Tinnitus Has Become Unbearable Because of Chewing?

Does anyone know if chewing something tough can cause damage to the ear and therefore worse tinnitus?

I ate some ground beef yesterday that was really chewy and now my tinnitus is at the worst level its ever been. I was already dealing with a spike so I'm worried that this could have damaged my hearing and caused some kind of hearing loss. My tinnitus is unbearable right now with multiple tones and louder than anything. I have pain in my ears and they're plugged. I am so desperate and I can't sleep. My ears click every time I swallow.

Is this just a spike or could this be permanent? And to make everything worse, I have new neighbors that are the neighbors from hell. They have made constant noise ever since they moved in.

 

I think (or I hope) you are just dealing with a spike but the stress of it along with your obnoxious neighbor is compounding the issue. I'm guessing you've dealt with spikes before so you know yourself way better then anyone here possibly could. Let's hope what your going through is temporary. And hopefully your neighbors will learn to STFU!

 

Eat softer foods for a while.

Cut food up more before putting it in your mouth.

Avoid crunchy food.

Limit chewing when eating.

Do not bite nails.

Do not do jaw exercises.

Do not rest chin on anything (like your hand).

Relax jaw as much as you can (like when watching TV).

 

Do you think harder or tough foods can cause damage to the ear and cause hearing loss? I was already in the middle of a spike from noise. I'm so upset with myself for eating something that wasn't soft. I'm terrified because it's never been this bad before.

 

I'm saying, avoid doing something that is making your tinnitus worse.

It is likely a somatic type tinnitus, caused by strenuous jaw movement.

 

No man, relax. Heisenberg says relax...

 

Many craniosacral therapists are trained to address TMJ and jaw issues. It might also be worth a visit to your dentist to make sure that your bite is even. And of course additional stress (neighbors from hell) could easily aggravate things.

Gentle massage, even using massage oil or sesame oil, of the face, jaw, scalp, behind the ears, mastoid process, neck, shoulders and such could help relieve some tension.

And I fully agree with @Jupiterman about avoiding difficult to chew foods.