Does anyone else experience all mighty loud tinnitus when they wake up at nightime? I get this from time to time but it has been happening quite alot lately. When I wake and its really really loud, I have to talk to myself saying "your ok your ok, like over and over to myself. It does take me quite awhile to get back to sleep because of it.
People have mentioned before that it's because your environment is quite but I play some sounds on my phone so I'm not sure if it's the quietness causing it. Or maybe that particular sound just isn't cutting it🤔 Just wondering if I'm doing anything wrong in causing it or how people might manage it if it happens to them?
Thanks
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Hop38
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I sympathise! What I do is breathing. There are lots of websites where techniques are shown but basically you breathe in and out slowly through your nose using your diaphragm, counting say five seconds in and five out. If this doesn’t get me off I get up and read a book for an hour then get back into a nice warm cosy bed.
I don't think you're doing anything to cause the tinnitus sound to be louder. It's an internal sound, which you're becoming aware of at the quietest time of the day or night.
You can play sounds on your app to help give you an alternative distraction to pay attention to - always try to remember that the best way to use sound in this way is to have your volume level set quietly.
The goal isn't to drown out sound but to have a source of relaxation which your ear has to seek out.
Thank you BTAPat. Nothing seems to mask my T as I can hear it over everything so I do have to have the sound not loud loud but loud enough for me to be able to actually hear it if that makes sense? I use waterfall sounds. There's just so many out there to choose from that it makes the process quite overwhelming sometimes
Hi Hop - this is probably going to sound like a total cop-out, but the best sound for tinnitus relief is a very individual thing. Ideally, it should be quiet - audible but not fighting for attention with your tinnitus.
So, if waterfalls help you, that's great. It's one of the tools in your relaxation kit, alongside muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, anxiety affirmation and other things that you can have in place to help distract you from T when you're having a tough time.
Being a contrarian, I find spooky podcasts like "Welcome to Night Vale" or "Lore" help me to drift off to sleep (and I don't have nightmares!), so it's a case of exploring that myriad of options and finding what works for you.
Thanks BTAPat. When you say anxiety affirmation what exactly do you mean? Anxiety does play a huge role in my life at the minute😒! I feel like im constantly nervous, on edge, fearful about my T which I know is not helping but those feelings are so hard to turn off. Currently doing a CBT course to work on negative thoughts regarding T (there are many). It sure is a slow road to be travelling down. I think I'll pass with spooky podcasts😂....I'm not the best with scary things, especially when my boyfriend is not here👻
Hi Hop - happy to try and clarify for you. When you mentioned in your original post "I have to talk to myself saying "your ok your ok", that would be an example of an anxiety affirmation to me.
You're reassuring yourself that the situation is ok, that you can cope with it, that although it is something that you are struggling with, that this situation will pass with time and your tinnitus will get back to a place where it is manageable.
Hello, For me nighttime was just the worse before I had the Oasis sound machine connected to a pillow with speakers in it.Now I wake and feel comforted (somehow) that I can put it on. Rain is the better sound and I think because I feel slightly less stressed because I have a support/option I don’t need to panic so much. I’ve always put louder T at night down to the silence in the house and waking up but there may be a medical laying down reason. By the sounds of it, you do the same thing with your phone. I’ve tried that if away from the house but it’s not so good. The pillow allows you to relax back into trying to sleep. I’m not always successful but I have to keep trying or I don’t know what I would do.
Hello, sorry for the delay in replying.My audiologist at the time, years ago now, gave me the Sound Oasis S-650 and that connects to a pillow with small built in speakers. The pillow has a audio jack lead and when I had a phone with that connection I could play music through the pillows speakers. To be honest the rain sound is the better on. Far more natural and relaxing. I put it on when I get in bed and when I wake in the night. There is an inline volume dial in the cord from the pillow to the Oasis sound machine.
I think you can go through the BTA shop to the company.
The links is at the bottom and they have a % off at the moment.
Roughly the pillow (£30) and sound machine (£70) come to about £100.
Before the pillow I would hate going to bed because of the silence in the house and fear of not getting back to sleep. Now I flip the pillow in for a default 30mins and feel some comfort while I go to sleep.
The old Oasis machines run on a preset cartridge while the new ones are micro SD cards. Making it easier to put your own music on them.
I always say (after people and pets) my sound pillow is what I would save in a fire!
