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Ask HN: Has anyone gotten complete, permanent relief from tinnitus?

• tikkun 3y ago
  Yes, mine is not solved in theory but is solved in practice. The ringing is still there if I listen for it, but it’s effectively unnoticeable and I’m now unbothered by it. The solution that worked for my was basically “acceptance and commitment therapy” - I think I learned it from a book written by a Dr Russell or something like that. Would recommend, am very glad I did it. It seems kind of kooky though, it’s almost like you pretend the tinnitus is a part of you and you have a conversation with it and welcome it and all that kinda stuff over time, and then eventually it just kinda stops being bothersome. Doesn’t really make sense, but worked well.
  • iamthemonster 3y ago
    Dr Russ Harris: https://www.actmindfully.com.au/free-stuff/ https://www.actmindfully.com.au/free-stuff/ It's not too kooky nowadays, it's a relatively widely practiced approach used by clinical psychologists.
  • tekkk 3y ago
    I think this is the only way as of moment. Just desensitize yourself to the sound until there's no effect on you. One thing I tried as I was still anxious about the matter that I had damaged my hearing permanently, was sitting in a pressurized chamber with a lot of oxygen. Ridiculously expensive and did basically nothing. Possibly if you go immediately after it happens it might help but I'm doubtful of its benefits (the company was making a buck though as single-person business). I just remember this lady who had hit a garbage can's lid too hard which had made her ears ring. How unlucky. She was quite stressed about it as well.
  • CapsAdmin 3y ago
    I've had it for as long as I can remember soI don't know what life is without. I've had some curiousity from time to time, but that's the extent of it. I truly believe acceptance is the best cure when no cure exists in this case, but it's also the most difficult method in all aspects of life.
    • ehnto 3y ago
      I know stress is an aggrevator of tinnitus for me, clenched jaw and tight neck muscles etc. So in a practical sense, worrying about it literally made it worse by triggering those stress reactions which worsened the tinnitus. It's that mechanism that acceptance helps me with. I am not always accepting, but if I can calm myself down and just deal with it, it lessens drastically.
    • prokopton 3y ago
      I’ve had it since I was a kid too. Only notice it in small closed rooms. If I’m outside I don’t hear it.
• RelativeDelta 3y ago
  It's impossible to cure. The 'ringing' sound people hear isn't actually a sound. It is how the brain processes signals produced by damaged Stereocilia. If the 'ringing' is constant it means the cilia are permanently damaged. While it would, in theory, be possible to use surgery on the ear and some sort of lazer to completely remove all damaged cilia to avoid them outputting a damaged signal, this procedure would be incredibly invasive and risky. I don't believe it's ever been done and i would find it hard to believe any Otolaryngologist willing to try.
  • deadbolt 3y ago
    There's a trick which I can't recall the name of, which involves thumping your fingers across the back of your neck, which temporarily resolves tinnitus in some people. I have very mild tinnitus, and have noticed that that does quiet it. This is a question for everyone I suppose, but does anyone know why that works? Could it be possible to develop an implant or something which generates the same effect?
    • rewgs 3y ago
      It works for people that have tinnitus due to tight neck muscles. Tinnitus due to damaged ears is a whole different beast.
      • deadbolt 3y ago
        I went to a lot of loud concerts when I was younger and just assumed that I had tinnitus from those, and until now, I had no idea there were multiple causes of tinnitus. I had assumed this was incurable but if my tinnitus is from tight neck muscles, that seems fixable. I'm going to reach out to my doctor about this. Thank you, I think you might have just greatly improved my life.
      • criddell 3y ago
        When you twist your head around, do you hear a grinding noise? For me, it’s almost like a cardboard box being dragged across a sandy floor. It is a real noise because I’ve been able to record it with my phone. I also have tinnitus. I wonder if it’s all related?
• oblib 3y ago
  I've been dealing with tinnitus for about a year now. The only thing I've found that helps is Ginko Biloba. I'm buying that at a "Dollar General" store so the source is iffy and so is the effectiveness, but it certainly does help. My wife has a friend who told her just a few days ago that her husband has had some success toning his done by chewing Bay leaves. I've not tried that yet, but I will soon. From what I've read there is still no "cure". But those two things may contain a clue that's worth looking for.
• pacomerh 3y ago
  In my case it has 2 modes. Super loud and very attenuated. I still have no idea what triggers it, I thought it was loud noises, caffeine, tiredness etc, but seems like its not a 100% rule. I have been super tired and done all those things and suddenly its super attenuated. So it's super random. Im sure for certain people there must be something that helps reduce it, maybe something related to the nervous system. I honestly don’t mind it anymore as long as I can hear. You can learn to tune it out for sure
• an_aparallel 3y ago
  i think there is research being done on cilia regeneration: https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-regeneration-0329 https://news.mit.edu/2022/frequency-therapeutics-hearing-reg... obviously time to get approved/confirm it works - etc lies ahead. other than that - i had taken up drums and was paranoid of tinnitus, i could hear ringing etc. once i got audiologist confirmation my hearing was 20/20 guess what? It went away. Anxiety levels can affect it...obviously it was mild for me - chronic sufferers wont get away with "dont worry about it and it will go away".
  • khaki54 3y ago
    Sadly their main candidate didn't pass early trials. $FREQ
  • mwint 3y ago
    > audiologist confirmation my hearing was 20/20 it’s possible you didn’t go to an audiologist. (/s)
    • an_aparallel 3y ago
      i was thinking that while typing haha.
    • cedws 3y ago
      Well, human hearing ranges from 20Hz to 20kHz.
    • pasc1878 3y ago
      Hmm, My latest audiologist test was in an opticians
• Jhsto 3y ago
  One month was the worst point. It gets better from there until it's unnoticeable unless in a silent room. You will be surprised how the brain is able to both cancel out and then rebalance the sound input to normal (should your tinnitus be one-sided). Same goes for "cracks" that you might hear if the sounds are too loud -- they also go away in time. I might as well note that anecdotally, barotrauma makes the tinnitus better temporarily. Maybe there is an explanation -- traumatic tinnitus can be at least alleviated by going into an overpressurization chamber immediately after the traumatic event. It seems like even after the fact, a pressure difference has temporary effect. For example, my tinnitus feels better after ascend on flights, even though in this case it's underpressure. The best motivational video that I still think of after 10 years is this: https://youtu.be/eOU0JhkHY3w https://youtu.be/eOU0JhkHY3w
• stray 3y ago
  Does no longer caring count as relief?
• n8henrie 3y ago
  I'm a physician with lifelong bilateral tinnitus. Multiple pitches, quite loud, and acutely worse on the right side for the last 1.5 years or so (with some slight hearing loss). I've spent a lot of time on PubMed, but so far I've not found anything that helps mine, even partially or temporarily. I've consulted with close friends that have significant expertise is relevant fields, which has not been fruitful. Thankfully it's just part of existence as I've always known it, and so it's usually not too difficult, but can really be maddening when trying to fall asleep.
  • riku_iki 3y ago
    > but can really be maddening when trying to fall asleep does white noise help?..
    • vohk 3y ago
      Not the same user, but I've found the most relief from pink noise like rain or a waterfall played through decent speakers. I find it to be easier on the ears and less distracting than white noise. I'd recommend anyone suffering play around with the generators on myNoise. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they kept me going when I was first adjusting to the ringing. https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/rainNoiseGenerator.php https://mynoise.net/NoiseMachines/rainNoiseGenerator.php
      • cpeterso 3y ago
        I also listen to pink noise or rain sounds on headphones throughout my work day. I worry about the side effects of listening to random noise for so long, but I continue (not loudly) because it effectively masks my tinnitus (and helps with my task focus).
      • dataengineer56 3y ago
        I can't sleep with any colour of noise from a speaker, but a physical fan in the corner of the room does wonders.
    • pasc1878 3y ago
• deleted 3y ago
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• rewgs 3y ago
  Not yet. I have absolutely insane tinnitus -- crazy high pitched, can hear it over any sound, too many tones to count. Also have hyperacusis but that's another topic. In any case, historically I've paid a lot of attention to this space. Perhaps the most notable attempt at a cure was Frequency Therapeutics, whose efforts were promising, but unfortunately didn't pan out. There's a constant churn of biotech companies trying to solve this, as curing tinnitus (and/or hearing loss) would be a goldmine, but no one has really gotten anywhere yet. If you want to stay on top of it, the /r/tinnitusresearch is a pretty good hub, and there are a few mailing lists out there. That said, over time I found that ceasing to follow all the promises and inevitable disappointments helped me better achieve the only real "treatment" we have right now, which is accepting it and slowly learning to live with it. When there's a real deal cure, you'll know about it. Until then, I suggest not paying attention to the churn and the extremely dubious "treatments" out there.
  • actinium226 3y ago
    Good advice. I've had it for a few years now and mostly learned early on that the best strategy is to just try to live your life and not pay too much attention to it. Occasionally I hear about some "therapies" though and I figured trying to ask the community and specifically asking about "full relief" would be the best way to know for sure if I was leaving anything on the table. I read about the Frequency Therapeutics stuff, and saw the initial promise and subsequent disappointment. Oh well, maybe next year :)
• comfrey11 3y ago
  I suggest Monarda. A plant. It can clear ear congestion.
  • jasfi 3y ago
    Found this: > The plant also seems to tone the brain circulation, which makes it interesting for cognitive or tinnitus problems due to poor circulation. https://aromaplantes.com/en/herbal-medecine/177-monarda-organic.html https://aromaplantes.com/en/herbal-medecine/177-monarda-orga... It seems to work similarly to Ginkgo Biloba for tinnitus.
  • sebcat 3y ago
    Monarda is many plants. Any one of them in particular? Will I get the same effect drinking Earl Grey tea?
  • abledon 3y ago
    aka bergamot tea
• beezlewax 3y ago
  Considering all of our hearing gets damaged slowly over the course of our lives, why does tinnitus only effect some people? I've had it for short periods of time after listening to loud live music, but hours later it just fades out to disappear. A musician once told me that it was the sound of your ear getting damaged and when you hear that you'll likely never hear those frequencies again. I'm not convinced it's an entirely physical issue though. Our brains can filter out all kinds of excessive external stimuli both visual and from other senses so why not that ringing also?
  • retox 3y ago
    >A musician once told me that it was the sound of your ear getting damaged and when you hear that you'll likely never hear those frequencies again. This is a line in the film Children of Men (highly recommended), can't remember if it's in the book but either way it isn't correct.
  • axelthegerman 3y ago
    Definitely a mix of physical and nerve stimulation. Either way temporary exposure can cause temporary issues, once it's permanent though it seems irreversible for now
  • deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]
• ghoogl 3y ago
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• axelthegerman 3y ago
  In highschool I basically lost my hearing on one side. It went silent for a little bit and now I have a static/beeping on it almost constantly. Had overpressure therapy in the weeks/months after but didn't help. Have a bone anchored heading aid (via implanted screw) but doesn't work well. Learned to live with it but mostly terrified if something will happen to my other ear... still have a few decades to go I hope, so better hold on to the hearing I have or science better hurry up
• obobbobo 3y ago
  This is the research people are watching at the tinitustalk forums https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230605181219.htm https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230605181219.h... https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-university-of-michigan-tinnitus-discovery-%E2%80%94-signal-timing.2805/page-182 https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-university-of-michi... Apparently it's in the process of being commercialised in the US.
• geuis 3y ago
  SciShow on YouTube just published a video on this topic. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yAFOvDT16EA&t=342s&pp=ygUQU2Npc2hvdyB0aW5uaXR1cw%3D%3D https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yAFOvDT16EA&t=342s&pp=ygUQU2Np... There's some mediation treatment somewhat similar to the mirror box used to help amputees with phantom limb pain. It's all still early but something to look into further.
• avalys 3y ago
  I have had very mild tinnitus my entire life - since as early as I can remember in childhood. It's never been particularly bothersome but in a quiet room I can clearly hear it. However, when I received the second dose of the Pfizer mRNA vaccine in 2021, within a day I had a substantial increase in tinnitus in both ears, particularly my right. I also had a persistent sensation of "fullness" in my right ear. I went to an ENT. They were pretty skeptical of the connection to the vaccine, said they couldn't see anything physically wrong with my ears, but we had a good conversation about tinnitus in general. They told me there wasn't much anyone could do, but anecdotally, they did think that many of their patients reported actual improvement from an OTC nutritional supplement, "Lipo-flavonoid", specifically marketed for tinnitus. https://www.amazon.com/Lipo-Flavonoid-Supplement-Recommended-Effective-Treatment/dp/B07GTHKNC6 https://www.amazon.com/Lipo-Flavonoid-Supplement-Recommended... I ordered a bottle and tried it out, and sure enough, I do think it made a difference - it did seem to quiet down the tinnitus, but not back to the level I was used to. After about 2 months the tinnitus and sensation of fullness faded. I elected not to get the booster. Best of luck to you. I do suggest giving this supplement a try. For those of you skeptical about any connection to the covid vaccines, you might find this article interesting quoting the Editor-in-Chief of the journal VACCINE and head of vaccine research at Mayo Clinic. https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/08/08/tinnitus-widespread-study/6281659985508/ https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/08/08/tinnitus-widespre...
  • cedws 3y ago
    Did you have flu symptoms after the vaccine? How often do you usually get ill?
    • avalys 3y ago
      I recall some fatigue and maybe light muscle soreness or something like that, but pretty mild symptoms overall. I’d say I get a bad cold once or twice a year and rarely experience anything more severe than that.
