Staying Home to Recover from Reactive Tinnitus — Not Sure If I’m Doing the Right Thing

[JLH]

Hi JLH,

Although it reads on your profile cause of tinnitus unknown, in most cases something is responsible for it. The most common cause is exposure to loud sounds. Typically, it is listening to audio through headphones, earbuds, headsets, AirPods, noise cancelling or bone conduction headphones without realising it. Other types of exposure to loud noise can cause it too.

For the moment I will assume your tinnitus is noise induced and therefore, it's not a good idea to be isolating yourself from normal everyday sounds, as this can result in the auditory system becoming more sensitive as you have found.

Tinnitus can cause a lot of stress and anxiety in the early stages and this needs to be managed, otherwise coping with it can be difficult. Stress makes tinnitus worse and tinnitus makes stress worse so it can become a vicious cycle. Some people try to push through this, preferring not to take medication but usually this isn't a good idea, because tinnitus is an integral part of our mental and emotional wellbeing and is quite capable of wearing down a person's resolve. St John's Wort is used to help control mild to moderate stress and takes time to work. Prescription antidepressant usually act quicker and are more effective at controlling a person's moods so they don't become too down by tinnitus and hyperacusis.

You are quite right, medication won't stop tinnitus but it can help to control it by acting as a safety net so you don't become too down. The less stressed a person is will have a positive impact on the tinnitus, by making one's perception of the noise less.

Please go to my started threads and print the articles mentioned below. Take your time and read them without skimming, this way you will absorb and retrain the information better than reading on your phone or computer screen.

Tinnitus, A Personal View, The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Tinnitus and the Negative Mindset, Acquiring a Positive Mindset, Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Hyperacusis, As I See It, New to Tinnitus, What to Do?

All the best,
Michael

Thanks Michael, yes I suspect my issues stem from AirPods use. I appreciate the advice.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Thanks Michael, yes I suspect my issues stem from AirPods use. I appreciate the advice.

Thank you for your comments @JLH. You are new to tinnitus and this is in your favour. I suggest you print and take your time to read my articles and refer to them often. This way you will have a better understanding of noise induced tinnitus. Give it time and keep away from all types of headphones and be careful of exposure to overly loud sounds. This does not mean to wear earplugs everywhere that you go or to be afraid of normal everyday sounds, as this will not help your recovery.

Use low level sound enrichment especially at night as explained in my posts.

All the best,
Michael