Louder ringing after sleeping on ear, post-microsuction

[ElleMC]

Hi all,

I am experiencing a very strange symptom with my tinnitus. I've scoured the Internet far and wide and have been unable to find another case like mine. Visited three ENTs and they're all baffled although the last one, who is a renowned ear surgeon, said given my symptoms this is likely anxiety and stress triggering a spike.

Long story short, in the days post-microsuction my right ear, which had tinnitus before, developed a louder ringing. The kicker is this: this louder ringing only happens AFTER I sleep on my right side. I'm not talking about the sound being amplified when the ear is pressed on the pillow, but an increase in volume after I've been sleeping on that ear and then wake up and change positions or lift my head. The louder ringing will last for about an hour or so after I wake up.

Has anyone encountered something like this, or have any theories about what is happening?

[Karlos99]

maybe you have fluid in the Eustachian tube. This could affect the different sounds. Do you have any other symptoms like dizziness?

[ElleMC in reply to Karlos99]

Thanks, Karlos! No, no dizziness and no other signs, although how would one be able to tell? The ENTs I went to all say my ears, nose and throat look fine.

[Karlos99 in reply to ElleMC]

As there’s no dizziness I doubt there’s anything stuck in the ears then. Maybe it’s pressure put on a blood vessel from sleeping in a certain position causing the change in sound. As long as it rectifies itself. All the best.

[Blueeye55]

yes I have similar symptoms to you and Ihave had Tinnitus fir over 18 years now and it’s just got worse over the years ,I have had MRI and other tests but nothing helps to resolve it .Certain triggers such as caffeine,alcohol and excessive salt make it worse but I also get an increase in level if I tense my jaw . If I use my electric toothbrush especially at the joint of my jaw and the back of my teeth that can sometimes reset things and cause it to quieten down 🤔

[ElleMC in reply to Blueeye55]

Thanks Blueeye! Can you describe your symptoms? So your ringing gets louder after you wake up from laying on your side?

[Blueeye55 in reply to ElleMC]

Well yes but I always now sleep on my left side as my T is worse on that side and my hearing is poorer on the left as well ,I find that I have to fall to sleep listening to a sound such as radio set for timer and unless I get disturbed then I generally sleep reasonably well. My T is almost always pretty loud when I wake and has always been worse on the left. As I commented If I tense my jaw the T will peak for a second or two,I have had my teeth and jaw motion checked and tried TMJ massage but nothing works.I have had MRI and audio diagnosis etc so not much can be done. I have accepted the situation and mostly manage it but it can be tricky at times, I got T following an inner ear infection around 18 years ago and it has progressively gotten worse but appeared to take a sort of increased severity after multiple COVID jabs and a bout of COVID but covid was NOT the cause. Any stress appears to increase it and even typing this I can start to notice it more and more so I have sort of stopped researching the issue. In my case and opinion very little can be done and it’s down to acceptance first then you will start to tolerate it and start to ignore it. I hope it goes well for you 😀😀

[Hillman51]

hi .. I have tinnitus after micro suction .. had it done about 3 years ago .. I’ve learned to live with it ,some days are worse than others ,,try not to concentrate on it ..😊

[Fridays_Child_62]

I guess it is possible that putting pressure on your right side when sleeping on that side increases the T, depending on the underlying cause of the T (such as blood flow?). It baffles me that ENT specialists might find this surprising, especially when the causes of tinnitus are still a bit of mystery and probably quite varied. However, it is odd that this has followed your micro-suction, which is noisy but isn't really physically intrusive. Maybe it's a coincidence.

[Windu]

Hi, I have Tinnitus after microsuction too. I had it done 8 months ego. I can't get used to this - it’s too loud for me.

[BingyB]

Hi. I’ve had tinnitus in my left ear for 20 years +. For the last few weeks I have been suffering from vertigo - worse on waking up. Strangely I am finding that when I sleep on my left hand tinnitus side the vertigo is much worse so I’m making sure I only sleep on my right side. My tinnitus is louder too when I have slept on it.