      • cedws 3y ago
        I wondered if the vaccine flu symptoms might've created congestion in your middle ear but sounds like it didn't. Perhaps you could do an experiment on yourself with the supplement to figure out if it's really having an effect or just placebo.
• Loranubi 3y ago
  My tinnitus was caused by flying long distance while having a ear infection. The first year was horrible, but after that it got a better every year and about 5 years later it's basically gone. I can only hear it now when I am in a very quiet environment or (this is the simplest way to revive it) bite down hard on my teeth. I think my brain has adjusted to the sound by masking it. Most doctor visits were quite disappointing since they didn't do anything. I heard from many people that early therapy can help a lot (like oxygen therapy) but my doctor only tried some of these things after I repeatedly asked for it. But by that time it was already too late (like 3-4 weeks later). What helped me was: - distraction - constant white noise in the background - avoiding any source of loud sounds/music/etc (I am very sensitive on that now) - relaxing my jaw muscles - distraction - going to the doctor at the earliest sign of possible ear infections to stop infections from spreading to the inner ear.
  • LVB 3y ago
    I’m glad to hear of your eventual improvement to a sudden onset case. I’m about 2 months into some likely barotrauma following a random swimming incident. (Innocent stuff… just diving into a deep pool at a rec center, I felt pressure as I went pretty deep, and thereafter my right ear has been stuck very ringy.) I’m still in the queue to see an ENT due to their 3 month backlog, but an audiologist confirmed some severe (near total) hearing loss in my right ear above 6khz.
• captn3m0 3y ago
  Tried a bit for almost a year, got myself rested - realised mine was low enough to barely show up in the test. At that point I started to ignore it, and it works well enough. Except for when I am trying to fall asleep. I sometimes go by many weeks before I notice it.
• fsociety 3y ago
  No permanent relief. It goes away when I meditate but that is temporary. The first few weeks I started vyvanse it completely disappeared, even if I focused on it, but once my body normalized to it, it came back.
• panosfilianos 3y ago
  Could this be relevant to you? https://www.ft.com/content/fc34dbe1-db03-4dd7-91a2-3cc3a367aa01 https://www.ft.com/content/fc34dbe1-db03-4dd7-91a2-3cc3a367a...
• k4runa 3y ago
  I had tinnitus for a while, and tried a few things that didn't work but this thomping technique I found on reddit one day stops it, and I just do it every couple of days and it disappears for a while. Not permanent but whenever it bothers me now I just do this thumping and it disappears in a few seconds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yDCox-qKbk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yDCox-qKbk
  • actinium226 3y ago
    Weird. I tried it and didn't get much effect, but it's interesting to see so many positive comments on it. I'll try it some more over the next couple days.
    • tinnitus93 3y ago
      Try a constant pressure massage instead of the thumping. Pressure should be high enough that the sensation is intense but not painful. The goal is to get muscles around the base of your skull to relax. I was amazed at how quickly it had an effect
    • Narretz 3y ago
      I think that's because tinnitus comes in very different forms and intensity, and since it can't be objectively measured, it's difficult to compare between individuals. My guess ist that you can only silence very low intensity tinnitus with this technique.
• c7DJTLrn 3y ago
  I'll use this thread as an opportunity to say this: if you ever have sudden hearing loss in one or both ears, seek immediate medical attention. Demand a proper consultation and don't take "give it a few weeks" as an answer from a GP. Sudden hearing loss can be reversed with prompt steroid injections but if it's left then it will become permanent. My mother woke up one day with no hearing in one ear. Unfortunately, by the time she got a proper diagnosis it was too late to do anything about it. Since then she's had tinnitus and vertigo to go with it.
  • lnsru 3y ago
    That’s a real thing. Sadly science is clueless about this and doctors even more. Specialized clinics threat sudden hearing loss with intravenous injection cocktails containing steroids and sedatives over the course of few weeks with mixed results. On other hand the cause is not well understood and probably universal treatment does not fit all cases.
  • sinuhe69 3y ago
    So far I can see, sudden loss of any sense (gettin hearing, smell, sight) is always a cause for concern. I will request my doctor to do a deep investigation.
• pengaru 3y ago
  I had mild tinnitus years ago, but it went away over time while I happened to be living in a mostly silent environment off-grid near JTNP. No idea if the long-term quiet environment played a role, but I also occasionally would supplement with sublingual b12[0] methylcobalamin supplements. It's impossible to say what's responsible, there's far too many variables. Maybe just time passing since quitting riding motorcycles is all that was needed. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12_deficiency https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12_deficiency (search in page for tinnitus)
• fexed 3y ago
  I've had it since I can remember. One of my earliest memories, I was 1 or 2 years old, was "playing" with it while falling asleep at night: I'd focus on it and made the ringing grow louder and louder till it was the only sound in my ears, then it steadily grew quiter till I fell asleep. Nowadays, I'm 27 years old, my brain filters it out, but I can still hear it when it's quite. Perhaps it's one of the reasons I always have some background lofi music playing.
  • FLT8 3y ago
    Also had it as long as I remember, at least since I was about 7 or so, which makes me think it's not related to high level noise exposure. I know that because I have clear memories of asking other kids whether in times of silence they could hear anything. It surprised me that they couldn't. My tinnitus is a kind of hissing, predominantly at a very high pitch. I'm in my mid 40's so grew up around CRT TVs. I think it's about the 15kHz horizontal refresh frequency, which makes me wonder whether my brain was trained at a young age to expect CRT TV sounds to be around and now it's just a permanent artefact, like a noise cancellation circuit that's gone wrong. I find it gets worse if I'm run down, or eg. If I drink too much alcohol, or if I wear headphones for too long. If I think about it, I can hear it at any time, but generally it's not too bad. I know it's not very helpful, but acceptance of it and shifting focus to other things definitely helps me, to the point that it usually fades away and is generally not noticeable at all.
    • deergomoo 3y ago
      Huh. I’ve also had it for as long as I can remember, and now you mention it mine is also almost identical in pitch and sound to CRT whine. I’m only 30, but I didn’t get my first LCD TV until I was a teenager. My hearing in general is fine, although I have always struggled a little with understanding people unless they’re facing me. I can hear them just fine, I just can’t always parse what they’re saying. Maybe related, maybe not. I should be thankful at least because mine never bothers me. Like GP I thought this was something everyone experienced.
• hereforcomments 3y ago
  https://www.lenire.com/ https://www.lenire.com/ We want to try this with my dad. He has tinnitus for around 5 years, it started after an ear infection. It works the same way as the method in obobbobo's comment. It's FDA approved!
  • actinium226 3y ago
    I'd heard about this. Their studies seem to have mixed results, and there's mixed anecdotal evidence on /r/tinnitus at best. I looked into it, there's a clinic near me that offers it, but it's $5000! My tinnitus isn't so bad that I feel compelled to drop 5g on fixing it, but I think their idea seems promising and I hope they continue to research it and find new ways to treat it.
• Uptrenda 3y ago
  I had this for months when I stopped taking benzos. I remember it made all the music I loved sound out of pitch and awful. It kind of makes you feel out of touch with the world too when you're getting this weird distorted version of it. All I can say is I hope you can learn some good coping strategies. I don't have this symptom any more but I sympathize.
• villmann 3y ago
  I had a period of bacterial imbalance in my gut caused by Plastocystis Hominis. At it's worst, I got periods of tinnitus. After being cured, took a year to find the cause, the tinnitus also disappeared. Worth checking out the bacterial balance in the gut and trying some probiotics.
• ddmf 3y ago
  My tinnitus is there pretty much all of the time, and then for an hour or so it will disappear. Over the last year or so I've developed really bad hyperacusis, this coupled with misophonia had made me severely suicidal, I even contacted the local mental health services and autism charities. I've reduced that by wearing coloured lenses, I had been diagnosed with irlen but I see it as a little bit woo, however the coloured lenses have really worked. My theory - I have a sensory fuck-it-bucket - I'm bombarded by all this crap every day, and if it overflows I'm under real stress, by reducing overload from other senses my bucket fills much slower, and the sound and tinnitus doesn't seem to affect me so much. Strange to think that a £16 pair of cheap glasses has saved me.
  • lazy_moderator1 3y ago
    where did you get the glasses from?
    • ddmf 3y ago
      They're GloFX, the rose coloured ones. Got them from eBay. They do all the irlen colours under the guise of colour therapy.
• rapjr9 3y ago
  Aspirin can cause tinnitus, so stopping it, especially if you take a lot or regularly, can make tinnitus disappear. There are a variety of other drugs that can also cause it: https://www.healthline.com/health/medications-that-cause-tinnitus https://www.healthline.com/health/medications-that-cause-tin... https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/features/aspirin-acetaminophen-linked-tinnitus https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/features/aspirin-a...
  • actinium226 3y ago
    Oh yea, that stuff is known as "ototoxic" meaning toxic to the ears. Even since I had ear issues a few years ago I stopped taking any, not that I took much to begin with.
• DirtyKoder 3y ago
  This video does not cure it, but it'll help you accept it and don't care about it now most of the time I'm just not noticing it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4zuVk5STuM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4zuVk5STuM
• tdrgabi 3y ago
  I don't have tinnitus, so I can't verify, but I stumbled a long time ago across this reddit thread https://np.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/3l3uri/these_guys_lighting_a_mortar_shell_in_their_garage/cv3474n/ https://np.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/3l3uri/these_guys_light... The url looks weird, I'm not talking about the video but the comment this links to. It looks like ... his method makes it stop for 10-15minutes, so it's not permanent.
  • tinnitus93 3y ago
    Just tried this and it did temporarily stop the tone for a moment. Easy to do, instant relief. Simple massage to the muscles near the base of the skull. A physical therapist commented that tight muscles contribute. Hopefully practicing this regularly will prolong the effects.
• harryvederci 3y ago
  I'm not saying this will work for everyone, but I just lie to myself. I know this isn't true, but I've told myself that having tinnitus is a normal thing, that everyone has. The "fact" that it's normal and that everyone has it has removed the suffering for me. Weird, but maybe it will help someone here. "Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional."
  • saalweachter 3y ago
    Honestly it's not much of a lie. Something like 20% of the population in the US has some degree of tinnitus.
  • darksim905 3y ago
    It's not normal though, and not everyone has it. I'm surprised there hasn't been a documentary on tinnitus like there is on the fear and scams around beef products being poison, the real estate market, mortgage backed securities, etc. It's a silent killer. Many people in this thread have eluded to suicide as a result of their ringing. that's up there with depression.
• FedorinoGore 3y ago
  Close family member experience: https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-020-02947-9 https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12... It helped surprisingly soon. My family member had Tinnitus for 6 month, super high pitch, appeared as burnout reaction. We were told by the doctor that this treatment might take several rounds and has a high chance of not working at all if physical damage is involved.
• dizhn 3y ago
  I have mild tinnitus on one side. It doesn't cause too much discomfort but it's there. I am pretty sure it is caused by something pressing on a nerve on my neck so it's probably not the kind that most people have. I am hyphotizing that it would go away if I fixed the neck issue but that itself isn't so easy to do either.
• heavyset_go 3y ago
  At least for me, ignoring it seems to work as well as ignoring eye floaters seems to. They're there, but I can filter them out to the point where I forget that they're there. That's it. It's not permanent, but I can forget it's there.
  • raducu 3y ago
    As someone having both tinnitus and eye floaters, this rings (pun intended) so true.
  • TillE 3y ago
    Yeah just gotta accept that your body gradually deteriorates. I know some people have really bad tinnitus, and that's different, but typical mild tinnitus is almost completely ignoreable after a while.
• darkclouds 3y ago
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• r_sz 3y ago
  I'm just speculating here. If somehow we could determine the exact waveform of the ringing, wouldn't be possible to just play the reverse waveform and cancel it out? Like how active noise cancelling headphones are doing.
  • P-Nuts 3y ago
    My tinnitus, that my second covid infection gave me, is outside my current hearing frequency range.
  • steve1977 3y ago
    Unlikely, because tinnitus is (from what I understand) a malfunction of the auditory part of the brain. There is nothing physical to cancel out. Also, mine for example, is not completely static.
  • bmitc 3y ago
    The ringing is from the nerves and not an actual acoustical wave, isn't it?
  • 15457345234 3y ago
    I have tinnitus which is within the frequency range I can hear, what I've found using headphones and a web tone generator is that I can establish a 'beat' frequency but I can't cancel it out entirely. That leads me to suspect that the frequency and phase of the tinnitus isn't consistent enough to cancel without actively tracking it, and how do you do that?
  • riwsky 3y ago
    Tinnitus isn’t sound in the “vibrating molecules of air” sense—it’s a neurological phenomenon. Anything’s possible—but our perception of sound is not obligated to play by the same rules as physical sound does, and ANC relies on those rules.
• tomhoward 3y ago
  Short answer is no. But I have had complete temporary relief for a few days at a time that coincided with other signs of healing in my body, which hints at what could bring about permanent abatement. I’ve had mild tinnitus since I was about 12-13yrs old (I’m in my 40s now). It’s never been especially debilitating; it doesn’t impair my hearing or diminish quality of life, it’s just always there in the background. Since about the same age I’ve had signs of inflammation in the digestive system/respiratory system and other mild/moderate symptoms that research suggests are related to microbiome issues - EBV, CMV, etc. at its worst it’s been like chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia, though not always and not these days. I’ve tried a lot of things over the years to try and resolve these issues - diet/nutrition, detoxing, cleansing, infrared, occasionally more extreme things I won’t mention here. On a few precious occasions everything seemed to click into place and I just felt a really pleasant, energized feeling through my body, the signs of inflammation went away, my digestion improved and the tinnitus abated and my hearing was completely clear. Every time however, the baseline symptoms, including the the tinnitus, returned within a few days and remain to this day (though probably at a milder level than a few years ago). I don’t have any definitive takeaways from all this, but it suggests to me that if there’s a way to fully resolve chronic inflammation and microbiome issues (which are quite common), it may bring about a complete abatement of tinnitus. (You can Google for CMV tinnitus/EBV tinnitus to find research papers and articles/discussions on correlations between these conditions).
