How do you cope with LOUD tinnitus at night?

[AJWSmith]

There is a theory, seriously, that van Gogh suffered from tinnitus, and that is why he cut off his ear.

Sounds like some here could really relate to that.

Somebody mentioned that fact to me also recently. She also said Beethoven had bad tinnitus. Maybe it's a mark of creative geniuses

 

[MidnightSun]

Mind recall

rockin'robin I hadn't heard of the term musical tinnitus until you mentioned it in a post elsewhere (can't remember the thread). I've not had this type of tinnitus very often, but a few nights ago I had Echo and The Bunnymen singing "I'm the yo-yo man, always up and down" in an incessant loop. Very appropriate lyrics!

Laughing when i went deaf 7 yrs ago I was hearing all kinds of things but specially songs and annoncers on radio stations..dogs barking, When I told the specialist i was seeing he said well you are having auditiory hallucinations..WHAT????? laughing..so off I went to the psychyatrist for a 2 day evaluation. answer was no hallucinations but i do have a rare condition that is called Memory Recall, this is when someone who has experienced a total loss of hearing in later life. It has to do with your brain being constantly fed sounds and speaking you and others. So when it stops recieving the sound , yep, your brain starts to recall and play things . We proved this because I loved music and was in many jobs that required i talk all the time...and those are the things I hear. A baseball game including the announcers and advertisements for a beer that is no longer referred to by the same name. I have not had a moment of quiet since 4/5/2004, in my head, yet outside i can not even hear my own voice. So Memory Recall may be your answer. BTW I was diagnosed with this and treated by Dr Nimparka at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, he heads up the CI program here .
Good Luck to you because we have tried every med known and nothing
stops the music....laughing..I sing out loud alot.Midnight♥♥..Peace to you

 

[AJWSmith]

In the meantime, there are organizations that tend to be populated by the deaf, hard of hearing and late deafened. For instance, in the USA, there's the Hearing Loss Association (HLAA) and the Association of Late-Deafened Adults (ALDA). However, I do not know what would be considered to be their equivalence in England? You might find it helpful to find a group of people whose backgrounds may be similar to yours.

Hope this helps.

By the way, you may also find the following page helpful:

Healthy Hearing Content Tinnitus

Thanks for the info Hohtopics. My experience in the UK is that deaf/hoh people merge into the hearing world, as indeed I do. There don't seem to be social groups specifically for late-deafened or deaf (small 'd') people to gather together. I'm a member of RNID but that is more of a campaigning and information-giving charity.

 

[AJWSmith]

Sorry for getting off topic! Seriously, there are a lot of factors into tinnitus. There's been good responses here, and there's been other threads in the past here on this very subject. You (OP) might find something useful in there. For me, I find that drowning out my tinnitus with music OTHER than my usual music genre, and at louder volume, helps. I have insomnia which isn't helped by the tinnitus any, so I think coffee and alcohol do not help (but of which I'm very guilty of indulging in). So I really relate to you. My best advice is to change your habits, your daily routine, the things you listen to, and how. There's no known cure, unfortunately. I find the change and volume helps me tremendously. Maybe some other change in something would work for you. Cheers!

AlleyCat - did your insomnia come before your tinnitus? Or was it the other way round?
I've taken to listening to my MP3 player at night, but I can't do it for too long as it keeps my wife awake (the music gets amplified by my hearing aids so she can hear it hissing out of my ear moulds). I know I'm not supposed to say this, but alcohol definitely DOES help me sleep!

 

[AJWSmith]

i share the same experiences with many of you posted before me in this thread, tinnitus is no fun at all, its very damaging to the 'inner peace' feelings, but you CAN reclaim that peace, it takes time ( i hate and hated that too), and takes alot discipline to keep your life in balance diet, and odd naps are good, but if you are working and cant do, then maybe seek another way, like change jobs, or change hours to suit...etc dont let "life" rule you, you need to RULE it for you, yourself in order to get better, and to stay that way too...

i feel that too, i have citalpram and its very very good med, oh for nigth sleep try a whole banana, its full of potassium and lots other, helps settle tummy, good strands of fibres...its probably one of the best fruit to have before sleep, kiwifruit seem to help me too, but i prefer banana, sine its easier and cheaper and just plain easy to eat.

There's some good advice here Grummer. My ENT consultant talked about how important it was to feel good in yourself which I interpret to be similar to the "inner peace" feelings you talk about.

What's the thinking behind the banana and potassium? I've read about bananas possibly helping with depression (serotonin levels), but nothing about helping with tinnitus.

