Was My Tinnitus Caused by Stress, Ear Irrigation, Noise Sensitivity or ETD? Trouble with Sleep

[ec2003]

Hi,

I am a 36-year-old male who has been dealing with tinnitus for about 10 weeks. I am looking for advice on figuring out what might have caused it.

It started in the middle of November, one morning. I woke up with ringing in my right ear and went to urgent care to have it checked. They found earwax blockage and recommended ear irrigation to clean it out. I agreed to the procedure, and they pumped water into my ear a few times until they were able to remove the blockage with a pick. (They pulled out a large piece of earwax.) They told me I would be fine shortly, but my ear felt clogged after the procedure.

Later, I took a shower to see if I could clear the clogging and shook my head to get water out of my ear. This did help clear the ear, but everything started sounding louder than usual. Unfortunately, the ringing persisted.

Soon after, I went shopping with my brother to get a Christmas gift for my nephew. The ringing bothered me, but I assumed it would go away. That night, I could not sleep at all. The next morning, I went to my nephew's little league baseball game, and the noise made me feel unwell because my ear was so sensitive. Later that evening, I hung out with friends at a restaurant and then went to a Round 1 arcade. By the end of the night, both ears were ringing terribly, and I could not sleep until I completely crashed from exhaustion.

The following weeks were rough. I experienced panic attacks and mild anxiety, though thankfully those symptoms have mostly subsided. However, I have also been noticing what I think is pulsatile tinnitus. It comes and goes but has become more frequent recently.

Over the last 10 weeks, I have tried to clean up my diet and lose weight to see if this might be blood pressure related. My blood pressure went from 161 to 137, and my weight dropped from 270 lbs to 243 lbs. I used to use headphones at medium volume for a few hours at a time, but I have since switched to using speakers instead.

My Tinnitus Symptoms

The tinnitus is primarily in my right ear and is present about 70 to 80 percent of the day. Occasionally, it jumps between ears and changes from high to low pitched ringing. More recently, it has started sounding like cicadas. I also experience sounds in the middle of my head. These change to different "radio wave" sounds and, in the last few days, a faint metal detector sound. Sometimes it disappears briefly for a few seconds to half a minute, but right now, it is constant again.

I also have:

• Ear fullness in my right ear (muffled hearing that comes and goes, though it is fine when I am lying down or tilting my head).
• Clicking sounds when I talk (usually when stressed).
• Ear popping when yawning or moving my cheeks.
• Crackling in my left ear when I rub it.
• A popping sensation in my left ear about 8 weeks in, which made me think the tinnitus might be related to Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD), though the fullness came back.

I recently saw a dentist who said my jaw appears properly aligned. I have visited primary care twice. Once I was diagnosed with ETD, and the second time, they said it was TMJD. However, the second diagnosis seemed odd since the doctor did not really examine me. He only reviewed my bloodwork, which was mostly fine except for low good cholesterol and a vitamin D deficiency (for which he prescribed supplements).

Before the tinnitus started, I was under a lot of stress from holiday shopping and financial concerns.

My Question

Could my tinnitus be caused by one or multiple factors?

• Stress?
• The ear irrigation procedure?
• Noise sensitivity?
• ETD?

What are your thoughts, and what are my chances of recovering from this?

P.S.

I'd like to add that when I started taking vitamin D supplements, the pitch of the ringing lowered to a hum. I'm not sure if that was a good or bad thing. I got a bit worried that I might be causing damage, so I stopped taking them.

I also tried taking the over-the-counter allergy medicine Zyrtec to see if it would help. However, it temporarily made my crackling symptoms much more noticeable for a little while.

One more thing I'd like to mention is that about eight weeks into the onset of symptoms, my clogged left ear popped. It felt like it was clearing out, but it filled back up again after a few hours.

 

[jim.wilson.169]

Did you see an ENT? It sounds like you might have fluid in your ear. An audiologist can check your ear pressure to see if there's any fluid.

I'm at the two-month mark now. I went to my primary care doctor, but they weren't very helpful with ear issues. My tinnitus level has gone down a bit, and my anxiety has improved. I've scheduled an appointment with an ENT soon to see if they can figure out what's going on.

