Why Does Tinnitus Take Up to 2 Years to Go Away?

[Mathew Gould]

Funny that you say that because when I swallow I can feel that my ears are semi-filled. They were never like that before, it's like everything shifted in my head/face a few millimeters... I never hurt my ears though, but maybe something to do with the nerves??

@threefirefour

So what is your take on this?? But I never damaged my ears. I got my tinnitus from a misaligned neck/jaw and I would classify my neck and jaw around 80% aligned and I don't see them getting any better. So does my misaligned cause damaged hair cells in my ear??

 

[Stephanie72]

@Mathew Gould

I believe I read somewhere that it could be anywhere from 3-18 months of tmj therapy before you see results but I don't have the source.

Mine is high pitched but usually lower in the morning. Sometimes it seems to go up and down like someone is turning a dial. It definitely goes up like it's competing with other noise. I bought a decent pair of musician earplugs from amazon. They do filter out voices so I can have a conversation but really helps with loud noise. I wore them to a pool party with lots of noisy little kids and they helped. The bathroom fan is terrible for me. I don't turn it on anymore. I do mask at night with an app called Rain Rain. I use Mississippi Night which is crickets and cicadas. You might like it since your t sounds similar. I didn't like it just playing on the iPad though. I felt like it made whatever ear wasn't near the iPad louder (and I usually have t in the ear on the side of the jaw pop). I bought a pillow speaker from amazon and use that. Mine is a little larger and memory foam. I usually sleep on my back so it works but if I turn over I position if higher upon my pillow. I keep the volume a little low so it doesn't compete. It just kind of blends.

I did have terrible neck pain after the jaw pop/lock incident. It's gotten better but the jaw and face pain/pressure haven't.

How is your sleep? Mine wasn't great before t and it's gotten worse. It it's bad and I feel like I can't sleep at all I take a temazepam (but this isn't a long term solution). Other nights I take 20mg of melatonin (which is a lot) and hope for the best.

 

[threefirefour]

@threefirefour

So what is your take on this?? But I never damaged my ears. I got my tinnitus from a misaligned neck/jaw and I would classify my neck and jaw around 80% aligned and I don't see them getting any better. So does my misaligned cause damaged hair cells in my ear??

I'm in the same boat but I haven't tried any treatments yet. I know I have TMD but I haven't tried a brace yet, nor do I know if it will work.

Misaligned neck or jaw thankfully doesn't hurt hair cells. It could cause hyperactivity in fusiform cells that cause tinnitus but I think this could reduce overtime with treatment.

 

[Mathew Gould]

@Mathew Gould

I believe I read somewhere that it could be anywhere from 3-18 months of tmj therapy before you see results but I don't have the source.

Mine is high pitched but usually lower in the morning. Sometimes it seems to go up and down like someone is turning a dial. It definitely goes up like it's competing with other noise. I bought a decent pair of musician earplugs from amazon. They do filter out voices so I can have a conversation but really helps with loud noise. I wore them to a pool party with lots of noisy little kids and they helped. The bathroom fan is terrible for me. I don't turn it on anymore. I do mask at night with an app called Rain Rain. I use Mississippi Night which is crickets and cicadas. You might like it since your t sounds similar. I didn't like it just playing on the iPad though. I felt like it made whatever ear wasn't near the iPad louder (and I usually have t in the ear on the side of the jaw pop). I bought a pillow speaker from amazon and use that. Mine is a little larger and memory foam. I usually sleep on my back so it works but if I turn over I position if higher upon my pillow. I keep the volume a little low so it doesn't compete. It just kind of blends.

I did have terrible neck pain after the jaw pop/lock incident. It's gotten better but the jaw and face pain/pressure haven't.

How is your sleep? Mine wasn't great before t and it's gotten worse. It it's bad and I feel like I can't sleep at all I take a temazepam (but this isn't a long term solution). Other nights I take 20mg of melatonin (which is a lot) and hope for the best.

My sleep went from horrible to almost normal for me (I answered one of you're other threads about my sleep). Yeah I basically had no tinnitus some days and I've gotten in the shower with the fan and 5 mins later my tinnitus is above avg... I don't use masking apps because any noise makes my tinnitus go up. If I'm outside with no noise my tinnitus is barely there or I don't pay attention to it... Find a good TMJ person in you're area like this week that is you're best bet. My night guard thing fits over my over teeth and doesn't let my upper and bottom teeth touch, it prob opens my jaw 1/8 of an inch and kind of relaxes it. My neck and jaw will never be 100% normal, but I'm hoping the tinnitus just fades away.