• MichaelMug 3y ago
  I’ve had tinnitus for about one year now. There is no permanent relief or treatment. Lots of snake oil. My hearing was tested by an Audiologist and my hearing was normal. The “sound” I observe is high pitched. Using a tone generator I matched it to around 16,500 Hz. Interestingly, if I play that tone I get temporary relief on the order of 2-10 minutes. As far as I understand my tinnitus is the result of something going wonky with the signal processing in the brain. If you’re suffering from tinnitus for the first time it’s important to remain calm. There is defiantly an amplifying effect from the psychological aspect of tinnitus. Eventually the body will “habituate” if it does not go away. It took me around 3-6 months to be able to ignore it. During the day I rarely hear it. At night a little more. Playing sounds at a low volume on a Bluetooth speaker helps. For example on Spotify an artist called “TMSOFT” has good stuff. In the day I’ll listen to jazz or lofi. It’s important to protect your ears. iPhone has a hearing protection feature for headphones and I have it on the lowest setting. I would avoid in-ear headphones. Use hearing protection at concerts.
  • hbossy 3y ago
    Have you tried playing that tone and shifting it's phase to cancel the imaginary signal?
    • od1nos 3y ago
      Phase is a physical property of sound waves that cannot influence a signal originating from the brain or cochlea.
      • eps 3y ago
        Doesn't mean you can't match it.
      • simbolit 3y ago
        Yea, but he proposed shifting the phase of the physical signal (16.5khz) which supposedly matches the frequency of the imaginary signal. I still think it's unlikely to work.
• quietpain 3y ago
  I developed T after a series of encounters with benzodiazepines to lessen my nerves when I was coping with burnout. I didn't know I had burnout, I didn't know what was happening to me, I just wanted it to stop. My tinnitus became unbearable in the weeks after a psychiatrist took me of an benzo and put me on an atypical antipsychotic medication. I always blamed the new medication as the cause of my symptoms (of which T was one) when in reality it was the cessation of the benzo. After 5 years of Tinnitus-hell I was put on yet another benzo and my symptoms were _gone_. It lasted only a number of months, though and when I stopped taking the new benzo ... it all came back. I came to the diagnosis of benzo-dependency myself and found a psychiatrist who agreed to assist in a 6-month withdrawal with a gradual taper. After each step my tinnitus came back a bit for a few days and then dropped again. After a number of iterations it became what is known as "baseline", i.e. a background tinnitus I can live with. In recent months I started taking Magnesium supplements in the form of citrates and Taurine. I then found this on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/tinnitus/comments/znyuyj/partial_success_with_ltheanine_and_magnesium/ https://www.reddit.com/r/tinnitus/comments/znyuyj/partial_su... The top comment by kenzocarj is my current working model for dealing with Tinnitus. I'd like to try L-Theanine but it's illegal in my country - you can buy it in a form that has added glutamine which worsens my T. I'm now drinking matcha tea as a source of L-Theanine. Hope this helps.
  • spuz 3y ago
    What affect did magnesium have on your tinnitus? What about the L-Theanine?
    • quietpain 3y ago
      The magnesium had a dampening effect which started gradually after about 2-3 days - I take it daily around noon in a 400 mg dose. It also had a soothing effect on my restless leg syndrome (one of my other benzo-induced symptoms) which eventually disappeared altogether. My Tinnitus is coupled to poor sleep (both quality & quantity) and I noticed an improvement on that front as well after a few days of magnesium. I started taking L-Theanine in the form of matcha tea together with my girlfriend. Since then we're both experiencing vivid dreams. Unfortunately we've also started taking this at the same time before bed: https://www.physalishealth.com/en/food-supplements/stress-sleep-good-mood/relax-and-sleep/ https://www.physalishealth.com/en/food-supplements/stress-sl... ... so we're not quite sure which one is improving the vivid dreams. I started taking magnesium several weeks before I started with the tea and the relax & sleep supplements. It was because of the apparent success with magnesium that I'm now exploring these paths. I'm not sure whether Taurine has any effect (the supplement I started after Magnesium and before L-theanine). I'm sticking to the Glutamine-Glutamate-Gaba model and found this site that has a number of pointers and supplements in that area: https://bebrainfit.com/glutamate-neurotransmitter/ https://bebrainfit.com/glutamate-neurotransmitter/ I'd advise to try one at a time, around the same time every day and evaluate after a week. Start with Magnesium (not in the form of an oxide)
• earthnail 3y ago
  Still have it. However: I worried about my tinnitus for so long. It drove me nuts at the beginning. Then one day I stopped worrying. I can't even tell you why, or when exactly that happened, just that it happened. I remember reading all the comments saying "you'll get used to it", and then lying awake at night and thinking "I'll NEVER get used to it". It felt like I would have to accept a huge handicap. I really didn't understand how people could just say it doesn't bother them anymore. Really, that loud sound doesn't bother you? And here I am today. I don't even think about it on most days. And most importantly, it does not feel like a handicap at all. It's mostly just gone. Still there and clearly audible when I think about it, but otherwise gone. Zero impact on my regular life, on my music listening or music making behaviour. I also have a pretty strong hayfever allergy. Many people told me I'd get used to that, too, and I have to disagree: no, I don't get used to it, I'm 35 years old and it drives me nuts every single year. But the tinnitus is different. I have it for over 15 years now, and it just became irrelevant.
  • martopix 3y ago
    For hayfever, different kinds of solutions exist: "vaccines" can help in severe cases; antihistamine pills are the main solution, but I found that some don't work for me and others do: you should ask a doctor and try another one; cortison-based nasal spray and eyedrops also work very well for me.
• jokowueu 3y ago
  There are upcoming meds that do help but it's still in trials such as RL-81 It's gonna be a while
• throwaw1yyy 3y ago
  Yeah! But I’m gonna say I’m really odd, it’s a lot of vibes and unless I convince a doctor of a case study, I’d never be believed. I have/had Tinnitus (it’s nowhere near as bad as it was 7/10 to it’s current 1/10). It’s been gone 7-8 years now. 1. I listen to music much quieter, and let my ears adjust. 2. This is the weird part. I would get itchy all the time, random pin pricks I’d feel often. I read about monks who meditated so long they could turn off their hearts. So I sat in bed for 3 months (before going to sleep) and tried really hard to look at where I felt an itch and see it was my body was wrong. There was no reason to give me a cue to itch. Nothing was happening. I can easily ‘feel’ the pin pricks if I desire but don’t anymore. It’s like a weird mental trick. I can also feel mosquitos and really anything touch me and no longer get false cues. Anyhow I suffered from tinnitus and did the normal suggested stuff but it didn’t work. So I remembered the time I got rid of my itching and tried to replicate what I did. I sat and listened to ‘true noise’ and untrue ‘noise’ and it wasn’t instant relief but over 2-3 weeks it went to level it’s at now. I only notice it if I desire. It’s louder an extremely quiet environment but I swear it’s almost like I can hear my blood pump. Listen to really low noise. Quieter than whispers. Then up and up. Train your ear to understand sound and not sound. Then go back down again. Sadly the truest quiet will cost you (some place remote with no bugs or wind) but I did it fine at home because I could remember before I had tinnitus. Earplugs I think don’t work because you hear your blood pump. Anyway I’m sorry you’re suffering and I know what I wrote sounds really dumb/unbelievable but I do pretty good on prediction markets… ;) it might work for you. Very weird - no proof in the literature but it worked me. -(I did the itch cue training around 12 or 13, tinnitus around 22) -(I didn’t use any drugs)
  • kbelder 3y ago
    This reminds me of something I did as a child. I was sitting alone in my parent's car, and a bee stung me. I started to get upset, then I just mentally recalibrated. The pain was a feeling, a bit of information being transmitted up my nerves to my brain. I just relaxed and listened to the bee sting, not as a pain sensation, but just as a sensation. It turned my mind from going "OW OW OW" to "Oh, that's what venom feels like." I honestly feel like that completely changed my pain tolerance for the rest of my life.
• deleted 3y ago
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• XorNot 3y ago
  Nope! Protect your hearing kids, by the time you notice the problem it's far too late (but we also live in an age of miracles, I'm hoping some type of drug will turn up within my lifetime - if Semaglutide can exist, so can this).
• jamespwilliams 3y ago
  I’m almost completely deaf in one ear and had problems with tinnitus in the beginning (~7 years ago), especially when trying to sleep. Nowadays, I really only notice it when I focus on it, and it has no impact on my quality of life whatsoever. I think a lot of it is psychological.
• wruza 3y ago
  I have it for 4 years and got almost completely desensitized. It is a relief. It’s still there (and right now it rings). But it doesn’t create colorful reactions anymore. During the day, at night, before sleep, it rarely bothers me. Sometimes I even feel comfy about it. In my case the secret was a sort of a therapy. At the second year I’ve become quite suicidal about it. There was a point in time after collecting all the information there is, when I absolutely ultimately had to make a decision. As a result of this thought process, “I will die with it” got fully accepted either way. Somehow this deadened my reactions and after a short while it became just a part of my life that I ignore. My brain got so good at masking it that I have to carefully listen sometimes (yeah, it’s there and it’s loud). I also stopped looking for a cure, relief, methods, threads like this. Not like “I shouldn’t”, but like “not interested”. Pretty sure I must not recommend this way or leave it without a disclaimer: if you feel the same, then get professional help, don’t go through it alone. My key insight is that you suffer while the hope lives, not that you have to lean over the edge to realize that. Edit: upvote to https://mynoise.net https://mynoise.net, it helped to mask it at early stages much better than colored noises or youtube videos. You can tune sound components to your case and there’s a lot of presets now.
  • mettamage 3y ago
    > My key insight is that you suffer while the hope lives, not that you have to lean over the edge to realize that. Same insight. I never got quite down to the deep end as you did, but I recognize the despair. I'm glad you're okay with it now, life is wonderful even with tinnitus :) I once got a 10 seconds full temporary relief using the Wim Hof Method (probably due to lack of oxygen in the brain at that point, lol). That was a mystical experience. It was really tough to replicate as I had to not breathe for at least 2.5 minutes and I was doing this with doctors (for a WHM experiment conducted by the Radboud University) and I was almost at the point of passing out. I consider these 10 seconds as a gift, I never chased it.
    • dalmo3 3y ago
      Had a similar experience the one time I tried Wim Hof Method at home, unassited. My tinnitus was very mild, I was trying WHM for other reasons. However, after those 10 quiet seconds, the ringing came back much louder than before, and has stayed like that since. WHM, never again.
• jFriedensreich 3y ago
  I got mine under control, though there is still a bit left that probably wont go away, but is totally ok for me. Got rid of my 2 main stress sources, changed to a much more healthy diet, drinking more regularly and if there is a new tinnitus attack (i still do not know the propper english word, in german its hörsturz) i do breathing and ear massaging for half a minute. Not just massaging the outer ear but also gently pumping with air pressure similar to adjusting after a flight. I noticed time is super critical here. Just before the tinnitus starts there is 1 or 2 seconds where you feel the hearing disappears its as if the volume is turned down. If the massaging and deep breathing starts in this moment before the tinnitius beeping and noise sets in, it seems to always go away completely after.
  • quietpain 3y ago
    i still do not know the propper english word, in german its hörsturz In several forums I've seen them talk about "spikes"
• gbalint 3y ago
  In my experience, early intervention can help. I got tinnitus at the age of 30 (from a pressure trauma during scuba diving). I received some kind of dementia medication after 2 weeks, and the tinnitus was gone not long after that (and never reappeared). The doctor funnily said that a side effect is that I'm gonna feel smarter :) I'm not sure if it was the medication, or the tinnitus was just temporary anyway, but it was a really loud and unbearable noise for a couple of weeks.
• codr7 3y ago
  There is an entire system of Yoga called Nada Yoga; that deals with listening to so called internal music, usually described/experienced as high pitched tones/chords. I have no idea how that relates to tinnitus; I hear high pitched tones/chords outside of meditation occasionally, but it's never bothering/disturbing. My gut feeling says that sometimes, labeling an experience as a problem is why it becomes a problem.
• zubairq 3y ago
  Being someone with Tinnitus I would love to find a cure too. Maybe one day there will be an operation.
• shafyy 3y ago
  I just realized reading all these replies with people who also suffer from it does somehow help. It helps to worry less, because evidently there's not much that can be done medically (at least for now). So, thanks for this!
  • ycombinete 3y ago
    Yes, especially /u/n8henrie's comment. They have the expertise (assuming they are who they say they are), and have put in the time and research, and came to a conclusion. I'm not going to double up on their work.
• CapsAdmin 3y ago
  This is a little bit off topic but sort of related in how there seems to be at least 2 kinds of tinnitus which might have different cures, if any. I have the kind I believe is called "somatic tinnitus". It's very high pitch and multiple tones. If I stretch my body or clench my teeth it becomes louder. It does not really sound like they come from one ear or the other. It can also become louder if I'm drunk, or if I get a nicotine rush. It also becomes temporary louder if I listen to noise for a long time and then turn it off. But from time to time I also get the occasional high pitch ringing in one of my ears that last for a few seconds. I've also gotten temporary tinnitus from a loud concert. While they are similar they seem different to me. Just having casually talked to other people about this, I wonder if a lot of people have somatic tinnitus but are sensitive to it to varying degrees.
