- Jun 6, 2021
- 7
- Tinnitus Since
- mild since 2011, far worse since 01/2021
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Headphones
Hello, here is my tinnitus story.
I'm a computer nerd and I have been using headphones on daily basis to insulate myself from external noises. Noises are very tiresome and strain my ability to focus.
I heard tinnitus for the first time when I was a teenager. I had two computers in my room and I let them on during the night when sleeping. One day I felt I was tired of hearing the fans all the time so I turned them off at night. That was the first time I heard the high frequency tinnitus in both ears. I could only hear them at night and they were very faint so I habituated without any difficulty.
Six years later, while I was reading something with no noise around me or in the headphones, a new ringing appeared in my right ear and never went away. This one was of low frequency and still faint so I could only ear it in silent rooms. I also habituated.
A similar noise appeared in my left ear some time later, but I did not notice its appearance and was slightly less noisy.
In January of this year, I was in a very bad situation. I've had very high anxiety and depression for two months and didn't sleep more than 3 to 4 hours per night, even during weekends. One day while working, I did put my headphones' volume slightly louder at 20%, instead of the usual 10% to 15%. I suddenly became deaf in my left ear for something like 40 seconds. When my hearing came back I could hear a loud buzz in my left ear. A few minutes later a new loud ringing appeared in my right ear. I haven't use headphones since then.
In the evening when going to bed, sleeping was impossible, I could only hear the very loud tinnitus. They were so loud that the older ones took a lot of efforts to be able to hear them. I also noticed several new ringings in both ears. At this point I had at least 5 different tinnitus tones in each ear. I also felt pain in my ears. I wasn't able to do anything for days and seriously considered suicide.
I took a few days off and went to an ENT. He tested my hearing and found I lost almost 20 dB near the 4 kHz frequencies in both ears. He told me I had an 'acute auditory fatigue' and I must fix it with silence for a long time so it can come back to normal. He did nothing for the tinnitus, but I did not expect much because I knew there's almost nothing to be done. I only hoped it would get back to the faint tinnitus state I was used to.
Over the last months, some of the tinnitus disappeared and the loud ones became less loud. I can hear them during the day, it's annoying most of the time but manageable. Night time is still very difficult. I think I have around three tinnitus tones per ear. I still feel some pain from time to time but it's mostly gone. Using a tone generator I noticed I'm able to hear the frequencies I didn't hear anymore. Some signs of improvement, at least.
I also have two conditions that may be related:
- Vasomotor rhinitis (My ears are often blocked and I must empty my nose and do weird movements to equalize pressure).
- Mild visual snow.
Conclusion:
Never wear headphones. If you dislike neighbor noises, don't cover them, go live somewhere else. Throw away your job if you have to, your health is more important.
Things that have helped:
- Moving away from cities.
- Outdoor activities.
- Sun exposure.
- Spending time in nature.
I'm a computer nerd and I have been using headphones on daily basis to insulate myself from external noises. Noises are very tiresome and strain my ability to focus.
I heard tinnitus for the first time when I was a teenager. I had two computers in my room and I let them on during the night when sleeping. One day I felt I was tired of hearing the fans all the time so I turned them off at night. That was the first time I heard the high frequency tinnitus in both ears. I could only hear them at night and they were very faint so I habituated without any difficulty.
Six years later, while I was reading something with no noise around me or in the headphones, a new ringing appeared in my right ear and never went away. This one was of low frequency and still faint so I could only ear it in silent rooms. I also habituated.
A similar noise appeared in my left ear some time later, but I did not notice its appearance and was slightly less noisy.
In January of this year, I was in a very bad situation. I've had very high anxiety and depression for two months and didn't sleep more than 3 to 4 hours per night, even during weekends. One day while working, I did put my headphones' volume slightly louder at 20%, instead of the usual 10% to 15%. I suddenly became deaf in my left ear for something like 40 seconds. When my hearing came back I could hear a loud buzz in my left ear. A few minutes later a new loud ringing appeared in my right ear. I haven't use headphones since then.
In the evening when going to bed, sleeping was impossible, I could only hear the very loud tinnitus. They were so loud that the older ones took a lot of efforts to be able to hear them. I also noticed several new ringings in both ears. At this point I had at least 5 different tinnitus tones in each ear. I also felt pain in my ears. I wasn't able to do anything for days and seriously considered suicide.
I took a few days off and went to an ENT. He tested my hearing and found I lost almost 20 dB near the 4 kHz frequencies in both ears. He told me I had an 'acute auditory fatigue' and I must fix it with silence for a long time so it can come back to normal. He did nothing for the tinnitus, but I did not expect much because I knew there's almost nothing to be done. I only hoped it would get back to the faint tinnitus state I was used to.
Over the last months, some of the tinnitus disappeared and the loud ones became less loud. I can hear them during the day, it's annoying most of the time but manageable. Night time is still very difficult. I think I have around three tinnitus tones per ear. I still feel some pain from time to time but it's mostly gone. Using a tone generator I noticed I'm able to hear the frequencies I didn't hear anymore. Some signs of improvement, at least.
I also have two conditions that may be related:
- Vasomotor rhinitis (My ears are often blocked and I must empty my nose and do weird movements to equalize pressure).
- Mild visual snow.
Conclusion:
Never wear headphones. If you dislike neighbor noises, don't cover them, go live somewhere else. Throw away your job if you have to, your health is more important.
Things that have helped:
- Moving away from cities.
- Outdoor activities.
- Sun exposure.
- Spending time in nature.
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