Shower Causing a Temporary Tinnitus Spike?

[PugDog1]

Anyone else's tinnitus get temporarily louder for 10 or so mins after a shower?

My tinnitus doesn't react to noise and is from ETD/anemia (iron & B12) & enlarged adenoids (not sure if they contribute or not though).

My ETD is terrible at the minute as the kids in my class have given me their sniffles!

Hope everyone is doing well xx

 

[bobvann]

Actually shower reduces my perception no matter what.

 

[Michael B]

Typically one feels better during the shower as it helps mask high pitched tinnitus. Works for me. Possibly you have a particular sensitivity to the sounds. Luckily it doesn't last.

 

[Liza1989]

I get temporary spikes after showers. They aren't too bad and last 5-10 minutes. I also get them after a hot bath. The sound of the shower doesn't seem overly loud to me either, so I'm not sure what's causing it. I also have ETD.

 

[astaff14]

So sorry you're dealing with this! Has it always been like that for you?
For me my tinnitus always feels a little better after a shower.

 

[robinbird]

My tinnitus/pulsatile tinnitus always spikes after a shower for about 10 minutes. My theory is the hot water makes blood flow faster, making the sound louder. I have had this condition for five years. I believe it's coming from my neck. I have pulsatile tinnitus at night laying down in bed or sitting too long. May have something to do with the spine also. It's not from drugs or music. I listen to a hissing sound or rushing air 24/7. Recently I purchased bluetooth hearing aids. My life is so much better. They enable me to hear again, taking the spotlight off the tinnitus.

 

[DesertMama]

Showering always causes a temporary spike in my tinnitus. For me, I think it is the nature of the sound of the water as other similar sounds cause a temporary spike as well (like frying food in a skillet).

 

[MRItechssuck]

My tinnitus/pulsatile tinnitus always spikes after a shower for about 10 minutes. My theory is the hot water makes blood flow faster, making the sound louder. I have had this condition for five years. I believe it's coming from my neck. I have pulsatile tinnitus at night laying down in bed or sitting too long. May have something to do with the spine also. It's not from drugs or music. I listen to a hissing sound or rushing air 24/7. Recently I purchased bluetooth hearing aids. My life is so much better. They enable me to hear again, taking the spotlight off the tinnitus.

Test your theory, take a cold shower.

 

[robinbird]

I don't need a cold shower. Certain foods spike my t, pressure on my face does also. I'm 66 so I think it's blood flow. Drinking lots of water helps me. My t has a personality all its own. I understand its moods. But your suggestion is a good one.

 

[PugDog1]

Do you know I wondered about blood flow. I am considered anaemic (b12 & iron - in treatment for it). My tinnitus sometimes sounds like a CD spinning in a CD player (showing my age ha!) not sure what blood tinnitus sounds like though. I have pulsatile and the high eeee when it feels like it. Honestly there are so many things that COULD be causing my tinnitus that it seems like it would be better to just let it do its own thing and get on with life. When it's mild it's great but when my ETD/sinuses act up it's like a loud hoover in my head over everything >:|

 

[Shera]

Showers use to. Not so much anymore. I also can't hear my T in the shower any more so I think it correlates with some healing. I hope.

 

[PugDog1]

@astaff14 Yeah it's always been that way! It always goes down once I'm out. I'm guessing it's something to do with my ETD? Who knows !

 

[PugDog1]

@Shera That sounds positive for you! I'm not sure why mine does it to be honest, tinnitus is a strange thing!

 

[Shera]

@Shera That sounds positive for you! I'm not sure why mine does it to be honest, tinnitus is a strange thing!

I think it was because my ETD was way worse then. It's still bad, but it's calmed down enough that it doesn't react to a shower the same way. It took it about a year and a half.

 

[PugDog1]

@Shera ETD sucks so bad! They can't figure out what's causing mine, they put the camera up my nose and said my adenoids were huge (had tonsils out in 2018) but said they wouldn't cause ETD ! Might print out the NHS page and take it to my next appointment ha ha x

 

[Shera]

@Shera ETD sucks so bad! They can't figure out what's causing mine, they put the camera up my nose and said my adenoids were huge (had tonsils out in 2018) but said they wouldn't cause ETD ! Might print out the NHS page and take it to my next appointment ha ha x

My adenoids where and I quote "monstrous" and now that I take echinacea they're just huge. But they've always been that way and didn't give me ETD. My ETD was caused by a dislocated jaw.