• SunlightEdge 3y ago
  I think I'm an odd case, in that I did have "tinnitus" (a constant high pitched buzz in my right ear), along with a constant tension headache that resulted in me not getting any sleep. I was prescribed sleeping pills and then a visit to the neurologist said all my conditions were caused by anxiety. I actually didn't think I was anxious (I think it was the result of a bad night on cocaine). Err... Anyway, a large career break with lots of relaxation gave me relief from both my daily headaches and tennitus. I was doing lots of exercise and also drinking a lot of water mixed with corriander (I was convinced this would help to detox me for some reason). The tennitus went away after about 2 months and it took about a year to get away from the constant headaches. I haven't done class A drugs since... Probably not at all helpful, but I thought I'd share.
• 0-x 3y ago
  YES! Unfortunately I couldn't tell you how it went away as it just went away over time and never came back. Not even trolling. Had a mild(?) case of tinnitus from about 17 to 20 years of age. Haven't really even thought about it since then but in my case the prime suspect was probably loud music. During that time period I was super depressed and angry at the world so I used to listen to loud heavy metal music nearly all day every day from my earbuds. I stopped doing that because of the tinnitus, but it lingered on for long enough such that I can't draw a clear link between the music and tinnitus. Other potential suspects have been quitting dairy, cigarettes and weed, which I also quit in that same time period as the loud music. If I had to guess, it was probably damaged stereocilia as @RelativeDelta mentioned.
  • dinkblam 3y ago
    stopping to listen to heavy metal because of tinnitus is a really sad story
• c16 3y ago
  I also have what I'd now say is quiet tinnitus, when I used to party a lot it was pretty bad. I won't notice it during the day and I don't really notice it at night, however that wasn't the case a year or two ago. Things I've done to try prevent it getting worse: * iOS has a limit volume option - that's on permanently. * I use a speaker on soft volume in the room when wfh rather than headphones when listening to music. * I have ear plugs on my keys for when I end up going out to music events and festivals (I use Alpine, partner uses Loop). This made a huge difference and I'll go to bed without ringing ears. * I try have days where I don't listen to music. At first it was weird, now I'm quite used to it. * Online meetings, keep the volume low where possible.
  • WildGreenLeave 3y ago
    I've been having tinnitus for at least 5 years now, closer to 10. I'm late 20s so my assumption at first was always that it was because of partying, but I realised that I almost never partied without earplugs because I got it already before I was old enough to go to clubs. So I don't think it is related to loud noise, however, I match most of the things that you say. 1. I always set my volume to the lowest setting possible. I do not trust what Apple says about the 'safe' volume because it still is quite hard. And I am using it with Airpods so I think it should be right, but I still put it lower. 2. At home I always use speakers and almost never headphones, for that exact reason. 3. I always carry earplugs for loud music. (funny story: I went to a bar a few weeks back in Korea and everyone in the group (koreans) asked me at some point if I had some medical condition with my ears since I was wearing earplugs. It just is not used at all there). 4. I try to do meetings with my speakers instead of my airpods, does not always work of course. 5. I often go to sleep with some noise, be it TV, Youtube or Spotify.
  • gofixurcode 3y ago
    Speakers are probably a good option but if you want to achieve a similar effect, in my experience open backed headphones like the ones made by Senheiser have definitely decreased my tinnitus. I found that with my old closed backed headphones my ears would get watery and occasionally one of my ears would get very irritated and sensitive to sound, which made the tinnitus much louder. Since switching I have not had another instance of this.
• bondarchuk 3y ago
  Was there ever some followup to this? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21572827 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21572827 Anyone with tinnitus ever tried it?
• buster3000 3y ago
  I gave up a long time ago (almost 20yrs) after looking into it but recently I had a video pop up on my YT-short feed that looked interesting. It seemed scammy, and it was, but it got me looking more into it again. I came across an FDA-approved device called lenire. Reviews seem hit or miss, but if I'm feeling flush I may try it. I can mostly put up with my tinnitus these days but it can get quite frustrating when tired & I want to sleep.
• jongjong 3y ago
  I had tinnitus for 1 month or so when I was living in London and it went away on its own. Can't remember if it stopped before or after I moved to Germany. In London I was living in a busy area above a grocery shop overlooking a street with a lot of buses going past so there was a constant hum from below. Not sure if it was related but my tinnitus just wouldn't go away. I had had tinnitus before but only for short periods if time and not so intense; only if the environment around me was totally quiet and I was very tired.
• matthewmorgan 3y ago
  I stopped twisting my neck to look at a second monitor. I think I was irritating a nerve or constricting blood flow
• pgporada 3y ago
  Been there about 15 years.
• mtreis86 3y ago
  I've had it for at least 20 years, since high school. It has gotten better the past decade, I suspect due to how much more careful I am about sounds in that time. Its still there but I rarely notice. Wear ear protection.
• gpjanik 3y ago
  I had it while I had ear inflammation and it went away by itself once the inflammation was cured. I'm sorry to hear that your case isn't as easy as mine.
• gedy 3y ago
  Just a reminder for folks who think they just have tinnitus to get their hearing checked. When I first started hearing ringing in one ear, I didn't realize I was losing my hearing in some frequencies due to sensoneural hearing loss.
• drtgh 3y ago
  I would just like to point out that in recent years, in some action films, the sound effects editors are adding a high-pitched tone after the explosions, which in my case rises a real tinnitus that last along minutes. In particular, the moment I hear this tone I quickly fast-forward the scene or stop watching the film with a fit of indignation, before a real tinnitus is triggered due that mere fashion. Thankfully there are other more professional conscientious sound editors that do not do such 'plunder' to our auditive system. I just keep my fingers crossed that they will keep their good common sense, which unfortunately has not been the case in a recent high budget film that was released recently :/
• az226 3y ago
  I got tinnitus after getting covid (which turned into a bad case of long covid that I'm still battling). It started out as maybe a 2 out of 10. Present. Annoying, but not super disrupting. I could play some youtube videos with a creek of water on the lowest sound setting and I couldn't hear it. Then one day a couple of months later it jumped up to a 5 or so. This was disruptive. I had to crank the volume up to about 60% vs 5% before and I had to use a tinnitus flosser matched to my frequency. This was bad. I was losing my mind. I went back to my audiologist and got a hearing aid to reprogram my brain. I did 90 days of light programming and got reduced to maybe a 3.5. After 90 days she cranked the programming up to more intense and I'm now down to maybe 2.5. Definitely livable. Annoying, present, detectable. But also easy to lose track of it when distracted. I hope it goes away some day. It's only in my left ear and a hearing test showed I did have partial hearing loss in my left ear at higher frequencies. One interesting thing in my experience is that just like when you get a new eye glass prescription they ask if A or B is better but here they asked if my tinnitus sounded more like A or B and for every single one I could not answer. It was not like either of them. Not even close. It somehow did not compare. There is a new approach out there and my audiologist has inquired to be part of the next wave (it's super early still) and I will try it out if she gets it. It's a new technique involving modulation and the tongue.
• dwighttk 3y ago
  Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease. No single cause, no single cure.
• az226 3y ago
  Forgot to mention, one of my coping strategies was pretending "well I just got home from a concert" cause you kind of have that temporary ear ringing going to bed after a night out at a concert and "pretending" this was no different. It was comforting somehow.
• poiop 3y ago
  The reality is that the Internet is often useless for this sort of thing. I, like many others, got back problems during the pandemic. In my case science will mostly tell you to do nothing, health care will give you physical therapy, the Internet is full of instant relief stretches, short workout programs and psychological solutions ("don't care" which plays into "do nothing" like science suggests). I managed to rehabilitate myself mostly by walking for hundreds of hours. That isn't really some trick or secret. That is what health care would eventually tell you to do. It just isn't reflected as much as the easy and the qualified solutions. Now I got tinnitus a few weeks back and it's the same landscape on the Internet. But getting the information isn't really the problem, it is making use of it. It's easy to find a high level of engagement and it's easy to find a high level of knowledge. The challenge is finding both. I have always been somewhat sensitive to noise, but a lot of people aren't. They have whining fridges, squeaking doors or noise pollution all over the place. They don't really care. You are dismissing symptom reduction a bit. But as far I can tell that is the solution for most. A combination of stress reduction, lifestyle reform and behavioural therapy, potentially with a hearing aid or noise masking. And then it gets manageable enough that they don't care. Maybe you can do that yourself, but possibly you can't and will conclude that it doesn't work. Of course like I said you shouldn't trust me. I'm going to go find whatever specialist health care can give me without paying too much extra.
• vjaswal 3y ago
  I can't help with tinnitus itself, but I highly recommend "Eargasm High-fidelity Ear plugs", or similar devices, to help prevent further damage. They work really well to dampen loud sounds and, importantly, they let conversation through, though it sounds muffled. But you can feel the difference. They are much better than using foam ear plugs, which muffle everything. I used to go to a lot of concerts without any ear protection, when I was young and dumb. I REALLY wish I had these things back then, since I've acquired mild tinnitus as a result. Now I carry them on my keychain all the time and use them even in restaurants and bars or whenever I'm some place where I have to speak at an elevated level.
  • nzoschke 3y ago
    Amen to always having good ear plugs. I tried many including the Eargasms and never found a comfortable fit. So I got molds and custom ear plugs from Westone. They are so comfortable and high quality they often improve the quality of the music at a concert. My only regret is not getting great ear plugs sooner, as I recently developed mild tinnitus from DJing and going to lots of clubs and concerts. The good news is that with the ear plugs I have returned to all my previous behaviors and the tinnitus is not getting any worse and actually mellowing out.
    • vjaswal 3y ago
      Yeah, the eargasm ones do get a bit itchy and warm after a while. I’ll check out the ones with custom molds. Thanks for the suggestion.
      • monocasa 3y ago
        I've had success with earasers, coming from the itchiness of eargasms.
• kungfooman 3y ago
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• _wwr6 3y ago
  I had tinnitus many years ago for maybe a year. It eventually went away on its own. I had been abusing my ears and when I stopped it eventually died out. One thing I learned, it’s not just how loud sounds are coming to your ear, it’s also doing things like overwearing of earplugs that distance your eardrums from sounds and cause it to do something similar to turning the gain up on a mic.
• scottmcdot 3y ago
  I had it and it went away after a few months. I think it was from listening to my over ear headphones too loudly to drain out some construction noise while wfh for a month.
• akvadrako 3y ago
  I got tinnitus a few years ago and the only thing which reliably helped was drumming my fingers on the back of my head, just above the neck. It silenced the ringing for a few minutes. However, the annoyance went away by itself after a few years. If I focus I might be able to hear it still, but it's hard to tell.
• jerome-jh 3y ago
  Tinnitus is not a disease, it is a symptom. Do you know the underlying condition? If not this should be your priority. It is not easy to have a clear diagnostic when the only symptom is tinnitus (often associated with hearing loss). Some otorhinolaryngologists are satisfied with the diagnostic of "sudden hearing loss", which is catchall for "I don't know". Don't let yourself be fooled by this and search for better doctors. If you are lucky enough to have a diagnostic, then the priority is to treat the disease. This may alleviate the hearing loss and sometimes the tinnitus. In some cases tinnitus may completely disappear (for example in the case of a viral infection affecting the auditory nerve). But often tinnitus remains and you have to live with it. Anyway having a diagnostic is in itself a relief. If you do not have a diagnostic, I guess you have to learn to live with it. It may be more difficult in this case. After all it is not the end of the world. Many things are worse than this. It can be hard to sleep at times. Doing sport improves sleep. It can be hard to hear people during meetings. Sometimes you will have to ask them to repeat. You can seat closer to the main speaker. You can prefer to connect remotely with a good headset. I have a disease of the hear which for sure won't improve. In a sense this is a relief because I stopped "monitoring" my tinnitus so closely, maybe 7 or 8 years after my diagnostic, and 2 years after my second surgical operation. It does not keep me awake at night.
• Podgajski 3y ago
  First post on HN! And apprehensive to say all this but here goes. My tinnitus is triggered upon exposure to EMFs, both household, low frequency EMFs and now from higher band frequency from cell towers. My tinnitus made its' first appearance in 1998 when I was a network engineer and was messing around with WiFi. I did not know EMFs were the cause at that time. But gradually the sound got worse, but would always come and go. (Loud, high pitched, mostly left ear, sometimes I get a muffled pop and then a really loud ringing that tapers off to the normal level.) I also now have physician confirmed hearing loss in my left ear. I first discovered the EMF connection around 2016 when I went camping in the desert and my tinnitus totally disappeared. We were so remote none of us had any cell signal. I still did not realize it was EMFs but at that point I knew there was an environmental connection. It was only after a few years in experimenting that I found the cause. I traveled up toe Green Bank, WV which is a radio free zone with no cell signals allowed and my tinnitus vanished. Why I think this is happening to me is that the EMFs affect the voltage gated ion channels (Potassium?[1], Calcium [2]), in the ear stimulating the neurons [3][4]. I think this is a genetic condition caused my some sort of channelopathy [5] that runs in my family. I use my cell phone on my left as well which would make sense that it is mostly in my left ear. But ever since the 5G roll out things have become terrible for me. Much louder an more frequency in certain places. I am not saying what I have here is proof, and this is the cause of everyone's tinnitus. But my experience is that mine stops every time I am away from Anthropogenic EMFs. And please, no tinfoil hat jokes or Better Call Saul references, I heard them all. [1] https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2015.00077/full https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2015.0007... [2] https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00029.2020 https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.000... [3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32783480/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32783480/ [4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33945157/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33945157/ [5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3935107/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3935107/
  • unsupp0rted 3y ago
    Could you test and confirm this with a DIY Faraday cage around your head? Would the tinnitus instantly stop? https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-make-your-own-faraday-cage https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-make-your-own-faraday-ca...