As for citalopram - that drug made me feel really ill. After a week of bad side-effects the doctor took me off it. I never want to have that drug again!!!

 

[Lissa]

I rarely get tinnitus, but when I do it's caffiene related even though I'm not allowed caffiene. It's usually a roaring/whistling/droning and I can't sleep till it goes. I just wait for it to go, or think about something and hopefully it'll go

 

[AlleyCat]

AlleyCat - did your insomnia come before your tinnitus? Or was it the other way round?
I've taken to listening to my MP3 player at night, but I can't do it for too long as it keeps my wife awake (the music gets amplified by my hearing aids so she can hear it hissing out of my ear moulds). I know I'm not supposed to say this, but alcohol definitely DOES help me sleep!

My insomnia was caused by a persistent, 2-year long backache (we discovered the cause for it -- nothing related to my deafness or anything like that, and we've since fixed that.). So, during that time, I just could not sleep; I'd be awake by 3 or 4 am every morning and back hurting too much, so that was it. I was up for the rest of the night. I still have trouble sleeping -- I think 2 years of not sleeping well wreaked havoc on me. Anyway, the tinnitus, on all those nights I couldn't sleep, would not help any. But to answer your question, the insomnia and tinnitus are not related. I've had tinnitus since early adulthood (20 years ago).

I listen to my CD player on some nights when the tinnitus is especially bad, too. I put it on the absolute minimum volume that I can possibly hear, so it's almost like it's just "hovering" over me.

For you and your wife, could you possibly play something you'd both enjoy, and just with a CD player or something that would not produce hissing sounds out of your HAs? (I know exactly what you mean !!!) Just throwing out ideas here ...

(And, like you, sometimes I resort to a stiff drink before bed because it seems to make me sleepy. However, the research I've found says it's supposed to be the opposite. Go figure.)

 

[AJWSmith]

(And, like you, sometimes I resort to a stiff drink before bed because it seems to make me sleepy. However, the research I've found says it's supposed to be the opposite. Go figure.)

Sorry to hear about your back pain problems AlleyCat.

What I've read about alcohol is that it's good for getting you to sleep, but it tends to make the body wake up later on, so the overall effect is that you get less sleep. But since tinnitus wakes me up later on anyway, the downside isn't applicable to me as I already get it. It's more applicable to people who normally get a full night sleep but lose out due to the after effects of alcohol.
Well, that's my theory

 

[AJWSmith]

Exercise a solution?

Just to update this thread with an experiment I tried last week.

I read somewhere that exercise helps to reduce tinnitus, so on two different days I did a long walk (both times I walked over 6 miles). I found that night I managed to sleep for longer than usual. One night I got about 7 hours sleep which is the longest I've had for ages

It's too early to say whether it's a guaranteed solution. And on both days I did finish with some alcohol to help me drop off as well. Plus it can be difficult to find the time and energy to go on such a long walk. Fortunately we are having lovely weather here in the UK which makes it easier.

 

[Beach girl]

Six miles!! Wow, I'm standing and applauding here! That is quite the walk.

Hope your weather continues to be supportive.

Do you ever like to work out in a gym, or is there anyplace nearby when you can swim? Swimming will give you an excellent work out; 1/2 hour to an hour a day of that will tire you out pretty well too. Supplement with a couple days of work outs with weights, and you'll be in dynamite shape before you know it - and good and tired, as well.

 

[rwarren45]

Thank you, Thank you for all your good information on dealing with my very loud tinnitus. Mine happens to sound like I'm constantly under a jet engine. I became deaf in my 40's, and am learning sign language. I was a coffee drinker until I read your post. I also love my cola's, but now that I've read your post, it makes sense to stay caffeine free. I didn't know that. Sincerely, Royce

 

[AJWSmith]

I thought I'd give this interesting update on my tinnitus problem.

For the last two days I have been unable to wear HAs in either ear as both are very sorely infected. The interesting thing is that the volume of my tinnitus has gone down. Strange. I've not read anything like this elsewhere. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this?

 

[Frisky Feline]

My hub always do that when tinnius got loudest one so he removed his CI and his tinnitus goes down but still tinnius. He has it for 24/7 since he was a toddler.

No information or link for it.

 

[KristinaB]

I know I have had the tinnitus since childhood and it was worse when I had my HA's. I gained the musical tinnitus after I lost the last HA's during childhood at age 10. Nothing changed except for the volume of the tinnitus when I got my HA's at age 38. Now, it's a back and forth kind of things. Some days it's sounds, some days it's music. I have found that if I have a real annoying sound, there are times I can mentally change it to music, but not when I am too tired or stressed. The loudness of it will wake me during the night, and I think my cats also notice when it is really bothering me, since they will stick with me like glue during the worst times. Lately, I will get up and pace the house at night to get the tinnitus to quiet down so I can sleep. For the last 6 - 18 months, I have not been able to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time.