Hi Hop38, without a doubt the worst of the tinnitus sounds for me are when I wake in the morning. It is SOOOO loud I don’t know what to do with myself. It doesn’t wake me but makes sure I stay awake whatever time it is. Personally I think stress doesn’t help but like you I am doing a CBT course to try and learn techniques to help. During the day it is there all the time but if I am busy I tend not to hear it. It is more apparent when I am tired or inactive. I am going to get hearing aids to see if that helps. It is very debilitating and I’m tired of living like this.
Hi Sixty-six I'm the same as you, the morning's are just awful. When I wake it makes sure I stay awake also😒! I can hear it now and it's raging🙉! How are you finding the CBT course? I'm doing 1 online which I started last May but in August I stopped as life got too much for me. I have restarted it last week....praying I complete it this time as I've read that it can have a great impact on ppl who have emotional distress due to Tinnitus. I do hope the hearing aids give you some relief🙏
Just wondering if you have any issues with sleep bruxism? I became aware of clenching my teeth in my sleep and I think it contributes to my tinnitus being louder in the morning or if I wake during the night.
I wear a sleep clench inhibitor at night, which my local maxillofacial department made up for me. It seems to have helped somewhat but I still feel the ache in my jaw most mornings.
Hi Syber thanks for your reply. Now I think about it I sometimes do clench my teeth at night. I don't have any ache in my jaw tho when I wake🤔! Can I ask who you went to to see about this?
I first became aware when I started having some pretty awful dreams, in which I was clenching my teeth and unable to open my mouth without breaking them. Then at one point I woke up while this was happening and for a couple of seconds my teeth were still slammed together involuntarily.
I brought it up with my GP as a potential contributor to my other problems with headaches, photophobia & hyperacusis and was referred to the maxillofacial department at my local hospital. They made a mould for a sleep clench inhibitor which sits over the lower incisors and I've been using that ever since. This was all done on the NHS.
Sometimes my right jaw will click if I open it wide enough or am eating something hard (like a baguette). Also if I continuously open and close my mouth quickly a few times, I can feel the right one click. Not sure if this is something significant?
yes it was happening to me - but over past few weeks has reduced a bit - I dont do sound therapies as I find it pushes up my T - but it must work for the majority of T sufferers as its one of the main treatments - do u wear hearing aids in the daytime ? does yr T go up with background noise throughout the day ?
Hi Suz26 yes I have Hearing aids but I have not worn them in awhile due to the spike I had whilst getting them fitted. Some noises make the T get louder (not all days) like running the kitchen tap, definitely fryingfood and sometimes the kettle boiling. Do all sounds make your T louder? I do have the radio playing in my kitchen everyday which doesn't aggravate the T
yes that what happend to me - hearing Aid fitting app pushed up my T to a louder level and it remained on this level - traffic and cars are the worst for pushing up the T - general higher pitch sounds , Tv, music (especially ) loud noises can push it up as well - so for me its about noise reduction
Do you wear anything to help with the noise reduction? I wear earplugs when I go out into noisy restaurants/hoovering etc. I do know that ppl say not to get to reliant on them tho as it might make the T worse and perhaps cause Hyperacusis🤔
yes thts wht they say - and my Audiolgst totally reassured me there is no way HA make T worse - but the fitting app did - he disregarded what i said about my T going up with noise - i think they dont know how to treat different types of T -mine is reactive which does go up thro the day with sounds - apparently is only about 5 % or so of T sufferers have this , but i think it could be more as many T sufferers say their T goes up with certain sounds / noise. I have found what works best for me , which is noise reduction , which is the opposite to what audiologist says - coz after HA fitting my T went up to a traumatic unbearable level and i stopped these after 2 days ( of wearing for 2 hrs per day)
Yes, this happens to me when I wake up from a dream in the middle of the night and has nothing to do with the quietness of nigh time. I believe that dreaming triggers it through some neurological connection/brain activity. Once I sit up and come to full consciousness it goes away pretty quickly though. Do you have regular tinnitus or pulsatile? Mine is pulsatile.