• deleted 3y ago
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• infecto 3y ago
  The only resource on the internet to read/discuss it. http://tinnitustalk.com http://tinnitustalk.com Everything else is full of people saying they are going to go crazy. My opinion is to approach it that it cannot be cured and is a part of life. I got it around 2016, unknown reasons why, at the time my hearing tested normal for my age. Have seen doctors over the years and while I know its potentially a symptom of something else, I don't know what that something else is. The first few years were brutal, reading online does not help as people talking about going crazy. The best approach is to ignore all that and just accept it. Mine not be that terrible, but it is always there but it no longer bothers me. Sometimes I do get some weird flare ups where it pulsates but overall its just part of my life. The sooner you accept that the better.
  • patorjk 3y ago
    I second this resource. Lots of good threads and discussion here. The forums are full of threads where people talk about things they've tried.
  • 1970-01-01 3y ago
    The 2nd only resource on the Internet is https://www.tinnitustreatmentreport.com/ https://www.tinnitustreatmentreport.com/ You can find ways to participate in clinical trials, and therefore be a small part of the eventual solution.
• taneliv 3y ago
  I had a concussion about ten years ago (lost consciousness and fell on the floor). This gave me amnesia, which lasted for a few hours, and a tinnitus that lasted for about three months. The tinnitus was high pitched and on a specific frequency (don't recall any more details). It made it difficult to focus. Based on some Internet search I found that other people were helped by listening to (coloured) noise. I started self medicating by keeping headphones on during the work day, and quite a bit outside work as well. White noise sounded annoying, pink noise sounded soothing, but both masked the tinnitus and helped focus. I mentioned this to my GP, who didn't think it would treat it, but also that it would not hurt, either. About three months in, basically a daily dose of six to ten hours of pink noise and the tinnitus was gone. Of course, it might have healed all by itself, and listening to the noise worked only as a temporary relief.
  • starstripe 3y ago
    Congrats! Did you listen to the pink noise on headphones or speakers?
    • taneliv 3y ago
      Hey, I missed your comment. Anyways, over-ear and in-ear headphones only, so quite immersive. Colleagues and family were not so keen on me putting it on speakers for some reason.
• stuaxo 3y ago
  I've got some by completing the advice of a tinnitus awareness group I went to on the NHS. Basically acknowledging it as part of the background noise let me stop concentrating on it as much. On the other side I worked out what makes it worse - lack of sleep being one, if I stay up too many days watching Netflix then I'll get bad tinnitus, same for hangovers. It's meant to be linked to inflammation so being more healthy, getting more sleep and putting yourself under less stress all help. It's hard though - rn I have terrible tinnitus, and of course any reminder of it can bring it back, it'll fade until I scroll past this article again.
• NiloCK 3y ago
  I have! ... but not through any conscious method or effort. In fact, this post just "reminded" me of the fact that I had regular and occasionally severe tinnitus over the course of many years. Mine started in high school and persisted well into adulthood. Possibly rooted in a couple of concussions I suffered in reasonably quick succession, possibly too much time under headphones too loud. Right now, I have to think hard to even recall the sensation, which I take as a pretty strong sign that I haven't suffered it for quite some time. Anecdotally, I can say that I haven't used headphones to listen to music in probably 15 years, and I'm gentler in general with the volume knob now than when I was 15-25. Nothing else jumps out as a possible contributor. Hopefully this reminder about the condition's existence doesn't trigger a relapse. I'm terribly prone to suggestion.
• ianbooker 3y ago
  I had tinnitus as a post stress reaction after my thesis. Its well known in my family and so I was extremly woried. I got a shake of different supplements, just to rule this out, did not help. After a week I accepted this as permanent and after two weeks it did not matter to me anymore. I notice it every second month or so and see it as a stress indicator and friendly reminder to go for a walk. But I can easily imagine that this does not work for everyone.
• lacrimacida 3y ago
  I’ve had tinnitus for years and I simply got used to it. It’s unnoticeable unless im in an extremely quiet environment. Most of the time when I hear it it simply fades in the background. Now that the subject is tinnitus Im noticing it again and it’s just a little bit troubling. Im just in my 40s and I suspect it may get worse. Can anyone with tinnitus who is older confirm?
  • p0nce 3y ago
    Same but 36 and it never really got worse for more than six month (say, if you do exposure to loud sounds). Real minor concern for me.
• lelag 3y ago
  I've developed tinnitus in my early 30's for no apparent reasons. I don't think I ever even abused my ears that much. It just happened... Initially, I found it very annoying but you get desensitized over time. Now, I hear it all the time, but it does not bother me much: I have better things to do that going crazy about something I can't much about. I've noticed a few things though: the pitch is always the same but the loudness vary noticeably over time and it seem very linked to my level of stress. If I'm very relaxed, say peacefully hiking in sunbathed forest on a cool summer day, it can become so faint I can hardly hear it. But most of the time, unfortunately, it's pretty loud. When I still cared, I also noticed I could drawn it out with white noise, either natural (ex: a waterfall) or artificial.
• netRebel 3y ago
  My tinnitus is only 2 weeks old, and I went into overdrive finding a cure or a solution, because I read that speed is the primary differentiator for success or not. I tried a lot of stuff and some helped a bit, but: I actually just came back from physical therapy where my jaw muscles get massaged inside and out. There was an immediate tinnitus relief, like 80%. Look up TMD (Temporomandibular joint dysfunction). Ibuprofen helped, too.
• Tor3 3y ago
  I've had tinnitus since I was around 20 years old, got it on new year's eve when some fireworks exploded very close to my left ear. Was deaf for two days and got an 8kHz tinnitus in that ear, permanently, after those two days. It's not very loud, but I always hear it unless it's noisy. I've had it for many decades by now. However - I'm lucky in that I'm not really bothered by it anymore. In fact I didn't notice it now until I saw the HN headline and thought "tinnitus". And now I hear it. It's not very loud, as I said, but still loud enough to hear it over the traffic noise outside. And still, somehow, I forget about it a lot of the time. A guy at work is so disturbed by his tinnitus that he sometimes have to take the rest of the day off. I'm lucky I guess. I don't know if there's any mental method which can help with this. Edit: I remember now that when I still traveled at lot at work the tinnitus would get worse after long noisy flights, and last for a while (up to a month) after that. I started using good noise-cancelling headphones and that definitely helped. As someone else said, protect you ears. It's even more important if you already have some hearing issues, I believe.
• pgreenwood 3y ago
  I've had it since childhood. I just ignore it, and months can go by where I do not notice it. But if someone mentions it then I notice it's presence and that it's quite loud. So thanks for that :)
• DavidPiper 3y ago
  I have tinnitus in my left ear, caused by Meniere's Disease. It's fairly quiet most of the time, really only a single note (more like a squeal), and I only really notice it at night when it's quiet. It's been permanently ringing since October 25, 2019. I've been unable to hear silence since then (I'm 30). Except for a single night: November 12, 2022. For about 8 hours I had no tinnitus. (Sadly, it came back the next morning.) The only unusual thing about that day was that I'd had an MRI (Brain and Cervical Spine, with contrast) for unrelated (and thankfully pointless) reasons. But somehow it fixed my tinnitus for a few hours?? Back in 2019 I had a Meniere's Protocol MRI and CT Scan to diagnose my Meniere's Disease. Gadolinium contrast. No effect on my tinnitus. After a bit of reading I came across rTMS as a possible mechanism for temporary relief of tinnitus - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3563643/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3563643/ - which the MRI that day would have induced. (Can't explain why the previous one had no effect, but the paper suggests that the literal motion and direction of the magnetic resonance matters). A Uni nearby where I lived was even doing clinical trials. But I was dealing with another health issue at the time, and life got busy, and I've since moved interstate. I have no idea how it works or if it's just some incredible coincidence. But one day soon I'll go exploring down the rTMS path and see if I can consistently get tinnitus relief. Like others in the thread, I've heard of plenty of other snake oil things. And my tinnitus is really not bad enough that I need to consider anything right now. But if tinnitus relief is a real thing one day, my money is currently on rTMS. Just far too big a coincidence for me to ignore.
  • actinium226 3y ago
    My story is pretty similar to yours. I got tinnitus in mid 2018 due to a disease called Cholesteotoma, around the time I turned 30. It's not too bad, except for days when I have trouble concentrating, but a little adderall tends to set that straight. rTMS sounds interesting, I'll keep an "ear" out for it. Best of luck to you.
• deleted 3y ago
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• culebron21 3y ago
  Had it after sickness at the age of 14, it dissappeared itself, but at 32-33 had it because of neck issues. Yoga and neck exercises solved it, as blood vessels became less obstructed. Some diehard yoga exercises like standing on my neck with legs up lead to neck- and head-ache for couple of days accompanied with noteable noise in ears. I have a friend who's an osteopath. He points out that if, at wakeup, you have symptoms like feeling of swollen head or cant breathe with nose despite there's no snoot, and these symptoms go away in few minutes, it's neck issues and obstructed blood vessels and lymph,,which work ok with gravity, but not in horizontal position.
  • DavidPiper 3y ago
    Do you happen to have a list of the neck exercises you did? I've got a set now and wondering if there could be any relation (unlikely, but you never know).
    • culebron21 3y ago
      1. A plank on elbows -- like push-ups, but static just standing on elbows, keeping spine and neck straight. 20-30 secs, not trying hard to keep it longer -- doctor said better do it correctly than long. May gradually increase time as muscles get stronger. 2. Same way, but on left/right elbow, turning body on side, 90 degrees to the floor. 3. Turning neck left/right to the limit, not quickly. 4. Leaning forward and making a circle, like rolling your head left, back, right, and again forward. 5. Just leaning left-right without hurry.
      • DavidPiper 3y ago
        Thank you! I might incorporate those into my sets :) Currently I'm doing resistance exercises: stand straight, look ahead, then try to turn your neck left, right, up and down, but prevent that by using your hands to push against that. I'm also doing lying down chin tucks to strengthen my neck. Turns out 10 years of desk work bad.
• dranudin 3y ago
  I got tinnitus during a particularly stressful (job related) situation in my life. It stayed for about a year or two. Now it is completely gone. I did not do any therapy. It seems what helped for me was "just" to get rid of the stress. I was in my early thirties at the time when I had it.
  • kapep 3y ago
    I have exactly the same experience. It began in my early thirties during a few stressful months. It stayed for about a year but then it was slowly getting better and was gone a few month later. All cures seemed like snail oil to me, or like placebos for people who can't handle the thought that they can't do much about it. So I simply accepted it, knowing that it will either go away on it own or it won't. My partner was actually more stressed over it than me.
• nzoschke 3y ago
  Not complete or permanent but it’s mellowing out over time to where I almost never hear it during the day, and it’s no bother at a quiet night, and easily masked by a fan or a podcast. The main things for me were - take a major break from djing and clubs. I was playing out a lot - get great earplugs. I have westone custom molds - talk to friends about it In talking about it I have been absolutely shocked to learn how pervasive hearing problems are. Lots of friends have some form of tinnitus and some have shared major problems like major tinnitus from playing drums a long time or loss of sound in one ear from rocket explosions in the military. All was a complete surprise, I just assumed everyone’s hearing was great. This greatly helped with my initial depression which presumably was causing me to focus on the sounds more rather to accept and ignore it. Health problems are coming for all of us. Take great joy out of whatever health you do have, try to reduce harm from unhealthy habits, but have fun too.
  • spacebanana7 3y ago
    > get great earplugs. I have westone custom molds I recommend using ear defenders whenever possible in louder environments. They're much more powerful than earplugs and much cheaper. A 30 decibel reduction for $30 is quite realistic.
    • thfuran 3y ago
      You can get 30 dB out of earplugs too.
    • squeaky-clean 3y ago
      Hearos are about $5, re-usable and offer a 30db model. That's about the maximum you can go before you're contending with the vibrations affecting your skull affecting your inner ear being louder than what's coming through the ear canal.
    • tim333 3y ago
      Or cheap ear plugs are much better than nothing at all. I use simple wax ones which I prefer to some fancier option. You can adjust the effect by how much you squish them in.
• slyall 3y ago
  Not permanent but there is a trick to make it go away for a short time. I read about it recently and it works for me. 1. Place both hands on your ears. Palms tight on the ears and fingers backwards 2. Now tap with your fingers on the back of your neck. It doesn't have to be hard. It will sound very hollow. 3. Keep tapping for 30 seconds 4. Stop and remove hands from ears Your ringing should have gone away. For some people it goes away for hours, others just a few minutes.
  • techbuttman 3y ago
    This is always posted and it always irritates me for some reason. It isn't even worth the effort and it makes me more anxious knowing the tinnitus will return in seconds. It never works longer than that for me. The only relief for me is to accept, ignore it, and do no further damage. Healthier living (lower blood pressure) and time (8 years) seems to has lessened the symptoms.
• spacebanana7 3y ago
  Over the past 4 years my tinnitus has gradually gotten better to the point of being almost unnoticeable. I'm not sure whether it's actually gone away in a medical sense or whether I'm just heavily desensitised at this point. For context, my tinnitus onset coincided with loud music exposure and what I believed to have been eustachian tube dysfunction. I did take some treatment steps like staying away from live music / nightclubs and using antihistamines for the eustachian tube dysfunction.
