- Jan 20, 2025
- 7
- Tinnitus Since
- 07/2009
- Cause of Tinnitus
- Loud Music Exposure
Hi all!
I'm opening this thread because I wanted a place to track my (positive) progress on this journey. I also thought that maybe someone might find these insights interesting or helpful.
Quick Presentation:
As strange as it sounds, I developed tinnitus right after my 18th birthday when I learned it existed. I had spent years blasting poor-quality MP3s into my teenage ears, but tinnitus never crossed my mind. Then, one day, my parents made me read an article about someone who had severe tinnitus and hyperacusis.
That same night, I noticed a faint hum in my ears, like white noise. It was completely unoffensive, yet the realization that I couldn't stop it made me panic. I became fixated on it, checking for it constantly—first at night, then during the day.
Over the next two to three months, it gradually became louder. Suddenly, I could hear it outside when it was quiet. Then, over the TV. Then, during conversations and university lectures. It became invasive.
Once it was there, it wouldn't go away. For the next two years, I was highly aware of my tinnitus and heard it often. Thankfully, by the second year, I had started to habituate. What helped was that this happened during a big life transition—moving out of my parents' home, starting university, living with roommates. Staying busy and meeting new people helped keep me out of my own head, which was important as a naturally introverted and shy person.
Something else worth mentioning: I used hearing protection at every party—those big earmuffs that block a lot of sound. While this likely saved me from a lot of damage (given the absurd volume at these parties), it may have contributed to sound sensitivity. During that period, sounds like kitchen dishes and train brakes became extremely uncomfortable.
Fully Habituated – From Age 20 to 33
At some point—so gradually I don't even remember when—I forgot about tinnitus. I didn't hear it in 99.9% of situations. Even if I was very drunk or wearing earplugs, it was just a super soft hiss. Probably the same sound I first heard at 18, but it no longer bothered me. I'd forget about it in a moment. The sound sensitivity also disappeared, though again, I don't recall exactly when.
While this was great, life brought its own challenges—nothing is ever perfect, right? ^^' But perhaps the biggest danger of forgetting I ever had tinnitus was that I became reckless.
Overall, I was still fairly cautious—never attended a concert without protection. However, in the last six months of 2024, I got a bit too confident. I bought a new pair of high-definition headphones, which led to more frequent listening, especially in November and December 2024. Which brings me to…
Onset 2.0 – Since January 2, 2025
On December 27, 2024, for the first time in years, I noticed my tinnitus again. Same old tone, but somehow more attention-seeking. Still mild, but I wasn't used to it anymore. I started monitoring it:
"Can I hear it during this family dinner? Oh damn, I can."
"Oh, I can hear it in the car."
"Wait, is it more piercing now? I can't find peace."
Then, on January 2, I woke up with a new beast—sharper, more aggressive, louder.
January was a complete mess:
Ongoing Journey – Improvements and Side Notes
I'm opening this thread because I wanted a place to track my (positive) progress on this journey. I also thought that maybe someone might find these insights interesting or helpful.
Quick Presentation:
- Age: 33 years old
- Timeline: Mild tinnitus from age 18 until 33; more bothersome tinnitus since early January 2025
- Tinnitus Tone: CRT-TV hiss, electrical quality with slight fluctuations, piercing, 12–16 kHz frequency
- Tinnitus Loudness (06/03/2025): Can hear it over conversations, indoors and outdoors, over TV, and even over traffic 30m away. However, I cannot hear it over the shower or running faucet.
- Believed Root Cause: A mix of long-term unsafe music listening habits, anxiety, and ultra-vigilance
As strange as it sounds, I developed tinnitus right after my 18th birthday when I learned it existed. I had spent years blasting poor-quality MP3s into my teenage ears, but tinnitus never crossed my mind. Then, one day, my parents made me read an article about someone who had severe tinnitus and hyperacusis.
That same night, I noticed a faint hum in my ears, like white noise. It was completely unoffensive, yet the realization that I couldn't stop it made me panic. I became fixated on it, checking for it constantly—first at night, then during the day.
Over the next two to three months, it gradually became louder. Suddenly, I could hear it outside when it was quiet. Then, over the TV. Then, during conversations and university lectures. It became invasive.
Once it was there, it wouldn't go away. For the next two years, I was highly aware of my tinnitus and heard it often. Thankfully, by the second year, I had started to habituate. What helped was that this happened during a big life transition—moving out of my parents' home, starting university, living with roommates. Staying busy and meeting new people helped keep me out of my own head, which was important as a naturally introverted and shy person.
Something else worth mentioning: I used hearing protection at every party—those big earmuffs that block a lot of sound. While this likely saved me from a lot of damage (given the absurd volume at these parties), it may have contributed to sound sensitivity. During that period, sounds like kitchen dishes and train brakes became extremely uncomfortable.
Fully Habituated – From Age 20 to 33
At some point—so gradually I don't even remember when—I forgot about tinnitus. I didn't hear it in 99.9% of situations. Even if I was very drunk or wearing earplugs, it was just a super soft hiss. Probably the same sound I first heard at 18, but it no longer bothered me. I'd forget about it in a moment. The sound sensitivity also disappeared, though again, I don't recall exactly when.
While this was great, life brought its own challenges—nothing is ever perfect, right? ^^' But perhaps the biggest danger of forgetting I ever had tinnitus was that I became reckless.
Overall, I was still fairly cautious—never attended a concert without protection. However, in the last six months of 2024, I got a bit too confident. I bought a new pair of high-definition headphones, which led to more frequent listening, especially in November and December 2024. Which brings me to…
Onset 2.0 – Since January 2, 2025
On December 27, 2024, for the first time in years, I noticed my tinnitus again. Same old tone, but somehow more attention-seeking. Still mild, but I wasn't used to it anymore. I started monitoring it:
"Can I hear it during this family dinner? Oh damn, I can."
"Oh, I can hear it in the car."
"Wait, is it more piercing now? I can't find peace."
Then, on January 2, I woke up with a new beast—sharper, more aggressive, louder.
January was a complete mess:
- Tinnitus woke me up every night after four hours of sleep. Super static and electrical, keeping me awake for two more hours. This lasted all month.
- It invaded my dreams on some nights.
- I became hyper-aware of it, hearing it in almost every situation—except the shower, my one source of peace.
- By the third week of January, it worsened: reactive tinnitus (pure tones overlaying constant sounds, even the shower) and sound distortion for about a week.
- Sensitivity to certain sounds (electronic beeps, car brakes, etc.) returned.
- Completely stopped using headphones as of January 1. That's a firm decision—never going back.
- Isolated myself in silence 70% of the time. The other 30% was forced noise exposure (shopping, office work, etc.).
- Started using earplugs frequently (public transport, busy streets, etc.).
- Anxiety went through the roof.
Ongoing Journey – Improvements and Side Notes
- The reactive tinnitus and sound distortion disappeared after about a week and haven't returned.
- My sleep returned to normal in February—no masking, no medication.
- My anxiety has dropped significantly. I still get annoyed during bad spikes, but I'm no longer in distress.
- I've noticed a "filter effect":
- Overall, the volume hasn't changed much since January, yet some days I barely hear it—like my first day back at the office. Other times, it feels overwhelming.
- During a train ride to visit my parents, I felt a physical "switch" in both ears, like someone tuning a radio knob. While at my parents' house, I didn't hear tinnitus at all for a while, and it only returned faintly toward the end of my visit.
- This makes me believe my brain is still capable of filtering out the sound, but for 98% of the time, it just doesn't do it anymore. Still, knowing it's possible is fascinating and important.
- There were a few days in February (about 6–7) where my tinnitus had a gentler tone. The volume was the same, but it felt softer, making it easier to ignore. Those moments brought a lot of relief.
- In January, I was barely functioning and had to take last-minute leave from work. By February, I became more productive and started adapting to this new reality.