 

[Mathew Gould]

I'm in the same boat but I haven't tried any treatments yet. I know I have TMD but I haven't tried a brace yet, nor do I know if it will work.

Misaligned neck or jaw thankfully doesn't hurt hair cells. It could cause hyperactivity in fusiform cells that cause tinnitus but I think this could reduce overtime with treatment.

Does any caffeine, food or alcohol make your tinnitus go up? Mine usually doesn't go up right away, but about 12-15 hours later.

 

[Mathew Gould]

I'm in the same boat but I haven't tried any treatments yet. I know I have TMD but I haven't tried a brace yet, nor do I know if it will work.

Misaligned neck or jaw thankfully doesn't hurt hair cells. It could cause hyperactivity in fusiform cells that cause tinnitus but I think this could reduce overtime with treatment.

So how can tinnitus go away if your jaw isn't perfectly aligned like before? This is my million dollar question... Does the brain just block it out or something else??

 

[threefirefour]

So how can tinnitus go away if your jaw isn't perfectly aligned like before? This is my million dollar question... Does the brain just block it out or something else??

Well I assume it's because the jaw is no longer pressing on the nerves that cause hyperactivity it begins to stop. The brain doesn't block it out, it just stops receiving signals.

 

[Mathew Gould]

I'm in the same boat but I haven't tried any treatments yet. I know I have TMD but I haven't tried a brace yet, nor do I know if it will work.

Misaligned neck or jaw thankfully doesn't hurt hair cells. It could cause hyperactivity in fusiform cells that cause tinnitus but I think this could reduce overtime with treatment.

Pretty good read:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/01/180103195010.htm

 

[Mathew Gould]

Well I assume it's because the jaw is no longer pressing on the nerves that cause hyperactivity it begins to stop. The brain doesn't block it out, it just stops receiving signals.

Ok so the muscles relax. In the beginning when my T was bad it would become a little louder if I turned my neck a certain way. So these muscles can take a few years to relax I take it??

 

[threefirefour]

Ok so the muscles relax. In the beginning when my T was bad it would become a little louder if I turned my neck a certain way. So these muscles can take a few years to relax I take it??

I think the biggest diagnostic here with both the neck and jaw is if you can change your tinnitus volume by clenching your jaw.

My neck plays some role but my TMD is the real demon. I don't know if my neck is related at all to my tinnitus, but my tinnitus gets very quiet when I'm in a quiet room laying down. Almost silent most of the time. If you lean forward try standing straight.

 

[Mathew Gould]

I think the biggest diagnostic here with both the neck and jaw is if you can change your tinnitus volume by clenching your jaw.

My neck plays some role but my TMD is the real demon. I don't know if my neck is related at all to my tinnitus, but my tinnitus gets very quiet when I'm in a quiet room laying down. Almost silent most of the time. If you lean forward try standing straight.

So your tinnitus goes up with sound in the room like mine?? The TV, furnace, etc make my tinnitus go up.. Yeah sometimes if I clench my jaw a can hear my tinnitus go up a tiny bite or like I said when my tinnitus was bad in the beginning I could turn my neck to the left 45 degrees and my tinnitus would go up or a different noise would pop up. Does your throat hurt like where your spine is?

 

[threefirefour]

So your tinnitus goes up with sound in the room like mine?? The TV, furnace, etc make my tinnitus go up.. Yeah sometimes if I clench my jaw a can hear my tinnitus go up a tiny bite or like I said when my tinnitus was bad in the beginning I could turn my neck to the left 45 degrees and my tinnitus would go up or a different noise would pop up. Does your throat hurt like where your spine is?

Not really. My throats hurts but that's because it has a ton of issues.

 

[SugarMagnolia]

I think the 2 year thing is more geared to people that have T from TMJ or a jaw misalignment, not acoustic trauma.. I could be wrong though.

You're probably right. I'm glad those folks will improve, but every time I read that I feel sorry for myself.

 

[PeterL]

Depends. Tinnitus can go away in 1 hour or never.
Has to do with the cause of tinnitus. If the cause is fixed, tinnitus will stop.

For example in sudden hearing loss when hearing returns to 100% tinnitus will stop.

I believe you are confusing tinnitus, with pulsatile tinnitus. There are no cures for tinnitus at this time, though there are several therapies/treatments that can help someone habituate to T. For PT, if the cause is found, it is likely to be treated, however 30% or so do not have a definitive cause found.