• User23 3y ago
  If you mean dead silence in your ears when you’re in a quiet place actively listening for tinnitus then no, I’ve never heard of such a thing. Although I am curious if even people without tinnitus can will themselves into hearing a ring in those circumstances. On the other hand staying in a quiet place and rarely using headphones for an extended period of time has let my symptoms drop below the threshold of irritation. They’re still there it I focus on them, but except for the occasional very noticeable passing flare up they cause no distraction or annoyance.
• digitalsushi 3y ago
  I think mine might correspond with my blood pressure. It normally comes in with my morning coffee, or when I am being very stressed out by work. If I am ruminating while trying to sleep it will be fantastic levels, piercing. I'm a slave to white noise, and during power outages will wake from a dead slumber to listen to the needle threading between my ears.
• anarchy89 3y ago
  Ive had it since I was a kid. It’s always there. You just don’t notice it after a while. But if you focus on it or it’s too quiet you will hear it until you tune it out again.
• throwaway161718 3y ago
  I found out about my Tinnitus the most embarrassing way - my wife and we were admiring the relative quietness of the place we were living in, until I freaking blurted out - "but for vibrations of the universe"...... Ever since, it becomes worse, when I read a posting on HN about the subject and it slowly fades away into the background of tolerability. I now view the vibrations as Universe's gift to me :)
• tinyshi 3y ago
  I have about 18 years of experience with tinnitus. I remember when it started, initially with frantic ear cleaning, MRIs, classical music. Later I tried everything, I have come to the conclusion that you learn to live with it. It means it's not going anywhere. I was in my twenties at the time. I think if you can't get rid of it, you have to make a friend of it. Worst case scenario, something like loud banging your finger behind your ear to tap it helps. Noise also helps. For me, head position changes it, as does contracting the muscles in the neck and neck. Poor sleep, hypertension. https://generalfuzz.net/acrn/ https://generalfuzz.net/acrn/ you can try this (found here sometime long ago). Stay strong, look for direction, not a solution.
• ysavir 3y ago
  > If you can't tell, I'm trying to establish an "existence proof" here, if no one has ever gotten permanent relief then it seems like it might not be worth bothering with the "symptom reduction" therapies since they would most likely lead to focusing on the symptoms more intensely. There are many possible causes for tinnitus, and looking for a singular solution to solve it all may be a fruitless errand. Even if someone found one, it may not correspond to your root causes. I've noticed my own tinnitus seems tied up with muscle strain in my neck and shoulders. A frequent trigger is when I turn my head very quickly--a sudden bout of ringing starts in the corresponding ear. I've also seen my tinnitus wind down when I take the time to stretch those muscles, get massages, get acupuncture, etc. The solution here requires upkeep, not a singular, one-time expense. At least in my case.
• kiririn 3y ago
  Try regularly sleeping with earplugs in a silent room. Bringing the noise floor down to a ridiculously low level retrains the brain in my experience
  • starstripe 3y ago
    Did this eliminate your tinnitus or reduce its volume?
• qwertox 3y ago
  I know that sometimes external factors and certain foods make my tinnitus almost unbearable, where I think that this has risen to a new level which is of great concern. There's nothing I can do about it until I kind of forget about it after two or three weeks. Forgetting doesn't mean that it isn't there, it's permanently there, but that I can forget about it for some time, sometimes for hours.
• jtwoodhouse 3y ago
  I had horrible tinnitus for three months. I couldn't hear anything out of my right ear. Foolishly, I went to see Inception with it. That was so disorienting. My audiologist said I was SOL and there was nothing to do about it. A few months later, I went to see a nurse practitioner about something unrelated. The ear came up and she wrote me a Rx for a steroid just to try it and see what happens. Two weeks later, I went for a walk. I heard this rush in my ear and suddenly I could hear again and the tinnitus was gone. It was a miracle. I still had some permanent hearing loss but it was 90% better. I could function and make music again. Second opinions FTW.
  • darksim905 3y ago
    I would love to know what steroid this was.
    • bproven 3y ago
      probably plain ole prednisone... sometimes it works (esp if you catch it early), mostly it doesn't (it didn't for me)
    • jtwoodhouse 3y ago
      IIRC it was prednisone.
  • starstripe 3y ago
    What was the steroid? What caused your tinnitus or did it appear for no apparent reason?
    • Workaccount2 3y ago
      Probably Prednisone, its the go-to anti-inflammatory steroid that doctors prescribe for just general inflammation treatment. The list of things it treats is almost comically long.
      • downut 3y ago
• oooyay 3y ago
  No, but you get used to it. If it's really quiet and I focus on it I can hear the 1KHz tone in my right ear. The last checkup I had indicated I didn't have hearing loss, but frankly I struggle in some of those tests. Sometimes I find myself inadvertently angling my ear in a way that I can hear people better. Other times something in my body seems to make the tinnitus flare up and then I can't hear anything but the ringing for a few seconds. This doesn't happen all that often and I'm more conscious of wearing ear protection these days.
• sirmike_ 3y ago
  Yes. Make peace with it and it will never bother you again.
• phkahler 3y ago
  I've had ringing in my ear, but never more than a day or so. I figured I read the comments here to see if there were any interesting anecdotes, and now my ears are both ringing quite badly after just a couple comments and thinking about the condition. Just going to drop this comment and get out!
• v_cgarcia 3y ago
  I have talked to ear specialists who say there's no cure. Warm water from a shower helps but no permanent cure.
• v_cgarcia 3y ago
  [flagged]
• DontchaKnowit 3y ago
  I've never heard anyone else say this but : I have had significant tinnitus for my entire life. As early as I can remember, I always had ringing in my ears. I think I was born with it. Anyone else? I've only ever heard of people acquiring it over the course of their lives, but I know I was born with it. It doesn't really bother me, since its been normal for me since before I was even forming memories.
  • cableshaft 3y ago
    I think it's probably more common than people think, it's just quiet enough for a long time that most people don't notice it unless they're trying hard enough to notice it. I suspect that's what happened to me at least. I think I actually did have it earlier in retrospect, it was just so quiet it was easy to ignore. For the past four years though? Not so much. I can train my brain to ignore it still, but I need to be pretty focused on other things and/or cover it up a bit with ocean noises or be in a room with ambient noises or something. In a quiet room and I'm not really focused on something else, though, it's quite obvious and can get kind of loud at times.
  • chrislund 3y ago
    Same. Bums me out as I've always protected my hearing, too. I can't say I was born with it, but I certainly remember having it as early as maybe elementary school. I sometimes wonder—admittedly as a medical layperson—if an ototoxic medicine is to blame.
  • brandonmenc 3y ago
    Yep. Since I was a child, as long as I can remember. I just thought everyone heard that high pitch TV tube sound all the time. When cartoons would show "ringing in the ears" with a bell, I thought that's what they meant - that you heard an actual bell sound. I never knew that I was hearing "ringing" all the time. I used to play in bands and listen to live music a lot, so I got my hearing tested a few years ago. I have no damage at all. Surprisingly, I have better hearing for my age in some frequencies. The theory I subscribe to is that it's structural - like, a blood vessel that's just really close to I dunno, something in my ear that is constantly stimulating some sound sensing nerve or whatever. It's been constant, kind of annoying, but not worsening. I'd go nuts if put into a silent room. Fortunately, the world is not completely silent. But I prefer to sleep with white noise or a fan. Sometimes it just fades into the background, but if I think about it (like I am right now) it's really noticeable. I don't consider it a problem, but it would be nice to get rid of it.
• schmidp 3y ago
  I had tinnitus when I was about 20 for multiple months after dancing in front of the loudspeakers of a club. They gave me a TEBOFORTAN, as well as cortisone infusions over several weeks. It was bad enough that I could not concentrate on learning for university. I heard before that psychology plays a big role, so I was trying my best to just ignore it and do something else than studying. It completely went away. I can hear a very small ringing if I concentrate on it and its completely silent, but I had this for as long as I can remember (definitely when I was 4 years old) and I wouldn't call it tinnitus.
• zkelvin 3y ago
  I have achieved effectively permanent relief from tinnitus. And not just habituation, adaptation, or acceptance; I no longer hear the ringing (except very quietly if I really plug my ears and really listen for it, but this probably matches the same level of ringing that I heard before I considered myself to have tinnitus) In the summer of 2016, I first noticed some ringing in one of my ears when I would insert ear plugs at night. I shared my concern with an ENT who then prescribed ciprofloxacin ear drops. I administered it that night to the one ear and awoke a few hours later to profoundly increased ringing. It was bad enough that it triggered pretty severe suicidal ideation. It also greatly exacerbated my difficulty sleeping, which in turn exacerbated the tinnitus, forming a feedback loop. By late 2017, I also started to develop migraines, intermittent brain fog, and malaise. Addressing these symptoms became a higher priority than the tinnitus, although I believed them to likely have a common cause. After the first year or so, I very gradually began to habituate to the tinnitus. By early 2019, I had largely habituated to it. I could still hear the ringing regularly, but it no longer contributed to low mood or insomnia. My other neurological symptoms had also somewhat abated. Throughout that time, I had visited many doctors: ENTs, audiologists, general neurologists, cardiologists, a migraine specialist, a sleep specialist, gastroenterologists. None of the doctors were helpful at all. I had a full battery of tests and none revealed anything abnormal. Around mid 2019, I had mostly given up on doctors being able to help my condition and instead determined that I'd have to figure it out myself. After years of trying to directly resolve the neurological symptoms, I eventually reasoned that I probably had some sort of more systemic issue of which the tinnitus was merely one symptom. This was initially difficult for me to accept as I was otherwise generally "looked" like I was in good health: I worked out regularly (both cardio and weightlifting), I mostly ate healthily, I didn't drink very much, I didn't do any other recreational drugs, I socialized regularly. I then set out to try every possible intervention which was generally safe and which could potentially improve my health (not just the tinnitus, but my health holistically). I tried tons of supplements individually. I reduced my dairy intake. I tried low FODMAP. I tried various prescription drugs (CGRPi, beta blockers, blood pressure medication, etc.). I started to do red light therapy regularly. I started to sauna (both dry and infrared) regularly. I did extended water fasts (5-7 days), which provided surprisingly large (albeit temporary) symptomatic relief. I did some gut microbiome protocols. I tried some other protocols for eradicating latent infections. I tried protocols for improving mitochondrial health and protocols for addressing chronic fatigue syndrome. I tried stem cell therapy, both autologous and umbilical cord-derived. Throughout late 2019 and through 2020, I increasingly started to notice times where I couldn't find my tinnitus, even when I was looking for it. Unfortunately, I couldn't very easily correlate this with any particular intervention. I also was executing multiple interventions simultaneously, so attribution would have probably been impossible anyway. Since late 2020, my tinnitus has been more absent than it is present. I cannot hear it today, even if I listen for it and try to trigger it. The last time I recall hearing my tinnitus involuntarily was mid 2021. I wish I could tell you definitively what caused my tinnitus and which intervention(s) worked for me. My best guess is that I had some sort of gut dysbiosis which resulted in elevated ammonia and hydrogen sulfide levels in my blood. These toxins are known to harm both mitochondria and neurons, which could manifest as tinnitus (and eventually as my other symptoms). This gut dysbiosis likely originated from the time that I got very bad food poisoning twice within two weeks while visiting Southeast Asia; I also had terrible appendicitis in the months following that, ultimately culminating in the removal of my appendix. Red light therapy improves mitochondrial health (which in turn improve anything which relies on ATP production, which is quite literally everything). It seemed to help me. Sauna also improves mitochondrial health. Sweat contains more ammonia than does plasma, and so the sweating from sauna likely reduces ammonia levels (and possibly other toxins like hydrogen sulfide, too). This also seemed to help me. When I fasted, I stopped fueling my gut microbiome, which meant that they stopped producing those toxins. This could explain why I noticed such sudden relief. This also clued me in to this being some sort of diet or digestive issue. I think the gut microbiome protocols helped, but by the time I had started those, my symptoms were already abating. These also tend to be a bit hit-or-miss, and they can take months to impact symptoms. But this theory as to the origin of my condition and what specifically resolved it is probably colored as much by my a priori beliefs about what would work as it is informed by my actual experience. That being said, I do think the general approach of "aggressively try everything (safe) which could potentially improve your health" worked for me and could likely work for many others.
• baby 3y ago
  Not tinitus per se, but I’ll write my experience here because it helped a friend who ran in the same thing, and it might be more common than people think. I took a plane while sick, sinus were kinda jammed, ended up hurting like hell when the plane started landing. Next thing I know, I had a new condition: my hear would sometimes start a beat which I believed to be my heartbeat. It was extremely loud and would drive me insane. It would start at random times and stop at random times. It made me feel helpless and desperate a number of times. One day I decided: fuck it. Just accept it. Just embrace it. And from that point on it bothered me much much less. Fast forward a year and a half I think, and I realized that I hadn’t heard that drumming for a while. I guess time cured it. I also realized that my ears can easily get jammed so I ask for an ear cleaning from times to times (kaiser give it to you if you ask that during checkup). Once in Thailand I woke up with swimmer ear, and freaked the fuck out because I had a flight a few hours in the future. I resolved to not get on that plane if I couldn’t resolve the issue, so I ran to the nearest island clinic and got my ears unstuck. Everything was fine after! Never fly if your sinuses or ears are jammed!
