Tinnitus Momentarily Disappears When About to Fall Asleep

[LMTB03]

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced something similar to what I have noticed a few times before. Over the past couple of years, while dealing with my tinnitus, one thing stands out to me the most. When I am tired and about to doze off, for a split second, my tinnitus completely fades or disappears altogether.

The thing is, this happens very rarely. When it does, I notice it immediately. Of course, this makes me more alert because I realize my tinnitus is gone, but as soon as I become aware of it, the tinnitus comes right back. However, when it returns, it sometimes feels slightly improved, although it eventually goes back to its usual state.

This phenomenon happens right as I am about to fall asleep. Sometimes, it even occurs more than once in the same session of trying to fall asleep. It is incredible to hear silence again, even if only briefly. The main point I want to get across is: Has anyone else experienced this, or is it just me?

I know this was a bit difficult to explain clearly, so please let me know if you would like me to clarify anything.

I would love to hear your thoughts!

 

[Matchbox]

In the very beginning it would fade out as I went to bed. Like for the first month.

The only time I might not hear it is on the cusp of sleep, where my brain turns "off" but that's a pretty brief moment in time.

And sometimes that's where I'll get exploding head syndrome instead.

 

[AfroSnowman]

Yup exact same thing. It used to happen to me real consistently now it seems like a rarer occurrence. I try to hold that silence 1 second, 2 seconds, and then it slips through my mental fingers.

 

[twa]

@LMTB03, I have just the opposite. When I wake up for a few seconds I don't hear it or it's very faint and then it starts up as I become more awake.

 

[Stacken77]

Definitely. I experience this very often. When I hear that my tinnitus cuts out, I know that I'm about to fall asleep, so it's always a nice reminder to me that sleep is still possible despite this cacophony.

I believe it has to do with the brain disconnecting the senses from our consciousness as we fall asleep. We can literally hear this happening when the tinnitus goes silent.

And sometimes that's where I'll get exploding head syndrome instead.

I remember truly experiencing exploding head syndrome one time, it was rather horrific as the tinnitus increased progressively for a few seconds, thought my head would explode. Nowadays, what happens sometimes is, my brain cuts out the tinnitus as above, and I hear a small noise, maybe just my tummy rumbling or something, and it makes the tinnitus come back in a violent zap so I wake up - really obnoxious stuff! I think my hyperacusis is why I'm hyper-sensitive to such small noises, because it didn't happen before my major hyperacusis setback in March.

 

[ATCLoki]

Hi all, this is my first post.

I have had very high-pitched tinnitus for as long as I can remember. Six days ago, a pyrotechnic explosion at a magic show caused significant damage to my left ear. Along with noticeable high-frequency hearing loss on that side, I have been experiencing much stronger tinnitus symptoms in the same ear.

A few nights in, I noticed a strange fading effect. I had woken up briefly during the night, and after a few seconds, the tinnitus returned, loud and intrusive in the quiet. As I forced my eyes closed and began to feel the heaviness of sleep taking over, I realized something unusual. As my eyelids grew heavier and stayed shut, the conscious part of my brain noticed the tinnitus volume dropping significantly. Within seconds, the noise smoothly faded and became remarkably quiet.

This surprised me, and the effect seemed to stall or waver as I became more aware of it. Still, I managed to hold onto the feeling of sleepiness, and the tinnitus reduced further, almost to zero. Unfortunately, I think reaching complete silence coincides with falling asleep, so I do not recall ever getting to total quiet. Still, it was the closest I have come to silence in a long time.

When I wake up, I also seem to have a precious second or two without the noise. However, in these cases, it feels more like the tinnitus is already there, and my brain is just becoming aware of it.

I have read some research about slow wave brain activity during sleep and its connection to tinnitus. This effect seems fascinating. Could it be harnessed for temporary relief during wakeful hours when it could be more appreciated? Could inducing such a state for a certain amount of time help calm the hyperactive part of the brain responsible for tinnitus, offering longer-lasting relief?

It might be wishful thinking, but perhaps it is not entirely without merit.