Tinnitus Due to My Own Idiocy of Overusing 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.

 

Most folks here have done mistakes... you are not alone. Thanks for posting things that helped you. What medicines (if any) did you take for Vasomotor Rhinitis? And what technique did you use to equalize ear pressure (esp. if a person has ETD it might be tough to equalize)?

 

Many of us have been idiots, dead people too, I know a few, be happy you’re a recovering idiot

 

I took a decongestant for the nose but it was not very effective and made my less affected nostril bleed. I also took some antihistamine, but no effect aside from weight gain. I stopped using both of them. The last solution is apparently surgery.

To equalize pressure I usually try to blow air out when squeezing my nose, but it often doesn't work. Sometimes stretching the side that is blocked by bending the head makes it pop after some time. When nothing works I have to wait until it pops by itself.

 

Since I got loud tinnitus, I sometimes get few second spikes with noises different from the ones which are always there, and when it happens I feel like something is moving inside the ear. Do any of you know what it is?

I also noticed my ears completely lost the ability to feel rested. When I had mild tinnitus I was still able to feel rested when going to silent places.

 

Fleeting tinnitus is reported by lot of folks here. It's attributed to jaw or neck muscle issues.

Do you have earwax that might move around causing this?

 

Everyone experiences fleeting tinnitus and it's normal, I don't know where you got the somatic angle from.

 

Hi,

Whether you are using a laptop or desktop computer, if they are fitted with an internal fan and conventional hard disc that spins, my advice is to change to a computer that does not use an internal fan and has a solid state hard drive SSD fitted.

A lot of people that have noise induced tinnitus with or without hyperacusis, notice the tinnitus and hyperacusis are aggravated, when in close proximity to a computer that uses an internal fan and a hard disc that spins, due to the noise they generate. Some people have placed the computer base unit as far as 10ft away and still irritation is caused.

After my second noise trauma in 2008 my tinnitus drastically changed. More is explained in my thread: My Experience with Tinnitus, on my started threads. For years my computer base unit had to be placed in another room. I used an external monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse. My previous laptop used an internal fan and hard drive that spins. Using it for longer than 10 minutes my tinnitus would start to increase. Continuing past this point usually resulted in the ramping up of the tinnitus for days which was very distressing.

My new Laptop does not use an internal fan and is fitted with a SSD hard drive. I can use if for hours without a problem. Last year I contacted a PC builder and explained about my tinnitus. A very quiet fan was fitted and it has a SSD drive. The base unit is whisper quiet and just over 3ft from me and causes no problems. This wouldn't have been possible with my other PC.

You mentioned having some hearing loss when tested at ENT? If this is still the case, I suggest hearing aid(s) could help. If you have significant hearing impairment and this is not corrected with hearing aids, then it can make your tinnitus worse and oversensitivity to sound.

Your oversensitivity to sound seems to be hyperacusis and it's quite acute. One of the best treatments for this is wearing white noise generators and being under the care of an audiologist. This can help to desensitize your auditory system. It is not a quick fix and takes time. You can also try self help. Overusing hearing protection is not the answer nor is keeping away from normal everyday sounds. If this is continued there is a risk of lowering the loudness threshold of your auditory system, which will make it more sensitive to sound.

Try to slowly introduce yourself to sound. I do not mean masking as tinnitus should not be masked or covered up so that it can't be heard. The brain cannot habituate to tinnitus unless it can hear it. The answer is to use low level sound enrichment. There are various ways this can be applied. Please click on the link below and read my thread: Hyperacusis, As I See It.

I know what you are going through can be uncomfortable and at times distressing but don't give up, as there is a way forward. Try some of my suggestions and give it time.

All the best,
Michael

Hyperacusis, As I See It | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

Hi Michael,

I already have an high-end computer I assembled myself and I set up the fans so that they activate only when under load, the computer makes no noise 98% of the time.

Noise discomfort from fans started a few years ago. I remember having no discomfort the years prior, maybe this is hyperacusis but it was far from being intolerable until the recent trauma.

The hearing loss the ENT measured is of 20 ddBb at around 4000 Hz. If I recall right it's not event in the mild range, and has likely got better since the trauma. I do think I have hearing loss in the very high range. I don't know why ENTs don't test beyond the 8 kHz range, and when I tried myself I can hear clearly until 14300 Hz in my left ear and up to 17500 Hz in my right ear. I guess at my age (27) I should have no issue hearing until 18000 Hz. I have no problem hearing people talking even in a noisy environment, I'm not sure I would need hearing aids.

I don't use protection unless someone makes very annoying noises. I can still go outside without any issue. Many sounds cause discomfort but not all. Maybe I do have light hyperacusis but if I had the real deal I think I wouldn't be able to go outside. The pain I feel (not the discomfort) doesn't seem to react to noise, it's more like a constant nerve inflammation.

The real issue is the many new tinnitus tones that don't seem to get better. I was quite habituated to my old tinnitus.

Thank you for your answer, I will check your thread.

 

Hi MissYouSilence.

Thank you for the additional information. Please read the following posts that are on my started threads: New to Tinnitus, What to Do? The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Tinnitus, A Personal View.

Take your time and read them. If you have a printer, print them and refer them often. This will help to reinforce positive thinking.

Give it time and use low level sound enrichment. This is very important.

All the best.
Michael