From all the forums, Reddit, and Facebook groups I've visited so far, it seems like ENT doctors aren't very effective at treating tinnitus. I'm preparing for the worst-case scenario—having tinnitus for life—but I'm praying it won't get any louder.

 

[ec2003]

I'm waiting for a referral from my primary care provider. It should've arrived by yesterday at the latest, so I'll call the office tomorrow morning to check on it.

Yeah, mine has gone down a lot since the onset too, but it's still tough to deal with. Recently, I've been experiencing extremely poor sleep, and it seems to have affected how I hear certain noises. For example, the heater sounds like it's making a much louder hum when the vent is closed, my box fan seems to be at a higher pitch than it actually is, and the same happens with the stovetop fan and other electronically powered devices. Even the sound of water seems to be affected.

I'm really hoping that fixing my sleep will resolve these new issues soon. Thankfully, everything else still sounds normal—music, human voices, and general audio. I just hope I didn't trigger some kind of second spike from sleep deprivation and that this isn't a long-term issue. Maybe it's just something people go through while recovering.

 

[Supersix]

Hi,

I am a 36-year-old male who has been dealing with tinnitus for about 10 weeks. I am looking for advice on figuring out what might have caused it.

It started in the middle of November, one morning. I woke up with ringing in my right ear and went to urgent care to have it checked. They found earwax blockage and recommended ear irrigation to clean it out. I agreed to the procedure, and they pumped water into my ear a few times until they were able to remove the blockage with a pick. (They pulled out a large piece of earwax.) They told me I would be fine shortly, but my ear felt clogged after the procedure.

Later, I took a shower to see if I could clear the clogging and shook my head to get water out of my ear. This did help clear the ear, but everything started sounding louder than usual. Unfortunately, the ringing persisted.

Soon after, I went shopping with my brother to get a Christmas gift for my nephew. The ringing bothered me, but I assumed it would go away. That night, I could not sleep at all. The next morning, I went to my nephew's little league baseball game, and the noise made me feel unwell because my ear was so sensitive. Later that evening, I hung out with friends at a restaurant and then went to a Round 1 arcade. By the end of the night, both ears were ringing terribly, and I could not sleep until I completely crashed from exhaustion.

The following weeks were rough. I experienced panic attacks and mild anxiety, though thankfully those symptoms have mostly subsided. However, I have also been noticing what I think is pulsatile tinnitus. It comes and goes but has become more frequent recently.

Over the last 10 weeks, I have tried to clean up my diet and lose weight to see if this might be blood pressure related. My blood pressure went from 161 to 137, and my weight dropped from 270 lbs to 243 lbs. I used to use headphones at medium volume for a few hours at a time, but I have since switched to using speakers instead.

My Tinnitus Symptoms

The tinnitus is primarily in my right ear and is present about 70 to 80 percent of the day. Occasionally, it jumps between ears and changes from high to low pitched ringing. More recently, it has started sounding like cicadas. I also experience sounds in the middle of my head. These change to different "radio wave" sounds and, in the last few days, a faint metal detector sound. Sometimes it disappears briefly for a few seconds to half a minute, but right now, it is constant again.

I also have:

• Ear fullness in my right ear (muffled hearing that comes and goes, though it is fine when I am lying down or tilting my head).
• Clicking sounds when I talk (usually when stressed).
• Ear popping when yawning or moving my cheeks.
• Crackling in my left ear when I rub it.
• A popping sensation in my left ear about 8 weeks in, which made me think the tinnitus might be related to Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD), though the fullness came back.

I recently saw a dentist who said my jaw appears properly aligned. I have visited primary care twice. Once I was diagnosed with ETD, and the second time, they said it was TMJD. However, the second diagnosis seemed odd since the doctor did not really examine me. He only reviewed my bloodwork, which was mostly fine except for low good cholesterol and a vitamin D deficiency (for which he prescribed supplements).

Before the tinnitus started, I was under a lot of stress from holiday shopping and financial concerns.

My Question

Could my tinnitus be caused by one or multiple factors?

• Stress?
• The ear irrigation procedure?
• Noise sensitivity?
• ETD?

What are your thoughts, and what are my chances of recovering from this?

P.S.

I'd like to add that when I started taking vitamin D supplements, the pitch of the ringing lowered to a hum. I'm not sure if that was a good or bad thing. I got a bit worried that I might be causing damage, so I stopped taking them.

