Hi all,
I am new to the tinnitus world after making the mistake of trying Wim Hof breathing to help with insomnia (boy, did that backfire). The exercise left me with moderate high pitched tinnitus and ear fullness in my left ear. I have been struggling for the last few weeks, as a back injury has limited my activity, leaving me mostly housebound for a few months.
Last night, I had some friends over for a round of tabletop roleplaying and was drinking while we played, about seven drinks over six hours. Right before bed, I noticed a very loud new ringing in my right ear, which had been unaffected until now. The noise leveled off in less than 20 minutes, but when I woke up this morning, I noticed a low level of ringing persisting in that ear. My Eustachian tube also feels slightly blocked, which was not an issue before.
I was a pretty heavy drinker before my tinnitus started, regularly having five or more drinks a night about five times a week, and I never had any ear issues, whether drinking or taking breaks. Since the ringing started, I have mostly avoided alcohol, only drinking on two nights over the last three weeks, and I did not notice any issues on those occasions.
Does this sound like a normal spike that has a good chance of settling down, or could I have somehow injured my other ear? I am worried because this does not just feel like a change in perception. It seems like I am experiencing new sounds and symptoms in a new place. From what I have read, alcohol mainly affects perception or withdrawal symptoms rather than causing sudden new symptoms like this.
Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
I am new to the tinnitus world after making the mistake of trying Wim Hof breathing to help with insomnia (boy, did that backfire). The exercise left me with moderate high pitched tinnitus and ear fullness in my left ear. I have been struggling for the last few weeks, as a back injury has limited my activity, leaving me mostly housebound for a few months.
Last night, I had some friends over for a round of tabletop roleplaying and was drinking while we played, about seven drinks over six hours. Right before bed, I noticed a very loud new ringing in my right ear, which had been unaffected until now. The noise leveled off in less than 20 minutes, but when I woke up this morning, I noticed a low level of ringing persisting in that ear. My Eustachian tube also feels slightly blocked, which was not an issue before.
I was a pretty heavy drinker before my tinnitus started, regularly having five or more drinks a night about five times a week, and I never had any ear issues, whether drinking or taking breaks. Since the ringing started, I have mostly avoided alcohol, only drinking on two nights over the last three weeks, and I did not notice any issues on those occasions.
Does this sound like a normal spike that has a good chance of settling down, or could I have somehow injured my other ear? I am worried because this does not just feel like a change in perception. It seems like I am experiencing new sounds and symptoms in a new place. From what I have read, alcohol mainly affects perception or withdrawal symptoms rather than causing sudden new symptoms like this.
Any insights would be greatly appreciated.
