Tinnitus for 3+ Weeks, It Started After Waking Up — The Day Before I Was Really Stressed

Hi all,

Finally decided to post here as I am lost and I am not sure what to do next rather than spiraling in this distress. I was really stressed on that day last month and went off to sleep around 3:00 am. Got up with a clogged right ear and high pitched ringing in my right ear. I went to an ENT and Audiologist (2 separate ones) and found no hearing loss (both did hearing and other tests). Ear canal picture came clean as well. I still have the ringing and it has been almost 4 weeks now.

Has anyone had the same experience? What should be the next thing to look for? Is there a chance this will stop?

Any help is appreciated.

Regards
Aravind

 

Welcome to the forum. You are never alone here. We understand your struggle as most of us were where you are. My tinnitus also started one night upon waking up after a period of high stress and anxiety due to some financial setback. But it could have been due to fixing a faulty fire alarm or having some problem with barotrauma in a flight a week before my tinnitus started. Or it could be a combination of them.

The initial struggle with tinnitus is always tough for anybody because the body is facing this new and alien sensation which can't be shaken off nor treated. When we feel stuck, trapped, and when there seems to be no available medical solution, then stress and anxiety build up to a point the limbic system takes over, and we function in fight or flight mode, making any irritation from tinnitus much worse and the brain zooms in on tinnitus all day. Also the brain may be flooded with many distorted thoughts called cognitive distortions, and very often the brain is fooled into believing that living with tinnitus for life is a total catastrophe. Hence the immense mental sufferings, many even have suicidal ideations.

Try do something active to help yourself, such as masking tinnitus, living & enjoying life again as much as possible. Taking on a new hobby will help distract the brain from paying attention to tinnitus all the time. It will take some time but tinnitus is not an end game and good days will be back. I was in a mess initially with ultra high pitch dog whistle tinnitus. I also had severe hyperacusis, which caused all noises too loud and piercingly hurtful. Worst, I had relentless anxiety and panic attack from tinnitus & hyperacusis due to prior condition of anxiety and panic disorder. The sufferings were so bad that I thought I never would have good life again nor even to survive for long. But never say never. I am back to living a normal and absolutely enjoyable life. I wrote my success story and listed some important points helpful to my recovery. Here is my success story if you have time to read it. Take care and God bless.


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/thread...w-i-recovered-from-tinnitus-hyperacusis.3148/

 

I posted a couple of days back on my tinnitus, long story short 1 month and 2 weeks into my tinnitus.

I am having a weird experience, 3 days back it reduced to a level where it is noticeable but not that much as any other time and then again for last 2 days it was really noticeable (high). Now today morning, it is again reduced to some extend (I think at least so). I started hearing a small hiss in my left ear too although in the beginning it was only my right ear.

As I said in my first post, I had 2 hearing tests, one with an ENT and one with an Audiologist and both came out with no hearing loss, so the cause is unknown (I attribute to stress may be). This thing is freaking me out.

Anyone has any insights what am going through? Since it has been almost a month and 2 weeks I really don't know if this will ever go away. Any support is appreciated.

 

There are some other causes beyond acoustic trauma. TMD/TMJ disorder. Somatic i.e., problems with posture and the cervical spine. This does require other testing. You would probably know it if it was TMD/TMJ because this can be incredibly painful and make it difficult even to eat, and you might hear clicking and gravel noises in one or both ears when you slide your jaw back and forth or open/close your mouth.

As for posture/cervical spine or injury from lifting-induced tinnitus, this is something I'm exploring myself, as I was lifting a heavy load of weights in the 2-3 weeks prior to my tinnitus getting worse. Now upper back/cervical spine/neck are so sore and uncomfortable I'm looking up head and neck specialists, it's been hard to sleep.

I hope you are OK. You're not alone in how you're feeling. I've been dealing with these issues overall for a year and a half and it's so exhausting at times. I did see relief from using a guard but now it's obvious my TMD is progressing. I have no idea why... I've decided to see a neurologist for Botox.