Tinnitus Fades in Early Morning in Semi-Conscious State: Debunks the Damaged Hair Cells Theory

[Forever hopeful]

I remember when I was a child, like 7 years old, so no hearing damage, my dad left me in the car with all the windows up on the garage for a few minutes. The intense quiet let me hear tinnitus for the first time. It seemed to appear after about 15 seconds and was extremely slight hiss. When he opened the door it went away, never to return, until about 30 years later!

I believe it. They have actually done experiments where they put people who do not have tinnitus into a sound proofed room. And the majority of the test subjects started to experience tinnitus in the absence of any sound.

 

[MindOverMatter]

I believe it. They have actually done experiments where they put people who do not have tinnitus into a sound proofed room. And the majority of the test subjects started to experience tinnitus in the absence of any sound.

True. Everyone does.

In Norway there are only a couple of such totally soundproof rooms. Virtually every human being will hear themselves so to speak, and you would get really distressed of the silence after about half an hour.

This silence, and the sounds in your head that you pretty fast would get more and more aware of and distressed by, would make anyone go mental in TOTAL, absolute silence.

Humans came to this world with sounds surrounding them... we are not even born in silence... think about all the sound that's inside the womb.

 

[Stacken77]

I remember when I was a child, like 7 years old, so no hearing damage, my dad left me in the car with all the windows up on the garage for a few minutes. The intense quiet let me hear tinnitus for the first time. It seemed to appear after about 15 seconds and was extremely slight hiss. When he opened the door it went away, never to return, until about 30 years later!

I've had similar experiences before my real onset of tinnitus.

As a child, I always heard "something" in dead silence. It wasn't tonal, but more of a hiss. It would be very prominent right after a car ride when the car has stopped and there's just pure silence. I've discussed this phenomenon with many of my friends (who do not have tinnitus) and most have heard the same.

So I think almost everyone can hear a phantom sound in silence, but I guess shit really hits the fan when that becomes full blown TINNITUS™.

 

[star-affinity]

I've had similar experiences before my real onset of tinnitus.

As a child, I always heard "something" in dead silence. It wasn't tonal, but more of a hiss. It would be very prominent right after a car ride when the car has stopped and there's just pure silence. I've discussed this phenomenon with many of my friends (who do not have tinnitus) and most have heard the same.

So I think almost everyone can hear a phantom sound in silence, but I guess shit really hits the fan when that becomes full blown TINNITUS™.

Yeah, I tend to think of it kind of like the hiss coming from a pair of speakers connected to a powered on amplifier that's not playing anything – there is a slight hiss. Same thing with thee ears; they are always on and connected to an electrical pathway to the brain.

Not sure if it's a good analogy...

Anyway, I remember being in a really well sound proofed "box" when doing a hearing test in 2011 and I could eventually hear all kinds of sounds from within the body – a slight squeak from moving the joints in my neck and back, stomach making sounds, heartbeat etc.

Really interesting experience.

Now I think I would mostly just hear my tinnitus sounds.

 

[Stacken77]

Yeah, I tend to think of it kind of like the hiss coming from a pair of speakers connected to a powered on amplifier that's not playing anything – there is a slight hiss. Same thing with thee ears; they are always on and connected to an electrical pathway to the brain.

Not sure if it's a good analogy...

I think that's a great analogy. It almost seems like the same principle of Signal-to-noise ratio can be applied to tinnitus, which is interesting.

 

[Kriszti]

I don't know, maybe I was just one of the lucky few, but I used earplugs a lot, even during the night and I heard silence. Aside from the intermittent low hum and fleeting tinnitus, I never heard hissing or pure tones, not even after concerts, never.

 

[buttercake]

I believe it. They have actually done experiments where they put people who do not have tinnitus into a sound proofed room. And the majority of the test subjects started to experience tinnitus in the absence of any sound.

They have done it also with earplugs:

Reversible Induction of Phantom Auditory Sensations through Simulated Unilateral Hearing Loss

 

[Dimitrios]

I discussed this with my doctor as I also wake up in the middle of the night and enjoy 10 minutes of complete silence.

My doctor said (ENT), that probably there is a muscle that gets stressed when waking up amplifying my tinnitus.

 

[GoatSheep]

I don't know, maybe I was just one of the lucky few, but I used earplugs a lot, even during the night and I heard silence. Aside from the intermittent low hum and fleeting tinnitus, I never heard hissing or pure tones, not even after concerts, never.

Do you feel your low hum was related to wearing earplugs? Or you experienced this tinnitus for some other reason?

 

[Juan]

I don't know, maybe I was just one of the lucky few, but I used earplugs a lot, even during the night and I heard silence. Aside from the intermittent low hum and fleeting tinnitus, I never heard hissing or pure tones, not even after concerts, never.

Me neither... until severe hyperacusis started. And later on, tinnitus started.

 

[Juan]

Whatever state my brain is in during this semi-conscious state, it doesn't "pick up" the tinnitus. Anyone else notice this phenomenon? Theories?

It happens to me too. I do not hear tinnitus while I am awakening, in semi-conscious state, as you say.

My theory is this has to do with brain processing of sound, and also because our ears "search" for sound when we are conscious (not asleep or semi-conscious - waking up). So our brain would be like a computer that is loading some programs after starting...

 

[Rockman]

Same here. I wake up and there's almost no tinnitus. But as soon as I sit down and turn on the TV there it is.

 

[Kriszti]

Do you feel your low hum was related to wearing earplugs? Or you experienced this tinnitus for some other reason?

I don't know. I feel that my low hum could be middle ear related or Eustachian tube related. Maybe somehow blocking my ears very frequently could have contributed to it, or more importantly that I stupidly did some stuff that could impact the middle ear, like crying and blowing my nose with foam earplugs in. But I also have history of headphone use.

When it first started, I thought that it was caused by antibiotics (Nolicin), but it probably was just a coincidence. Since then I really cannot pinpoint a trigger, it comes and goes as it pleases.

 

[JamesAtMvertigo]

The hair cell death theory is a bit lazy, imho.

If you look at the smooth roll off patients with tinnitus who also have hearing loss, it's funny how it usually only affects the high frequencies? (Meniere's is a big caveat).

That's because it's an overall transfer functional loss, which could be down to many things.

If it was down to hair cell loss then it would not be so discriminate as to only affect HF?

Basically it's an overall drop in sensitivity on that peripheral. Should imagine the hairs are still there and desperate for news!

 

[Dimitrios]

I don't know. I feel that my low hum could be middle ear related or Eustachian tube related. Maybe somehow blocking my ears very frequently could have contributed to it, or more importantly that I stupidly did some stuff that could impact the middle ear, like crying and blowing my nose with foam earplugs in. But I also have history of headphone use.

When it first started, I thought that it was caused by antibiotics (Nolicin), but it probably was just a coincidence. Since then I really cannot pinpoint a trigger, it comes and goes as it pleases.

My tinnitus started with antibiotics (Amoxicillin) and a neck cold at the same time.