• ggambetta 3y ago
  I got tinnitus after a fateful night at Ministry of Sound in London. There's a sign that says "CAUTION: excessive sound levels" and they're not joking :( I haven't found a permanent cure. Thankfully I'm not even aware of it most of the time, and it's never been an actual issue. I have found a partial, temporary cure - this was discussed on HN a few months ago, and someone linked to a YT video or audio file with some sort of noise patterns (not white noise, more like periodic beeping at different pitches and volumes), and if I listen to that for 10-15 minutes, I can't hear the ringing for a while. Maybe I should try doing this more consistently, and see if it goes away permanently. Has anyone had any luck with that?
  • wahnfrieden 3y ago
    for me what helped was learning some meditation techniques, practicing, learning to control my focus / observe ideas/feelings pass through and away, and then combining that with non-damaging noise at times, trying to avoid harsh high tones (such as by projecting sound at the ceiling and hearing the softened reflection and ambient sound rather). It's still good though to learn to adapt to quietness because noise can be stressing in other ways, physically or psychologically.
• DelaneyM 3y ago
  I woke up one day about twenty years ago with terrible tinnitus, to the point I could barely function. I’d never been to a concert or worked with heavy machinery and didn’t wear headphones (I have tiny ear canals and can’t fit earbuds). I went to the hospital that day, then saw two different specialists, and the only prescription I received was for Ambien so I could at least get a night’s sleep. Even on day three I could barely drive it was so distracting. I woke up on day four and it was totally gone. Like it’d just been a terrible dream. I still went to the audiologist the next day to follow up, he said that sometimes that just happens, and posited that it might have been neurological. He did suggest more tests, but I never followed up. I doubt this is helpful to your case, but it’s an example proof of _something_. My pet theory is that it was related to my migraines - I have very significant visual auras with migraines, which can last up to a day. Maybe this was an auditory equivalent which lasted much longer? (I like this theory more than worrying about a brain tumour, so please don’t tell me it’s impossible.)
  • haltist 3y ago
    If it was 20 years ago then you probably don't have a brain tumor because those are caught very late and are often terminal. Mine is from some high impact sport injuries so there is no permanent solution but if someone doesn't have any special injuries around the neck and jaw area then basic exercises for reducing tension in the neck can be effective. Some people also have sinus and congestion problems which can be "fixed" with antihistamines sometimes.
  • kenmendin 3y ago
    I have migraine headaches and keep a headache diary. I see parallels between days with headache and tinnitus.
• 10ego 3y ago
  Should be an automatic disclaimer for these but my experience my not be the same as others. My tinnitus still happens, typically triggered the next day after being exposed to a very loud setting, like going to a concert for example. One day in judo class, I had an instructor come in who finished the session with some yoga (it was atypical but I actually liked it, stretching out my joints and muscles after being so tense). I felt a pop, not like cracking a bone but something lighter feeling. No more tinnitus. It still comes and goes with the triggers but they're less intense and usually goes away after a good walk and a light stretch.
• autogrue 3y ago
  Dammit. I was good until I read this post.
• westcort 3y ago
  Reading these comments has made me feel very lucky not to have tinnitus. However, as a pharmacist, I have consulted with many people asking about supplements and treatments for tinnitus. One treatment that has worked for some people is lipoflavanoid. A less expensive alternative, available as by prescription only, is gabapentin.
• wahnfrieden 3y ago
  I got mine from a concert about 20 years ago. No it's the exact same as the beginning basically. I just cope better and don't think about it much and still find value in quiet spaces. I was given steroids for recovery within a couple days of the event but I don't recall it actually improving the tinnitus. It definitely was louder in the first day after the event but that's usual for concerts, before it settled on a volume/tone. Now I'm just extremely careful and have good earplugs etc.
• tbragin 3y ago
  A couple of years ago, I started having headaches and debilitating tinnitus, and it went on for months. I was tested by audiologist - my hearing was normal. It turned out that (unbeknown to me) I became extremely anemic due to another health issue. Once I got diagnosed, and anemia was addressed, headaches and tinnitus went away.
• lightweb 3y ago
  Yes. I stopped eating refined sugar and drinking any alcohol and my 90% hearing loss in one ear + tinnitus has gone away in about 3-4 months. I was suffering with it for years. I also had all mercury fillings removed by a specialist with the correct equipment and procedures.
  • merpnderp 3y ago
    I don't know about the mercury fillings, but the times I've completely stopped eating anything with added sugar have had dramatic effects on my health.
  • cryptonector 3y ago
    I also had my mercury amalgam fillings removed and replaced by a specialist in a hazmat-like setup, and I also no longer drink alcohol, and I also don't eat refined sugars, and yet I still hear my tinnitus. But I don't suffer from my tinnitus. I only ever notice it occasionally, when I see any mention of it, or when I think about it. I.e., I got used to it. In the beginning though it was awful.
  • zamalek 3y ago
    Now that you mention it my tinnitus has improved (but not gone) since quitting alcohol. That stuff is just worthless poison.
  • cyrillite 3y ago
    Reduced sugar and salt for me. I was told I have no reason to have tinnitus (including the fact I don’t work in loud environments, use headphones cautiously, etc.) Two years into a “I’d like to be fitter and healthier” lifestyle change and I’ve watched my diet influence tinnitus massively.
  • sschueller 3y ago
    The diet thing is interesting as I have noticed if I drink too much coffee I get a slight tinitus.
  • starstripe 3y ago
    Did you still consume artificial sweeteners?
• 1970-01-01 3y ago
  The best therapy for living with it is being tough. That means accepting it and moving forward with life. Mute or avoid all loud sound as much as possible or it flares and becomes worse. I simply have no other wisdom on it for you.
  • Night_Thastus 3y ago
    What an AH take. I've lived with it for my whole life, and I've accepted that it likely won't be fixed. But if you've had it, you know it can also be HELL at times. Trying to sleep while hearing loud, incessant ringing can be impossible. Being unable to pay attention to a conversation or movie because it's so loud. Never hearing true silence when you just want to decompress. Fear that it will get worse or you'll lose hearing completely. Sometimes it's not bad. Other times it feels like water torture. It's technically harmless but the sensation can make it difficult to even stay sane.
    • 1970-01-01 3y ago
      As an asshole with it, I assure you my take is still correct. :)
• patorjk 3y ago
  I've had tinnitus for around 15 years now. I've followed the research pretty closely. One thing to be especially weary about is the placebo effect. For some reason it's especially bad when it comes to tinnitus. I think that's how so many snake oil products can thrive in this area. Back when they were doing the OTO-313 study a year or so ago, I read several reports from people who were in the study the drug had made their tinnitus go away (one on the TinniusTalk forums, and a few in a tinnitus Facebook group). However, when the results came back, the drug did not beat placebo. A similar thing happened with the FX-322 drug (that one was for hearing restoration but people were hopeful it could address tinnitus too).
• haltist 3y ago
  It is possible by reducing neck and jaw tension but there is no permanent solution. Reducing caffeine intake also helps because caffeine is a stimulant and makes muscle tension worse.
• upghost 3y ago
  I hope this comment reaches anyone suffering from tinnitus. My tinnitus is so bad that I’d … well good news is, I found a great way to manage my brain melting tinnitus. Step 1: YouTube-dl this blessed sound: https://youtu.be/8indTo2ykPw?si=izyTOg4gYvnfsqZs https://youtu.be/8indTo2ykPw?si=izyTOg4gYvnfsqZs (Plz tip the guy) (You should be able to tell just by listening to the sound that it immediately cuts out the tinnitus— if this sound print doesn’t work for you, there may be others that work better. But I have let other tinnitus sufferers wear my headphones and they all say it makes the tinnitus go away completely) 1a: (cut out the dialogue in the beginning with audacity) Step 2: buy a pair of these waterproof mp3 ONLY (it’s an appliance) bone conduction headphones: https://a.co/d/aqqhPm9 https://a.co/d/aqqhPm9 Step 3:put the mp3 you ripped on the headphones and remember what a normal life feels like The only times I realize I have tinnitus is are right before I fall asleep, right when I wake up, and once a day for 20 minutes when I need to charge my headphones. And I want to emphasize my tinnitus sounds like the screaming sun planet on Rick and Morty. It’s really bad. But thanks to this technique I only experience pain a few minutes per day. Good luck everyone.
  • burnte 3y ago
    I'm thrilled it works for you and I'm sorry yours is so bad. Mine is average I'd guess, but I actually avoid those apps that generate these sounds because once I listened and heard the REAL silence, I knew if I did it much longer it would drive me bonkers whenever my tinnitus came back. I've had it since early childhood so I think I learned to tolerate it better, I can mostly ignore it these days. So I'd just say to other people, be careful with those apps/sounds, you might get dependent on it VERY quickly.
    • upghost 3y ago
      Oh yeah, I’d give anything to hear the real silence again. Someone sent this to me as an FDA treatment that’s new, but I haven’t tried it: https://www.lenire.com/what-is-lenire/ https://www.lenire.com/what-is-lenire/ I’m hoping for some “silence tourism” once in awhile!
      • 3y ago
• milesvp 3y ago
  There are some drugs with known tinnitus side effects, you may want to look at meds you’re taking. A friend had good luck cutting out one of the otc pain relievers he was taking and having tinnitus symptoms go away
• instagib 3y ago
  http://tinnitustalk.com/ http://tinnitustalk.com/ as a few have mentioned. I dove into research as well and found one which sounded promising but I didn’t research further. Shocking the tongue. On the website under pulsative they mention surgery based on a specific MRI for pulsative tinnitus being read by a specialist. It cured some people. Mine changes often and both ears are different with multiple different sequences of sounds. I wear hearing aids which I can switch on/off white noise or play music through them with Bluetooth. I play music, videos, or podcasts most of the day and take something to help me sleep. There’s a “How to manage your tinnitus: a step-by-step workbook” by James Henry, Zaugg, Myers, and Schmidt all PhD.
• seviu 3y ago
  I have had Tinnitus all my life, since I was a kid. At the beginning it was intermittent, now it's permanent, to a level where I understand why people have suicidal thoughts. Concentrating on tasks is quite difficult and every audiologist I visit tells me to deal with it because there is no cure. What I find fascinating is that when I meditate or start falling asleep, I can consciously enter periods where it disappears or it becomes bearable. Like if I learn a trick with my brain in which I can mute it. Sadly entering it requires a lot of effort. And when I wake up or leave the meditation state (which is hard to reach because of the tinnitus) its impossible to reproduce it. Mine I am sure is due to problems with my jaw (bruxism). One thing that helped with the jaw (but not the tinnitus since it is now fully embedded in my brain) was with botox injections. If you are on early stages and if you think the jaw is a main factor in your tinnitus, go to a neurodoctor and ask him for botox injections in order to treat it. About the Lenire device, two things: it requires dedication and time, which I don't have, and you cannot event rent it. Selling it is also forbidden. In essence is an mp3 player which electrocutes your tongue. I have come with many such solutions and all are the same. Snake oil. One last thing: the tinnitus is louder in periods where I experience more lack of sleep and stress / anxiety. It might sound cliche, but meditation, yoga, even going for a walk (no phone, no headphones, just a walk) really does work in reducing its volume.
• daltont 3y ago
  I suspect that my wisdom teeth that did not warrant removal may be contributing to my tinnitus in my left ear. Anyone get relief from wisdom teeth removal?
• whalesalad 3y ago
  I think there is something to be said for somatic therapy and muscle release therapy around the neck and jaw. Curious, do you also have jaw issues or pain in your neck?
• wesbz 3y ago
  This post caught my eye as I just got my audition tested this morning. My tinnitus started 2 months ago after I got COVID. It would range from ringing in my hear once a day to non-stop for days. I've been told there's nothing to do except waiting for it to maybe disappear.
• kraig911 3y ago
  Prednisone helped me. I'm diabetic now so when it flares up i take more insulin. I don't know if that counts as permanent but it helps. The other thing is I stopped using ear buds. Only over ear headphones. Also I have a small quiet fan running.
• vcg3rd 3y ago
  I had it for years. It went away. My best guess is it was caused by medication. It didn't go away suddenly. We had moved, and I went 6 months without getting a new Dr so I wasn't taking any prescriptions. It never came back (15 years), so if it was medication it was a different blood pressure medication than I take now or an antidepressant which I never went back on.
• ugjka 3y ago
  After a decade you realize it no longer bothers you and you can't pinpoint when it stopped bothering you
• tasty_freeze 3y ago
  I wonder if this is another manifestation of the mechanism behind phantom limb pain that amputees experience (or one of the proposed mechanisms). Specifically, if the nerve cells for a certain frequency have gone down, and the brain boosts the gain from that cell as part of its normal AGC (automatic gain control), resulting in a phantom sound.
• keeptrying 3y ago
  I've always wondered whether I had tinnitus or not. After listening to this I heard silence for the first time in a while. I guess I do have it. But its not delibitating. I guess I don't get bothered by tinnitus any more.
• piuantiderp 3y ago
  Things to try: No stimulants (no coffee), magnesium, gelatin (or glycine, not collagen) thiamine (B1)
• jhallenworld 3y ago
  Try eliminating all background noise, especially white noise sources like fans. Give it a few days. I have some degree of tinnitus (I'm sure it's damage from that Metallica concert..), but I mostly don't notice it unless triggered. White noise triggers it. One office I worked in had white noise generators which made it worse and worse. New office does not have them, now no problem.
  • actinium226 3y ago
    > Give it a few days. It's been a few years XD I doubt it will go away since in my case the tinnitus was disease induced, as opposed to loud-concert-induced. The disease has since been treated successfully, but perhaps something got damaged.
• owlninja 3y ago
  I think this (Auricle) may have more promise than Lenire https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/mni/news/archive/202306/mni-affiliate-study-shows-promising-treatment-tinnitus https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/mni/news/archive/202306/mni-...
