Tinnitus for 8 Years (Fully Habituated): Now Suffering from a New Noise When Trying to Fall Asleep

[Jason Cohen]

As the title states, I've had tinnitus for 8 years. I'd say I had fully habituated. It didn't really bother me during the day and I had zero issues sleeping.

This new noise started about 1 week ago. The noise is somewhat low in volume but it cuts through my fan so I can hear it drone on and on. I don't hear this sound at all during the day. I also don't really even hear it when just lying in bed before trying to sleep, even with my ear close to my arm or pillow. It seems to start up right when I'm actively trying to fall asleep. I always turn onto my left side when going to sleep and that's when I'll hear the noise in my right ear. I'll sometimes hear it in my left ear, but it's mostly from the right. If I get out of bed and move around/use the bathroom, the noise will mostly disappear then start up again after laying down for some time.

I'm hoping that this isn't permanent, because it's seriously disrupting my sleep. Going the whole day feeling like I'll easily be able to sleep because my tinnitus feels normal during the day just for this new sound to pop up when trying to sleep is incredibly annoying. I'm hoping maybe it's just a spike that will go away after a few more weeks or possibly something else that can be fixed, but I don't even know where to start in finding out what's causing it.

 

[RunningMan]

A fan doesn't do anything to mask my tinnitus. I use a crickets/cicadas/katydids YouTube video at bedtime, which blends in more with the tinnitus so that I can sleep. It certainly doesn't mask it completely, but it helps me sleep some. So, you might need to find an alternative sound other than your fan.

 

[Benjaminbb]

I think in some ways you're extremely lucky it is just at that final moment of the day, which should be very easy to get used to if it is not loud. It is really about whether you're focusing on it. Anything new demands your attention.

If it makes you feel better, I have had different tones come and go in a similar way to what you mention, they may appear for a few nights here and there for a few months but they're always 1/2 out of 10 and seem to go away.

 

[Jason Cohen]

That does make me feel a little better. I actually tried what @RunningMan mentioned and used a crickets/cicadas/katydids video and it worked great. Didn't hear the new noise once last night and had the best sleep I've had since this started.

I forgot to mention in my original post that I normally use rain sounds along with a fan, and the video I used last night with just a fan on low masked my tinnitus completely which was better than the fan/rain sound combo I've been using for years.

I'd still like to believe this is just a spike and my tinnitus will return to baseline eventually. Just seems weird to me that my tinnitus would change for no reason after years, especially since I've been careful with my hearing since this all started.

 

[Jason Cohen]

Figured I would give an update even though it isn't necessarily a good one. The issue with me hearing the new tone from my left ear right when trying to fall asleep stopped after a few days. The new tone is still there and in both ears. It seems to fluctuate throughout the day. It's very reactive in my left ear, but my left ear has always been reactive.

So, while I can now fall asleep easily, I tend to hear the new tone above my masking sounds when I inevitably wake up in the middle of the night and it makes it very difficult to fall asleep again. It's very frustrating to go from 8+ years of stable tinnitus, no longer being bothered by my tinnitus and no issues with sleeping to feeling the way I felt when all of this first started.

For anyone reading this, I'd like to know if any of you have had a new tone (preferably bilateral) pop up after years of stable tinnitus that eventually went away after months?