Tinnitus Reacts to My Own Voice

[coconutprincess]

Hello!

I've been habituated to my tinnitus for about eight years now, to the point where I often forget I even have it. When I do hear it, I just don't pay attention and move on.

Recently, though, I've noticed something different. When I talk, especially in a louder or higher voice, the tinnitus spikes along with my voice. It stops as soon as I stop talking. If I speak loudly, it gets louder; if I speak softly, it's quieter.

I still have my usual constant hissing sound, but this new sensation feels like a ringing or almost a vibration that syncs with my voice—it starts and stops as I talk.

Has anyone else experienced this? Could this be reactive tinnitus? And why would it suddenly start happening out of nowhere?

Thanks!

 

[coconutprincess]

I've noticed today it's external sounds too. Other people talking or general noises in my environment.

 

[Nick47]

Reactive tinnitus.

 

[GG_Ear]

Hello!

I've been habituated to my tinnitus for about eight years now, to the point where I often forget I even have it. When I do hear it, I just don't pay attention and move on.

Recently, though, I've noticed something different. When I talk, especially in a louder or higher voice, the tinnitus spikes along with my voice. It stops as soon as I stop talking. If I speak loudly, it gets louder; if I speak softly, it's quieter.

I still have my usual constant hissing sound, but this new sensation feels like a ringing or almost a vibration that syncs with my voice—it starts and stops as I talk.

Has anyone else experienced this? Could this be reactive tinnitus? And why would it suddenly start happening out of nowhere?

Thanks!

I have had a similar experience. If this is very recent for you, it might be worth considering steroids for sudden sensorineural hearing loss. My ENT explained that when there is a sudden loss, the brain can sometimes get confused and develop dysacusis.

In my case, after about 12 to 18 months, it mostly cleared up, even though I never took steroids. It was too late by the time I realized, as they need to be taken within 72 hours or at most two weeks of developing symptoms of sudden hearing loss.

I still have reactive tinnitus triggered by car and road noise, which I assume corresponds to a specific frequency. However, the trigger from voices has improved significantly, by about 90 percent.

For most people, reactive tinnitus or dysacusis gets better with time, as long as they avoid extremely loud noises and work on calming anxiety or hypervigilance. It is amazing how the brain can adapt through neuroplasticity.

As for the cause, if it is not due to obvious acoustic trauma, it could be a virus that damaged your auditory system or possibly dysfunctional middle ear muscles. That said, I am not a doctor. This is just based on my own research.

I am confident you will improve in one way or another. The timeline for recovery varies from person to person.

P.S. Definitely see a doctor to rule out an acoustic neuroma or any other potentially treatable condition.

 

[object16]

Definitely. It used to be really bad. About 30 years ago, I was hospitalized for what they called a "nervous breakdown." In reality, it was just severe tinnitus combined with sleep deprivation that mimicked a nervous breakdown. They put me in a very quiet room and heavily dosed me with Elavil. I was completely zonked out for two weeks.

When I was finally discharged, I had developed a serious case of reactive tinnitus. It was so bad that I could only whisper because the sound of my own voice, even though it is naturally quiet, was too loud for me to handle. Gradually, I started to get used to normal sounds, meaning around 60 to 65 dB, but I never really recovered fully.

I was just reflecting on something someone wrote to me here on the forum about 10 years ago. It was a virtual hug for saying I would be okay with dying soon. But, so far, I am not dead yet, which, in hindsight, is a good thing. I have a productive profession and contribute to my community, which would have been stuck if I had actually died. Plus, I have managed to save some money in the meantime, which is good for my family. My wife also has a 100 percent survivor benefit on my pension, which has grown considerably over time.

On top of that, I have discovered that I am autistic and have gone through a lot of mental health therapy over the past seven years. It has been an interesting journey to become a better person. I think my kids appreciate seeing that progress. Getting through autism, trauma, and everything else has been quite the ordeal, but contributing to the community has been rewarding. I think everyone in my community would agree.

For sure, though, there was a time when even my own voice was too loud and would trigger my tinnitus. I have this crazy reactive tinnitus that, I guess, might go away one day. That is what I told my assistant recently while we were talking about something less morbid. When reflecting on the state of the world, I said that the saving grace of being human is that one day the time will come when there are no more worries. I think you know what I mean.

I am trying to stay positive here. A lot of the time, it feels like it is not worth going on, but somehow, you keep going. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. And, much to my surprise and amusement, sometimes it actually is.

One practical tip: I keep a radio on low all the time, including throughout the night, at about 60 dB. It helps the system gradually lower its sensitivity. That would be my suggestion. Do not worry about it too much. Just keep a low level of sound in your environment as a form of sound therapy. Pink noise or a rainfall soundtrack can work really well.

In my experience, what you are describing usually gets better over time. It might take weeks, months, or even several months, but there should be some noticeable improvement. Once you see that progress, you will feel less worried.

Cheers,
PM

 

[Tryn2BHopeful]

I am going through the same thing right now. About four days after my daughter's orchestra concert, I started noticing it again with certain words or volumes. Now my ears are sensitive to some sounds.

I have always had reactive tinnitus but was making progress, though it seems to have been set back a bit. I just need to be patient and try to stay calm. One thing I have learned is that you cannot get complacent about protecting your hearing in louder-than-normal situations.