 

[pinklights98]

Mine always spikes after the shower. Who knows why lol.

 

[Bill Bauer]

If your tinnitus spikes after a shower, there is a chance that your body is trying to tell you something. Consider replacing/supplementing your showers with baths (or at least wearing earplugs when you shower).

 

[PugDog1]

@Bill Bauer it happens even if I go in bath! Or if I get too hot like steam room for example!

 

[Bill Bauer]

@Bill Bauer it happens even if I go in bath! Or if I get too hot like steam room for example!

Strange...

 

[MichaelSF]

After a shower I have complete silence or drastic reduction anyone have an idea why?

 

[PeteJ]

Typically one feels better during the shower as it helps mask high pitched tinnitus. Works for me. Possibly you have a particular sensitivity to the sounds. Luckily it doesn't last.

It doesn't? Do people have different volume levels of showers. I am concerned about the volume of mine. Do those shower hoses with a shower head (i.e. hand held) offer the option of reducing the volume (of water flow/pressure noise)?

 

[PeteJ]

If your tinnitus spikes after a shower, there is a chance that your body is trying to tell you something. Consider replacing/supplementing your showers with baths (or at least wearing earplugs when you shower).

What kind of plugs? Are foam plugs okay to use? Swimmers' plugs are probably expensive.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Are foam plugs okay to use?

I had been using foam plugs and they had reduced the noise reaching my ears.

 

[Michael B]

It doesn't? Do people have different volume levels of showers. I am concerned about the volume of mine. Do those shower hoses with a shower head (i.e. hand held) offer the option of reducing the volume (of water flow/pressure noise)?

Sorry, I'm not suggesting a person's tinnitus is lowered while showering as much as it's masked.

 

[Mister Muso]

The sound of the shower water hitting the floor spikes my tinnitus. It's just the combination of volume and frequency for me. Easily solved by using earplugs, a lower setting or taking a bath instead.

I'm getting less "reactive" over time though.

 

[martinberryhorse]

Yes definitely, I have ETD/Inflamed tubes for 7.5 months now, and every time I shower it spikes and produces a loud buzzing sounds that overtakes the usual swirly hissing sound I hear all the time.

I just took a shower and put on noise cancelling headphones to listen and study how it reduces. Sure enough after about 10-15 minutes I begin to hear the buzzing fade into the background and the hissing comes forward again.

 

[B18c1vtech]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but you guys sound ridiculous! This is not some crazy phenomenon, tinnitus spikes after a shower because you are abruptly removing the masking sound when the water is shut off. This is extremely common, and is simply a fight or flight response. Tinnitus gets louder when it's perceived as a "bad thing", and your brain's fight or flight response actually turns up the auditory system's volume by a significant amount (this has been proven through MRI studies).

In short, tinnitus spikes after masking is not at all unusual, and I experience this myself. The key is to train your brain to stop perceiving tinnitus as "bad", and your brain will stop cranking the auditory system. I've experienced this first hand, and can send you some extremely useful videos that helped me if you want more info on this technique. Remember, the mind is VERY powerful.

 

[GBB]

Sorry to revive an old thread, but you guys sound ridiculous! This is not some crazy phenomenon, tinnitus spikes after a shower because you are abruptly removing the masking sound when the water is shut off. This is extremely common, and is simply a fight or flight response. Tinnitus gets louder when it's perceived as a "bad thing", and your brain's fight or flight response actually turns up the auditory system's volume by a significant amount (this has been proven through MRI studies).

In short, tinnitus spikes after masking is not at all unusual, and I experience this myself. The key is to train your brain to stop perceiving tinnitus as "bad", and your brain will stop cranking the auditory system. I've experienced this first hand, and can send you some extremely useful videos that helped me if you want more info on this technique. Remember, the mind is VERY powerful.

For me it actually spikes. Plenty of things are enough to spike my volume, so I can only take baths.

 

[Ben Winders]

...and can send you some extremely useful videos that helped me if you want more info on this technique. Remember, the mind is VERY powerful.

Sure - sharing videos that are extremely useful couldn't hurt anyone