Tinnitus Week 2018 / Day 5: What Makes Your Tinnitus Worse?

[Tinnitus Talk]

Stress, lack of sleep, certain kinds of noises (besides dangerously loud noise), maybe some foods/drinks - what (if anything) makes your tinnitus worse or, as we with tinnitus tend to say, spike?

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[dorje]

Being exposed to noise, whether is not really loud but constant or sudden bang.

 

[derpytia]

Lack of sleep, loud noises, hormonal changes (being a female I have no choice in the matter), too much salt or sugar, too long in the shower, bad speakers, and.... salmon (lol). Not giving the last one up though!

 

[.bill]

Different tones made it bad now it doesn't bother me just avoid loud places

 

[illegalmonkey77]

The one thing that seems to make it "seem" louder without fail is the lack of external noise. The quieter it is the more I can hear/notice it. If I have too much alcohol to drink, the morning after it can be louder, but not always.

 

[Lorac]

Stress, noise, lack of sleep.

 

[Elinor]

Definitely lack of sleep.
Ear pressure (from flights, driving through mountains, clogged ears during colds).
Binging on foods high very high in sodium such as potato chips.
Likely stress, but I'm not completely sure.

 

[Dive Master]

Lack of sleep, sugar and alcohol 10%
No identified reason 90%

 

[Akk]

Lack of sleep and stress

 

[glynis]

Allergies,menieres,cold weather, loud music...

 

[Tinker Bell]

Anxiety about my tinnitus makes my tinnitus louder.

 

[vermillion]

lack of sleep

 

[Ambassador]

I don't know for sure but suspect Stress and poor sleep seem to play a part.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Lack of sleep, loud noises, and dairy foods.

 

[John Doe]

Not sure, actually. Never sure if it got any worse since getting it 10 months ago, either.

 

[joester]

Background noise seems to make mine worse. A day spent in the lab at work with equipment running is about 70-75Db, but on leaving the lab it seems to be worse even though I'm in a similarly noisy area. Maybe its the change in the frequency mix of the noise? A mix of cooling fans, air conditioning, devices and fixtures running, ect...

 

[Lost life]

stress, neck position, noise, shower

 

[Maggie Lt]

Probably car drives, alcohol, noise, blocked eustachian tube( seems to be happening more often now after years with little blocking)

 

[MBH]

It knows when I'm ready to relax at night it will spike up sometimes and sometimes it will also spike when I sleep, but then I'll run water next to my head and it goes back. And yes a quiet room it decide to do it's loud dance.

 

[Localboy]

Sexual intercourse but only for some minutes after, high pitched sounds, when I come from shower it has reacted and spiked, stress makes it spike too.

 

[Cheza]

My tinnitus ramps up when I'm exposed to loud music, kids screaming, or high-pitched barking dogs. Sometimes, not always, feeling pressured by someone to do something I don't want to do will make it worse. I suspect it has something to do with cortisol levels rising, but can't be sure.

Excess sugar will make me more aware of it for a while on the days when it's more intrusive to begin with. On very mild days, it has no effect.

 

[Dmitriy]

Wow, a lot of similar responses. For me it's stress and lack of sleep. I suspect sugar in high dosages as well. Recently, I realized that if I rest the back of my head on something (soft or hard) then my static noise increases with time. Once I lift my head it goes away fairly quickly.

 

[Samir]

My tinnitus most definitely gets worse when I don't get enough sleep. Not enough quality sleep I should say, because it doesn't help me much to sleep lightly for long hours. I think that's the major contributor. Second to sleep is stress. If I am under a lot of pressure it tends to gets worse as the day progresses. I have not seen a noticeable difference when it comes to food and drinks. Loud noises can be bothersome because of hyperacusis, but not so much if I am well rested.

 

[jimH]

Not enough quality sleep I should say, because it doesn't help me much to sleep lightly for long hours. I think that's the major contributor. Second to sleep is stress. Loud noises can be bothersome because of hyperacusis.

The same with me regarding all factors that you mentioned. Additionally, if I have Chinese food for dinner on a day that my T is moderate, I'll usually wake up the next morning with a loud spike on both sides that will last at least the rest of the day. Sometimes even longer. That's why I rarely have it anymore.


But those "Pork Balls" are so tough to give up!..

 

[Gl0w0ut]

Stress, lack of sleep, certain kinds of noises (besides dangerously loud noise), maybe some foods/drinks - what (if anything) makes your tinnitus worse or, as we with tinnitus tend to say, spike?

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Comment below. You can also respond to our Facebook post.

Everything makes it worse and never better. It is unidirectional in terms of better or worse

 

[IAmCalifornia]

It randomly gets worse.

And if move my neck a certain or my jaw a certain way.

 

[Julien87]

Alcohol, sport, excitement, stiffness in the neck and jaw, stress

 

[Tinker Bell]

The same with me regarding all factors that you mentioned. Additionally, if I have Chinese food for dinner on a day that my T is moderate, I'll usually wake up the next morning with a loud spike on both sides that will last at least the rest of the day. Sometimes even longer. That's why I rarely have it anymore.


But those "Pork Balls" are so tough to give up!..

By any chance does the Chinese food have MSG? I have read that can exacerbate tinnitus.

 

[jimH]

By any chance does the Chinese food have MSG? I have read that can exacerbate tinnitus.

I specifically tell them "NO MSG" when I place my order because the menu has a footnote to let them know if you don't want them to use it.

 

[Cheza]

I specifically tell them "NO MSG" when I place my order because the menu has a footnote to let them know if you don't want them to use it.

Make the same recipe at home, being careful to make sure there is absolutely no MSG. If your T doesn't spike the next day, then you'll know for sure whether there really is no MSG in the food they're serving you. "No MSG" might mean no added MSG if it's already in some of the ingredients they receive from suppliers.