 

[Smithtr]

I remove my implant because reason I have issues tinnitus beep loud mess difficult!!
I have try cope focus on not easy I would be try cope on myself complication!

 

[AJWSmith]

I know I have had the tinnitus since childhood and it was worse when I had my HA's. I gained the musical tinnitus after I lost the last HA's during childhood at age 10. Nothing changed except for the volume of the tinnitus when I got my HA's at age 38. Now, it's a back and forth kind of things. Some days it's sounds, some days it's music. I have found that if I have a real annoying sound, there are times I can mentally change it to music, but not when I am too tired or stressed. The loudness of it will wake me during the night, and I think my cats also notice when it is really bothering me, since they will stick with me like glue during the worst times. Lately, I will get up and pace the house at night to get the tinnitus to quiet down so I can sleep. For the last 6 - 18 months, I have not been able to sleep for more than 3 hours at a time.

I sympathize with you KristinaB at your lack of sleep. It's a really difficult thing to cope with at times.

 

[Jazzberry]

Hi All, I know I'm late to the conversation but I'm new to the forum and I've been reading some of the old threads.

This caught my attention because I've had tinnitus all my life. Somehow when I was 6 or 7 I realized that everyone else I knew didn't have it and I got worried. Luckily my mother knew enough to tell me that it was normal. And it is, for hard of hearing and deaf people!

Because I've always had it and because of how it was explained to me I think I've been able to put into the background and forget about it. Except briefly, during that time when I was 6 or 7, I never thought it was something to worry about so I think that is why. Sort of like we all ignore the "stuff" that is in our peripheral vision.

But I know that doesn't work for everyone.

AJWSmith, how about reading? With one of those lights that attach to the book that probably wouldn't disturb your wife. Hopefully it would be distracting enough to get your mind off your tinnitus and you could always try reading something boring if you want to go to sleep faster.

 

[AJWSmith]

AJWSmith, how about reading? With one of those lights that attach to the book that probably wouldn't disturb your wife. Hopefully it would be distracting enough to get your mind off your tinnitus and you could always try reading something boring if you want to go to sleep faster.

I should clarify that my tinnitus doesn't bother me during the day and I have no problems in falling sleep (maybe because I'm so tired!). The problems occur when I wake up in the middle of the night and the tinnitus is making such a racket that I can't get back to sleep again, regardless of how tired I feel.

I saw a hearing therapist last week to discuss my tinnitus problems and found it informative. We looked at the interaction between stress and tinnitus (stress can make tinnitus worse and louder tinnitus creates more stress creating a vicious circle). In the brain, the hearing (and smelling) parts are strongly connected linked to the body's threat systems, which are activated by stress; so it's all interconnected. I have experienced, and am still experiencing a lot of stress in my life, so it makes the increasing tinnitus more understandable.

 

[Grummer]

avoid whisky helps too
limit whisky intake to early evening so you can eat meals and let that absorb the high alc away from blood stream, it helps

 

[Giulia]

When under stress, I have tinnitus at night (and only at night). And also when there is too much cerumen or something which tappers my ear.

For the stress tinnitus, unfortunately, I have no miracle solution.
What works for me is keeping myself busy : I get up and go to do something, like watching TV or working at computer. It stops tinnitus and then, I can sleep again.
But the more I get stressed, the worse the tinnitus is. So getting busy with something helps me to cope when tinnitus gets too loud.
Strangely, computer and TV induces me sleep, it quiets me. Strange I know. Discussion makes me nervous.
And strangely, since I take methylphenidate, I sleep better at night and I have much less tinnitus (odd I know, but I suffer from ADHD).
I do the same whatever when I can't fall asleep as when I am woken up in the middle of the night from tinnitus (the second case is rarer, but in both case, the only solution is keeping myself busy).

The only advice I can give you is when you get a loud tinnitus at night, get busy. I don't know if it will help you a lot, but I hope so.
Also, talk to your doctor about it, and not only your ENT, better the primary Care Doctor : the cause may not be the hearing, but something else which triggers the tinnitus and makes believe that it's your hearing (not sure that it's English).

Indiscret question, but do you have any other pathology apart deafness ? Because if you see another specialist for another chronic condition, it may worth telling this specialist about your tinnitus.