the effect, not truely indicative of what happens.

 

[Tinniger]

I have the following problem with answering the question: Tinnitus and tinnitus are not the same thing.

 

[Andrei90]

So, I have some questions on which I read a lot of different answers in different topics. I'm curious about your experiences. I have noise induced ringing, which brings up a lot of anxiety. I can cope, for now, but am afraid it will get worse in the future.

1. I've read that tinnitus can gradually reduce over time. By how much did it reduce for the you, was the reduction continuous and how long did it take? I've read the threads with researches on T completely disappearing as time passes, however this forum still seems to have a lot of active users which are suffering for many years now.

2. As we age, hearing will get less. My mother does not hear very well (TV is turned up to an annoying level), but does not have any signs of tinnitus. My girlfriend hears less than me as well (or at least I can hear higher frequencies). Will tinnitus get worse as we age and as hearing capacity decreases, if we already have tinnitus now? Or is there no influence (except for new exposure to loud noise, worsening the condition)?

Thank you all.

Depends how you acquired your condition. The general rule is that if you have hearing loss along with T, you're more likely to be stuck with it. The worst cases seem to be those that experienced gradual build up of noise damage. There's no chance of temporary shift here as opposed to say something that happened suddenly. I belong to this group and I already know I'm beyond screwed. When people speak of habituation, I'm pretty sure they refer to what I was experiencing when my T was a lot less louder. It was easy to tune out which is why I never took it seriously until it was too late. What I have now is impossible to ignore completely.

It lead to stress and anxiety which have destroyed my sleeping. Without any medication I get maybe an hour of unrefreshing sleep. I take ambien which gives me 4 at most which is my new normal now. Memory and cognitive abilities have fallen off a cliff. I suggest you drop concerts, headphones, and anything else involving loud sounds. You don't not want to reach this state ever. Take care.

 

[Lorac]

@Tom88 ,
I have suffered with T and H for nearly five years now and I don't have any real expectation that I will not be suffering twenty years from now (unless a cure emerges). That being said, I do not suffer to the same degree as I did initially. I visit the forum to remind myself that I am not alone with this, to keep up on research, to prop up the new people some. I do not visit the forum often. I still feel and hear tinnitus every day and I have had to adjust my life to accommodate it but I do not suffer any anxiety at this point, and very little depression.
I know there are some members who have experienced tinnitus increases over the years but there are also many members who seem to disappear from the forum after a year or two. I like to think that many of those mia members have either had a reduction in tinnitus or have managed to habituate somewhat. I cannot predict your future with tinnitus but I hope that you will be in a much better frame of mind by this time next year.

 

[fishbone]

As someone that has been living with tinnitus for over 30 years, I can tell you that tinnitus is not predictable. It can either stay the same or increase. You can do your best to maintain the baseline, but it can still increase.

You can avoid loud places and do your best, but it can still increase. Tinnitus is not always caused by loud sounds, so other factors can come into play. Do your best to live your life and don't dwell on whether it's going to get louder or not. Protect your ears but don't go overboard like some do and don't limit your life either...

Whether the tinnitus increases or not, people still live their lives.

 

[volsung37]

I have had loud tinnitus for over 2 years now. I have a loud him in my right ear along with loud high pitch hissing and varied tones. Last year there were periods when it seemed to be manageable but this year it is pretty bad. I still work and travel. The nights are the worst. You ask does it get better. I think you are asking a skewed audience here. When people get better I think they leave this forum behind and try to forget they ever had this condition. Very few will post or even visit the site.