Tinnitus from Excessive Headphone Use: Improving!

I have tinnitus caused by excessive headphone use since November 2022. Fortunately, my hearing is 100% healthy with no hearing loss, but for several months, I've had a very bothersome and difficult-to-mask tinnitus. In the early months, I could hear it despite using very loud white noise, but as the months passed, it reduced more and eventually stabilized (with both positive and negative moments) at around 23-25 dB of maskability (I've never found a quieter place than 17 dB, meaning I have very mild tinnitus).

In the last two months, I've developed a new ability (I'm not sure what it is, perhaps habituation). When I go to sleep, even in complete silence, within a few minutes, my brain manages to filter out the tinnitus completely to the point that I no longer hear it. In fact, I no longer use white noise generators.

I hope to continue improving, although I've just passed the one-year mark. My only concern is that I'm only 22 years old, and I'm worried about how tinnitus might change over the next 50 years, which is causing me anxiety.

 

You seem to be making good progress @Anuar Lukios. Although you are able to go to sleep in complete silence, it's not something I recommend. It is much better to use low-level sound enrichment by placing a sound machine by your bedside. More about this is covered in my posts: New to Tinnitus, What to Do? which you will find on my started threads.

I advise that you no longer listen to audio through any type of headphones, even at low volume.

All the best,
Michael

 

So happy for you. I hope your tinnitus keeps improving.

Instead of thinking about how your tinnitus may change over the next 50 years, protect your ears from dangerous noise i.e. concerts , ... and think about how treatments will change over the next 10-20 years and how we may have a cure.

Best of luck.

 

Thank you for the advice. In reality, it was a gradual process... for about 8 months, I always slept with sound enrichment. Then I went to work in a tourist village, and to not disturb my colleagues, I started sleeping without anything... luckily it was summer, and there were fans that completely masked the tinnitus. When I returned home after 3 months of work, I forgot to use sound enrichment, but I noticed that my brain could completely filter out the tinnitus within a few minutes, and from that moment on, I haven't used anything anymore.

Thank you! I wish you all the best as well!

I am very confident in the research, and I'm sure that within 15 years, most or all of us will have effective treatments!

I've always protected my ears since I got tinnitus, even though I generally haven't frequented noisy places.

 

Over 20 years ago, my tinnitus used to be mild like yours. But it just got worse slowly over time and then made some more sudden jumps in intensity about 2 years ago.

Protect your ears.

Hopefully we will have some treatments widely available in the next 2 to 3 years, like the Auricle device.

 

Didn't they say it was "almost ready for commercial release" two years ago?

 

Yes. Things are moving very slowly. Maybe I'm being too optimistic.

 

Praise God!

Yes, take care of your ears and avoid medication if possible!

Happy for you!

 

It's pretty much the main topic on the New University of Michigan Tinnitus Discovery. There is no precise news on when it will be released, although the studies are finished, and therefore there is a bit of general panic lately... with some thinking it will be released within 6 months and others within 2 years.

Thanks for the support and advice. Good luck with your tinnitus.

Thank you! Fortunately or unfortunately, where I live the use of psychotropic drugs and antidepressants is not widespread, doctors rarely prescribe them. I've noticed that it's much easier to access some medications in the US than in other countries.

 

Did you protect your hearing all those 20 years? Did you stop going to loud places like parties, concerts or the cinema during all those years?

 

I protected some but not enough during most of those 20 or so years. Many loud environments and exposures. No concerts and just one cinema, though. I have protected much better in the last 22 months.