Hi mmmgggsss I have regular tinnitus in both ears and the head! When it happens to me I have to talk to myself to relax and to go back to sleep! It really is awful😪
HI Hop 38 - you have my total sympathy, I have had T badly for two years now, firstly it was bad then settled down. I have a sleep mask with the usual rain, waves, meditation sounds on all night when in bed. However just recently I went on my first plane journey for two years, I returned (stressed) and now the big T wakes me up every night! it is so LOUD I feel like I am drowning in sound!! I do my breathing techniques also but the almost pain like irritation and stress is now wholly debilitating, getting back to sleep is taking longer and longer. Frankly only a few glasses of red wine helps ! and that is no long term answer. I hope you find a solution as I would not wish this on anyone at all. I live in hope that it will settle down again as it did two years ago fairly soon? Sending out my best wishes to you!
Hi Footballer58 I'm sorry to hear that your tinnitus is bothering you again! I'm sure it will settle for you like it did before but I find that when it's louder than it has ever been then it's harder to.not stress about it and we all know that stress/anxiety are not our friends👊! Continue with your breathing techniques and I'm sure it will subside soon. What kind of pain are you experiencing?
This has been happening to me since the first time back in 2012, an audiologist explained, she told me that because of my noise induced hearing loss after working in the construction industry for 55 years, the early years with no PPE my high frequency hearing has diminished. Primeval man was most vulnerable to attack when asleep, so when woken up the hearing part of his brain quickly kicked in to asses the threat and that part of the brain is still operational today and when it's high frequency neuron receptors are receiving no data due to hearing damage they go into hyper drive and that is what causes Tinnitus.
Wow Snappy001 thank you for that information. Do you think.its the same is one has low frequency Hearing Loss or would it really matter? Do you wear Hearing aids?
Yes I do wear hearing aids I have no medical qualifications in fact I left school at the age of 15 just about able to read and write, I am merely repeating the information given to me by an audiologist, but it makes sense to me. I find that as the day progresses the T eases off and on a good day I have no T at all. I have no idea if it is the same for loss of low frequency hearing, you will have to get a medical professional's advice on that one.
Hi HopI can wake to loud tinnitus at night. It is generally at the beginning of the night - When I wake soon after falling asleep. I guess the explanation above would answer this as I have wondered why. It can also be quite a shock - so a bit of fight and flight. I wake quite regularly through the night - was a pattern before my tinnitus arrived and generally it isn’t as loud at later wakenings. When loud I find I need to employ all senses e.g light movement and sound to reset for sleep. I have always listened to audio stories at night - something to focus on or my brain won’t switch off. For some reason Dick Francis works for me!! With male voice reader. Enough of a story to keep interested in listening but not too compelling or scary etc to keep awake. When tinnitus is loud or another new sound has introduced itself (I have a few now) or am going through a spike I also use background sounds - lake at the moment from the Oto app. I do find I can cycle through sounds and have used different apps depending on what works at the time and might even change the background sound in the night. Depends which tinnitus sound I’m finding more intrusive. Last 2 nights I’ve just been back to my audio book after a few months of needing both audio book and nature sounds following a spike and new sounds entering the picture. The latest spike (following covid booster) lasted a lot longer than my first but has settled. My tinnitus arrived in July and my My first spike happened after coming back from holiday in august. Change of room? Tiredness? I have a moderate high frequency hearing loss and being fitted for hearing aids middle of December.
Beta Histine 16 mg 3×daily! Changed my life! No more vertigo episodes....noise in left ear always there but not as loud! Have to go to compound pharmacy $67 each month....worth every penny.
Happy Thanksgiving....! I hear turkeys gobbling in my left ear!
Hi Feel for you Hop38 - just saw this. Looks like you've had great advice from posters. You have my sympathy.
I too get the 3am wake up call and strange surges in ears plus a sort of 2-week pattern build up with ear pressure and end up shaking. For me loud noises, stress and prolonged periods of conversation can all make it worse so I try to pace my socialising.
Hi Lindsay, thanks for your reply. Gosh that pressure issue sounds awful....do you know what is causing it? My T is raging today, am putting it down to an awful nights sleep due to my youngest not being well😔! It was alright yesterday....really is frustrating how different it is from day to day
Hi Hop38
Thanks for your kind message. I've been told it is vestibular migraine and not menieres. At first ear, nose and throat dept thought it was menieres. If it really bad I just lie down til it passes. Yes it is a bit depressing. I try not to think of the next peak and distract myself.
I've cut caffeine down and eating more fruit n veg. This forum has really helped. Yes it is so up and down, this condition. Hope your youngest feels better soon and you get some respite.
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