Tinnitus for About 2-3 Months, Think It's Earplugs, Anyone Got Advice?

[Helgabje]

Hey guys
So I've been having this high pitched ringing in my right (mainly) ear for about 2-3 months now. It started with some high pitched ringing that came and went but then it has been constant. It's not very loud, I can hear it if i put a finger in my ear to block sounds, and when I go to sleep.

The thing is, I've been using earplugs for many ears, I had really loud neighbours and a snoring partner.

I have been to an ear doctor and had a hearing exam but he says it's probably stress, and told me to take it easy on the earplugs though he didn't say it was the cause.

I also asked another expert and he said that earplugs can not cause tinnitus.

Last night I put earplugs into my ears(not deep in the ear and the earplugs were soft) and then the ringing got louder and in both ears, and ringing more sometimes, really uncomfortable. It faded when I took the earplugs out.

Anyone who has any advice on this? Maybe the tinnitus will stop if i drop the earplugs completely, maybe my ears have just adjusted to the earplugs (silence) and need to "tune back in" if you know what I mean??

Thanks!

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum. Let's look for the positives. You probably have quite a mild form of tinnitus. It has been proved that most people have some level of tinnitus and when they go into totally sound proof room they can hear that but not when they are outside of it. So perhaps your earplugs are not the culprit of your T but that they do block out all outside sounds creating something like a sound proof environment which then cause you to hear your mild tinnitus. I have talked to quite a few young people who often use earphones listening to music. They say they can hear the 'eeeeee' when they go into a quiet environment. Many just take it as normal, a result of modern living using earphones. But of course there are some who can be adversely affected by using earphones and can develop intrusive T.

Try focus away from your T as much as you can so your brain will slowly ignore T when it doesn't consider it a threat. It may take a little time to train your brain to do so but your chance of doing it is way better than most members who have their T blasting 7/24 loud and sharp. Take good care. God bless.

 

[Helgabje]

Hi, thank you so much for the reply!
It's really nice to get a clear answer and an explanation that makes sense. I had a suspicion that the excessive earplug use wasn't good for the long term. It's going to be hard to stop the earplug usage but worth it if the T stops.
Warm Thanks.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Last night I put earplugs into my ears(not deep in the ear and the earplugs were soft) and then the ringing got louder and in both ears, and ringing more sometimes, really uncomfortable. It faded when I took the earplugs out.

Are you sure the ringing actually got louder, or was it just easier to hear once all of the other sounds were gone?

 

[Helgabje]

Hi, might be but the ringing changed, how can i explain hmmm (english is not my first language, sorry about that).. Its like there came loud ringing in one ear (like when you get random ringing that happens to everybody sometimes then fades after few seconds) and then it switched to the other ear, just back and forth, like the earplug was really messing with my ear.

 

[Dr. Jay Hobbs]

Hi Helgabje, I tend to agree:

So perhaps your earplugs are not the culprit of your T but that they do block out all outside sounds creating something like a sound proof environment...

So, we know that earplugs can cause tinnitus, when worn enough, and ear wax can also. But I don't think the decrease on outside sound overnight is sufficient to CAUSE your tinnitus, even though it makes it SOUND worse.

..then it switched to the other ear, just back and forth

When you have this rapid switching, I suspect "somatic modulation." I have several videos on this, but basically it means physical alterations to your body result in altered tinnitus. Ear plugs can have a secondary effect of messing with your TMJ. Try this: stick your finger in your ear, finger pad FORWARD, then open and close your mouth. Do you feel the movement? That's your TMJ! That's how close they are. That does not mean this is your problem, but it's worth considering. I have a video on how to determine if TMJD is your problem: