Tinnitus Onset 2.0: Tracking Progress, Setbacks, and Hope

[SafeMusicFan]

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:

• 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

Initial Onset – Age 18 & 19

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.

My reaction:

• 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.

Side note: This is just my personal observation, but my reactive tinnitus coincided with the period when I used the most ear protection. It stopped soon after I reduced my earplug use. Could be coincidence, but it's something to consider.

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.

That's it for now! I don't know when I'll post next, but I'll update if there's anything worth mentioning.

 

[SafeMusicFan]

March Wrap-Up

• The first half of March was very unstable. There were some better days in terms of intrusiveness, but also some especially intense spike days.
  
  
• Things became more stable in the second half of the month. During that period, I experienced significantly longer stretches of time (measured in dozens of minutes, sometimes even a couple of hours) where tinnitus was either outside of my awareness or mostly in the background. My ability to focus on activities improved noticeably and lasted longer.
  
  
• Eventually, during the morning, evening, or while at rest, tinnitus often ends up taking center stage again. In those moments, it can feel very aggressive and overwhelmingly loud, sometimes pulling me back into the "how do I live with this" mindset. However, regardless of whether it always stays at that volume, I am becoming more confident that my brain can let it fade into the background and allow me to move through the day normally. Honestly, that is what matters most to me personally.
  
  
• I had a few mornings where tinnitus felt softer during the waking-up phase, instead of the harsh and abrasive feeling I experienced in January and February. Once I became fully conscious, it ramped up quickly, but even so, those initial soft moments—just a few seconds or dozens of seconds—reminded me of what used to be normal for a long time. That gives me hope.
  
  
• I started seeing friends again, which I actually had not done for the last two months. I have also been more productive at work.
  
  
• There has been a drastic reduction in the time I spend searching for or reading about tinnitus. By the second half of March, that time dropped to almost zero. I think reading a lot earlier on helped me cope with the initial onset, but now it feels good to have a bit of distance from it.
  
  
• Sensitivity to certain sounds is still present, such as electric beeps and car brakes, but it has decreased overall. It feels like my threshold for acceptance is slowly and steadily rising again. Some sounds that were uncomfortable in January and February, like compressing a plastic bottle, are now totally fine. I am not taking reckless risks when it comes to sound exposure, but I am definitely less afraid of everyday sounds.

Overall, things are still unstable and loud, and there are definitely some harder days (especially in the first half of the month). But it feels like there is a slow, inconsistent upward trend. More and more often, I find myself thinking, "Well, I guess I could live like this."

See you next time