Tinnitus from Headphones: Retreating to a Quieter Place Has Helped — Now Afraid of Going Back to a Noisy House

[Jimmy Rabbitte 9]

Hello all,

This is my first post, so I'll try to keep it brief. I'm almost three weeks into experiencing tinnitus, likely caused by overusing headphones, which I used constantly. I now have it in both ears.

I've read all the introductory articles here and am doing my best to stay positive.

For the first 15 days, I had severe insomnia. Typically, I'd get one night of intermittent 6-7 hours of sleep, followed by 2-3 nights of only 1-4 hours. I was a wreck.

However, since Friday, with the advice of my doctor and therapist, I started taking 1 mg of Ativan (I know it's not ideal). I also left my very noisy apartment, where my wife and I live, to stay at my parents' home an hour away, near my siblings.

This change has helped immensely. The medication plays a role, but having a quieter bedroom has been a huge factor too. I was able to get three full nights of sleep.

I'm now terrified to go back to my apartment, which has all kinds of noise—traffic from a busy street, neighbors moving around at odd hours, and my cats acting up whenever they feel like it.

I've worried my wife by telling her that I'm unsure if I can come back home. The insomnia was awful, and I know it could return. However, knowing I now have a quiet room to retreat to is a big relief in my recovery.

Any advice? This is a tough situation.

 

[Mark F.]

Insomnia, anxiety, nervous breakdowns, and panic attacks are common during the first few weeks or months. Be patient; things will likely calm down over time. It took me about five months before I started getting 7–8 hours of sleep each night. I also struggled with insomnia and broken sleep at first. Hang in there, and remember to protect your sensitive ears moving forward!

 

[Jupiterman]

I hope your wife is understanding of you and your condition.

Explain things as well as you can.

She will need to be patient.

 

[RunningMan]

I'm close to 3 years in on severe tinnitus and have Ativan 0.5 mg for anxiety. Since benzos build tolerance quickly, I avoid taking it most days, and I normally take it early in the morning on the occasions that I do use it. For sleep, I use Quviviq at bedtime and a piece of a Zolpidem pill (sublingual) overnight. I play thousands of cricket videos on my phone overnight with a pair of Bluetooth speakers to each side to provide balance, and I sleep on my back. With all that, I can get 5 to 6 hours of broken sleep most nights, but normally no more than 3 or 4 straight.

 

[Jimmy Rabbitte 9]

Thanks all! I have a strong support system and am following much of Mike Leigh's advice. I'm doing my best to educate my family, and thankfully, they are engaged and genuinely care. Not seeing my wife for stretches of time will be challenging until we find a solution, but I'm taking it one day at a time.

This will be a long journey. I hope each of you found some peace today.

 

[Jimmy Rabbitte 9]

Just a quick update and I need to vent a bit.

Overall, I would say my panic has subsided, and I am at least starting to habituate. However, sleep has been incredibly difficult.

My therapist and psychiatrist agreed on a dose of 15 mg Remeron (I know, I have read everything about it) and 1 mg Ativan as needed. After a day or two, I was able to sleep for an entire week, getting 6 to 8 hours a night. During that time, I even stopped working from home and returned to my noisy apartment (see my earlier post) for half the week without any problems.

But then something retriggered my poor sleep. Now, I am back to a cycle: two bad nights of sleep (2 to 5 hours, give or take), followed by one good night (6 to 8 hours). The cycle keeps repeating.

The Remeron has been great for anxiety, depression, and mood overall. I needed a new antidepressant anyway, but I am worried it is losing its effectiveness for inducing sleep. I really do not want to take Ativan on consecutive nights, but now I am paranoid that my body "knows" this and is playing a waiting game for that third night.

Okay, that is the negative part.

The good news is that the actual tinnitus, which is quite high pitched, has been manageable. Even on bad sleep days and especially on good ones, it has not been overwhelming. At night, it is obviously more noticeable because of the silence, but I am not freaking out as much. Most of the time, I can shift my focus to something else. I am fine in conversations, fine at work for the most part, and I even went out with my wife (wearing earplugs) and did normal things.

TL;DR:
Seven weeks in, and I still cannot get a handle on the lack of sleep. Has anyone else experienced this, adjusting okay to tinnitus but struggling with a mind and body that just will not settle for a full eight hours?

Sorry for the long post, hope it makes sense. I am really tired, lol. I hope you are all doing well!

 

[LukeYoung]

Just a quick update and I need to vent a bit.

Overall, I would say my panic has subsided, and I am at least starting to habituate. However, sleep has been incredibly difficult.

My therapist and psychiatrist agreed on a dose of 15 mg Remeron (I know, I have read everything about it) and 1 mg Ativan as needed. After a day or two, I was able to sleep for an entire week, getting 6 to 8 hours a night. During that time, I even stopped working from home and returned to my noisy apartment (see my earlier post) for half the week without any problems.

But then something retriggered my poor sleep. Now, I am back to a cycle: two bad nights of sleep (2 to 5 hours, give or take), followed by one good night (6 to 8 hours). The cycle keeps repeating.

The Remeron has been great for anxiety, depression, and mood overall. I needed a new antidepressant anyway, but I am worried it is losing its effectiveness for inducing sleep. I really do not want to take Ativan on consecutive nights, but now I am paranoid that my body "knows" this and is playing a waiting game for that third night.

Okay, that is the negative part.

The good news is that the actual tinnitus, which is quite high pitched, has been manageable. Even on bad sleep days and especially on good ones, it has not been overwhelming. At night, it is obviously more noticeable because of the silence, but I am not freaking out as much. Most of the time, I can shift my focus to something else. I am fine in conversations, fine at work for the most part, and I even went out with my wife (wearing earplugs) and did normal things.

TL;DR:
Seven weeks in, and I still cannot get a handle on the lack of sleep. Has anyone else experienced this, adjusting okay to tinnitus but struggling with a mind and body that just will not settle for a full eight hours?

Sorry for the long post, hope it makes sense. I am really tired, lol. I hope you are all doing well!

It took me months to fully regain the ability to sleep and get back to a somewhat normal schedule. I was fortunate to have the flexibility to sleep during the day whenever I finally passed out, as I was working night shifts at a local supermarket. I usually got home no later than 11 p.m.

Your sleep schedule will likely be disrupted for a while; it's a shock to the system. Once your brain begins to habituate more, you may find it easier to sleep.

Try to have a busy, physically active day or afternoon to tire yourself out. You might also consider using melatonin instead of other sleep aids that can cause dependency.

 

[Jimmy Rabbitte 9]

Thank you for the constructive help! It's tough to put a timeline on this, I guess. It's strange; sometimes being physically exhausted helps me sleep, but other times it doesn't.