I also tried taking the over-the-counter allergy medicine Zyrtec to see if it would help. However, it temporarily made my crackling symptoms much more noticeable for a little while.

One more thing I'd like to mention is that about eight weeks into the onset of symptoms, my clogged left ear popped. It felt like it was clearing out, but it filled back up again after a few hours.

Drink Chamomile tea to help calm your nerves and reduce anxiety. Remember, the ringing itself won't hurt you—it's important to focus on relaxing. To distract yourself, try listening to rain sounds through AirPods or tuning into a podcast until the ringing diminishes or you adjust to it.

If the ringing gets louder, don't panic; it will quiet down over time. Remind yourself that you're doing everything you can for now. Be patient and give it time to see what happens.

Consider taking 400 mg of Magnesium Oxide twice daily, along with Vitamin B12, as recommended by a renowned ENT who has done extensive research.

 

[ec2003]

Drink Chamomile tea to help calm your nerves and reduce anxiety. Remember, the ringing itself won't hurt you—it's important to focus on relaxing. To distract yourself, try listening to rain sounds through AirPods or tuning into a podcast until the ringing diminishes or you adjust to it.

If the ringing gets louder, don't panic; it will quiet down over time. Remind yourself that you're doing everything you can for now. Be patient and give it time to see what happens.

Consider taking 400 mg of Magnesium Oxide twice daily, along with Vitamin B12, as recommended by a renowned ENT who has done extensive research.

Thanks for the tips. I tried using sound enrichment with my phone last night to help with sleep. I had missed out on sleep for over 30 hours, but I managed to get about 3–4 hours, though it was broken into multiple parts. At the start, I drank chamomile tea and hibiscus tea and took magnesium tablets to help when it was really severe, and that seemed to help. Thankfully, the spike went down in the morning.

I really hope I'll get to a point where I can comfortably take naps again, as I miss those a lot. I also hope that the atonal sounds being added to various devices will go away with time. My main concern now is this loud bird-chirping sound, which has been giving me headaches and making it hard to socialize with family. I think the sleep deprivation probably made it worse, as it seems to jump between quiet and loud right now, likely due to a bit of stress.

Unfortunately, I also have an issue where my tinnitus sometimes picks up repetitive sounds and echoes them in my head. This makes using sound enrichment or masking difficult. Hopefully, this will get easier to manage with time as well.

 

[billie48]

Welcome to the forum. Determining the cause of tinnitus can be challenging, as it often results from multiple factors working together over time. Sometimes, tinnitus can start suddenly at night without any clear reason—this is how mine began as well.

The first step is to consult an ENT specialist to check for any medical issues with your ears that might be causing the ringing. Potential causes could include Eustachian Tube Dysfunction (ETD), fluid or wax build-up, or issues with the eardrum.

If the ringing bothers you, you might consider masking it with sound enrichment. Keep in mind that the symptoms of new tinnitus can evolve due to the initial instability of the ears. Over time, the symptoms often stabilize, and the intensity of the tinnitus may fade.

You can also read success stories from others who have improved to remind yourself that things can get better. To help manage stress and sleep, you might try natural supplements or relaxation techniques.

I hope your condition improves. Take care, and God bless.

 

[GSC]

It could honestly be a combination of all of the things you listed. Ear fullness is usually a symptom that your ear is sensitive and still a bit too raw to be handled, so attending a baseball game definitely didn't help matters. It seems you might need some lax time after the ear cleaning. Water cleaning is usually advised against and in the future, I'd recommend melting the wax in your ear with prescribed oil from your ENT or steaming in a hot tub.

Stress has the tendency of elevating the perception of Tinnitus. If it's all you focus on, the brain will become hyper-aware about it.

My recommendation going forward is Magnesium glycinate - high absorption for stress and inflammatory healing. 400-600mg.
Warm steaming in the shower. ( Don't let it flood into your ear, just do regular inhaling techniques: in through the nose, hold it out, exhale through the mouth,) and letting the ear fullness subside with downtime and resting periods.

This means no headphones. No overly loud volumes. If your ear aches due to a certain sound or volume or stings, avoid it, that is your ear warning you.