• goodroot 3y ago
  Heard many have success with Ayahuasca and other very high potency psychedelics.
• cassepipe 3y ago
  Ok, you're not going to like this one. My friend with tinnitus don't usually smoke but whenever she has tinnitus, it's always before going to sleep and smoking a cigarette reliably makes it go away. It's not great but then she is able to sleep. She suspects it's psychological as it generally happens during stressful times. She also says that e-cigarette don't work for her.
  • actinium226 3y ago
    I wonder if nicotine gum would have any effect.
• mxvanzant 3y ago
  I came across this: http://www.doctoryourself.com/ears.html http://www.doctoryourself.com/ears.html
• dblohm7 3y ago
  My spouse is an audiologist who specializes in Tinnitus. From what I have learned from her, there is no cure, only ways to treat it to make it more manageable. Working with an audiologist who has been through the Tinnitus Care Provider program [1] is probably your best bet. [1] https://myhome.ihsinfo.org/myhome/Find_Provider.aspx?Find_a_Provider_Near_You=2#Find_a_Provider_Near_You https://myhome.ihsinfo.org/myhome/Find_Provider.aspx?Find_a_...
• mickelsen 3y ago
  Another previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33905368 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33905368 Be cautious with bupropion. It was the trigger for me and, in a nutshell, I needed several rounds of steroids just to reduce the perceived volume of the high-pitched tone. It eventually subsided on its own over a span of about two years. However, I had to be especially mindful of potential triggers during that time, for some reason I became notably more sensitive to factors like respiratory and skin allergies, poor neck posture, and loud noises. Interestingly, speedy fans or the ANC from my QC35s seemed to exacerbate it. Yet, another pair of in-ears with adjustable ANC didn't have that adverse effect. SSRIs might have been beneficial as well. Addressing these factors progressively reduced the frequency of episodes, which eventually dwindled to once every two weeks, lasting for about 10 minutes and being barely noticeable.
• gnicholas 3y ago
  I know the researcher who created the Newsensory Duo, [1] and I've considered getting one for a family member who has tinnitus. I realize $250 for 1 month is substantial, but this is what I would try if free options don't work (and it's a max of 4 months payment — after that it's yours) 1: https://neosensory.com/product/neosensory-duo-for-tinnitus/ https://neosensory.com/product/neosensory-duo-for-tinnitus/
  • actinium226 3y ago
    Looks interesting. Waaay more accessible than that Lenire device for $5k. Also seems like the kind of thing that can be replicated with a smartwatch with a vibration mechanism and a decent API for <<$250.
• perfmode 3y ago
  Look into nada yoga
• VT_Dude 3y ago
  Anyone's tinnitus can disappear completely at any moment. Don't despair. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33637222/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33637222/ Mine was from getting squeezed from flying with a sinus infection. I got rid of mine almost completely most of the time with hyperbaric treatment. I had the journal article saying this is common practice in Germany that I used to convince my ENT to refer me to a hyperbaric chamber, but I can't seem to find it.
• _nalply 3y ago
  I am Deaf and I have tinnitus from wearing hearing aids (they never helped me understanding people, for that I am too deaf). I always "hear" the audio feedback tone when putting them on even when my hearing aids were turned off. Because of that I never realized when the fitting was bad and in school I was ridiculed for always having that feedback noise with me. Twenty years ago I gave up hearing aids. But the tinnitus stayed with me. I accepted the tinnitus. It can be triggered easily, for example from very loud noises (120 dB and more), or just thinking about tinnitus. While writing this post I got tinnitus. Usually I hear moaning swelling up and down. Sometimes I hear high-pitched explosions. Rarely I hear what I call cat music, a surprising and arrythmic melange of different noises. When I hear tinnitus, I try to listen to it. Especially the cat music is interesting. The explosions are not so nice. They sometimes work like audio jump scares. The moaning is sometimes soothing.
• ph4 3y ago
  Yes. I got fitted for a mouth guard by my dentist, which I wear to sleep at night. My tinnitus was caused by grinding/clenching my teeth.
• tim333 3y ago
  Not a cure, but mine naturally fades a bit if I avoid exposure to further loud noises by carrying earplugs. And I check sound levels sometimes with an iphone app - anything touching 100db, it's the earplugs. I think the body's healing processes can be quite slow especially with nerve related stuff. Here's a guy on the tinnitus forum where it took 3 years to fade for example https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/my-tinnitus-is-almost-gone-after-3-years-its-now-a-faint-ringing-%E2%80%94-no-longer-hyperacusis-either.43753/ https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/my-tinnitus-is-almost-g...
• idw 3y ago
  The Cochrane Collaboration does systematic reviews of the research into health interventions. There are quite a few reviews of different tinnitus interventions here, from zinc supplements to cognitive behavioral therapy https://www.cochranelibrary.com/search https://www.cochranelibrary.com/search One common theme skimming through is that there is no intervention known to be effective for everyone. But it is worth looking at the ones that have been studied and seeing if any might be worth trying for you. Full disclosure: I work for the Campbell Collaboration which is essentially the sister organization of Cochrane doing systematic reviews on subjects outside of health (education, crime prevention, business and management, international development and lots else) campbellcollaboration.org/
• FloorEgg 3y ago
  I went to Maui and got tossed around in some big crashing waves. One time a bunch of water, and probably sand, got shoved into my ears by the force of the wave churn. I was pretty deaf for a day or two, but then eventually woke up one morning with black ooze all over my face and pillow, perfect hearing, and my tinnitus was gone. I also dramatically reduced eating cheese and anything with lots of gelatin or thickeners in it.
• leon_theremin 3y ago
  Tinnitus is electromagnetic interference caused by terrorists with access to advanced weaponry. The cure is to shield the nervous system by using absorbing material like meat/water or living in a shielded room. Same for Havana Syndrome, EMF hypersensitivity. Read my posts.
  • hypefi 3y ago
    Close, EMF's are a major cause of tinnitus but without even going to a conspiracy thinking, it's just that the number of devices used has gone up the roof these last years, everything is emitting weird, unnatural and above average electromagnetic fields, it disturbs the nervous system. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657824/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657824/ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1808869415001639 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S180886941... https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24238486_Association_of_Tinnitus_and_Electromagnetic_Hypersensitivity_Hints_for_a_Shared_Pathophysiology https://www.researchgate.net/publication/24238486_Associatio... https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/48/5/1567/5532178 https://academic.oup.com/ije/article/48/5/1567/5532178 https://www.centerforbrain.com/tinnitus-anxiety-panic-depression-improve-with-bioreg-and-emf-reduction/ https://www.centerforbrain.com/tinnitus-anxiety-panic-depres... Advices, use ethernet cables when working for long periods, don't put computer, phone, tablets on your body, async communication and airplane mode, go to nature, cut electricity from circuit breaker in your room during night to avoid EMFs.
• chrsmth 3y ago
  I pretty much got rid of my tinnitus, but my situation won't apply to most people. So I don't have any permanent hearing loss beyond what's normal. My tinnitus is Somatosensory [1], in my case aggravated by neck and jaw tension. My jaw doesn't align all that well on one side, and I can hear a sharp ring if I move my neck/jaw in the right ways. I first noticed it after a kayaking trip in which I packed my ear with water so badly that I gave up on getting it out. This went on for months until the conductive hearing loss (i.e. earwax) + neck/jaw tension combined to produce tinnitus. Obviously I didn't know the cause at the time, so it caused me some stress before I started to make progress. This is just armchair medicine, but my tinnitus seems to be caused by poor signal to noise. If my neck/jaw is tense or misaligned, then the noise floor is raised. I think it's literally my auditory nerve picking up interference from my neck or jar. Similarly, if my hearing is blocked, then the signal is lowered. If the signal to noise is too poor, then my brain stops filtering out the noise, and I hear it as tinnitus. The solution for me is just a combination of neck stretching, and protecting myself from all hearing loss. I have to monitor this because it will flare up occasionally. [1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1807593222007761?via%3Dihub https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S180759322...
• oldbbsnickname 3y ago
  Not in my experience. My impression is that it's a degenerative process that only gets worse. Recommendations: More stimulus to mask it and just "tune it out". One possible prophylaxis may be vitamin supplementation of A, C, B-12, D2 & K3. Possibly unrelated: I have SCDS (a tiny hole between the brain and inner ear). Although it makes eating crunchy foods extremely loud internally, the internal feedback echo of speaking annoying, and some loud music can disturb my oculovestibular reflex. PS: REEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeEEEEEEEEeeeeeEEEEE...
• egberts1 3y ago
  I got a cochlear implant. My tinnitus is 100% gone. YMMV
• throwawayNap 3y ago
  It depends on the root cause. Mine was caused by sinus congestion and inflammation and went away when I started allergy shots. If it’s caused by hearing loss, I think your options are more limited.
• firecall 3y ago
  I’ve recently been suffering from persistent tinnitus. Anyone have any idea what causes it? I’d read that Noise Cancelling headphones can be an issue. As can Stress be a cause. The Noise Cancelling Headphones I have stopped using. The stress on my dealing with :-/ It used to come and go, but now it seems to be with me all the time. My hearing is otherwise perfect.
• Skyos 3y ago
  Bose sleep buds help me immensely. But not everyone seems to find these in ear buds comfortable.
• ttjjtt 3y ago
  Yes. Noise induced from club soundsystems, started in 2006 with multiple flare ups every few years after an exposure, even one last year. The reality is that my hearing loss is minimal, my hearing is significantly better than most people my age, when measured. It’s a psychological phenomenon, and I’ve learned, and relearned again, to completely ignore it. I live and sleep in silence, except when I read discussions like this, and “remember” my tinnitus for a moment. But I’ve proved to myself, time and time again, that i can happily live with it, and that belief becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. If you perceive it as dangerous threat, the brain amplifies it. If you perceive it as a neutral presence, the brain ignores it. Ive used pretty ridiculous imaginative tricks to convince my brain that it’s a benign presence, and it’s worked. Noise masking is vital for me in the early stages. At it’s very worst it was loud enough to hear during a jet flight taking off and would mask normal conversation. Now I can meditate in a silent room and barely notice it. I don’t notice it when I lie down to sleep. Not all tinnitus is psychological: I’ve also had somatic tinnitus, a very low throbbing hum in one ear. That was extremely challenging , and the tinnitus talk forum provided a theory and solution that worked. It was caused by jaw tension, solved by sleeping with a dental guard.
• zttg 3y ago
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• dmje 3y ago
  I'm a sufferer, possibly for the last 2 years or so. I'm so sure (soooo sure) that this is physical - albeit with some psychosomatic elements to it. As of right now I am reasonably certain that I have some kind of eustachian tube issue, or possibly even SSCD. But - very glad to hear from lots of people, it makes me feel better :-)
• JnBrymn 3y ago
  If you get tinnitus, spend the first couple of months looking for a solution. Get opinions and second opinions. If that doesn't work, then wait for 6 months and then try again. If that doesn't work then wait for 9 more months then try again. If that doesn't work wait for 12 more months and then try again. Most likely you'll habituate to the sound (as I have). What was once a living nightmare will become (miraculously) a non-issue. Occasionally, as one person said it even becomes "comfy" - or as I told my wife recently, it's just the sound that the world makes when you're alive. Really, it's not much different from other signal processing affects in other senses. If you close your eyes and concentrate you can see visual noise. It's also there when you open your eyes (floaters for example). But you don't worry about that because it's commonplace. Sound seems different because it's new - but it will become the same type of thing. An important part of getting better is accepting that (likely...) you're not going to get better. And then, after just being with it for a while and not trying to push it away, you realize that it's not so bad - you get better. Just let life suck for a while. My experience hasn't been pleasant, but I've learned a lot about the nature of life. Fair trade. Wouldn't want to do it again, but glad to have done it.
  • JnBrymn 3y ago
    Oh yeah. And what to do while pretending that this doesn’t suck? Listen to white noise on earbuds. It used to feel like an inner ear massage for me.
• tmaly 3y ago
  I have a mild version that is not that frequent. I did not realize how big of a problem this is for many people. Thank you for raising this question, there are some good techniques posted here that I am going to try.
• mattpallissard 3y ago
  Mine is 100% resolved. If you haven't gone to an ENT, do so My whole life I'd cleaned my ears with q-tips. I knew I shouldn't as it's written right on the package. I'd stopped doing that after I was told not to by countless people. Fast forward a few years and I had tinnitus. Went to an ENT, told him of my symptoms, and mentioned a story about my great grandmother's hearing being impacted by ear wax build up. He tells me "Well, we'll take a look but chances are you're going to have this the rest of your life". As he takes a look in my ears I hear him mutter, "Oh, we're going to fix this right now". He promptly fishes two plugs of ear wax out of my ears. Ringing resolved 15 minutes after that. I asked him what should I do to prevent this? He said "You could come back and I fish them out again, or you know... you could use a q-tip to clean your ears on occasion" Edit: he did mention that once the build up is bad enough you can't clean it out on your own. That cleaning it on your own could push it further in, causing damage.
• rajin112 3y ago
  Does anyone notice a high pitch sound when they drive a tesla or other EV? I have noticed that and was wondering if that has contributed to my tinnitus. It could just be a confounding factor but was curious on the emf implications.
• t-3 3y ago
  I never used to have tinnitus, but I started getting it after quitting and returning to marijuana. Abstaining from weed leaves me tinnitus-free after a week or two of withdrawal, but immediately returns if I take a puff. Tobacco seems to intensify the effects but doesn't cause anything on it's own.