Describe your Tinnitus Loudness levels

[surviveT]

My tinnitus is very loud at night and daytime it gets louder in evenings to a quite distressing level . the distress of tinnitus is really about the volume of it, as we all know . Can you describe your loudness levels to me and others on this forum - just how loud ? if you can compare the volume in day and at nighttime , to some sound/ noise levels that we all know. I sometimes feel its only me with this horrendous level of loudness/ volume of the tinnitus. Many, many thanks to all replies

[doglover1973]

Hi surviveT This is a difficult one. My T is loud in my deaf ear and moderate in my good ear but I suspect they're both the same in reality. I just perceive one as louder than the other . Distress can be linked to volume but not always. I was distressed by my T for quite some time but now less so and yet the volume is the same. I hope your distress will lessen over time too.

[surviveT in reply to doglover1973]

thanks - do you hear yr tinnitus all the time , in daytime

[doglover1973 in reply to surviveT]

Yes. I hear my T all the time except when I'm asleep . I can hear it over almost everything. It's uncomfortable but it no longer causes me distress. That's habituation I guess.

[surviveT in reply to doglover1973]

thanks for that - is your tinnitus high pitched or mid tone?

Mine was mid tone for months then changed and became more high pitched which is more distressing - it does fade into background sometimes but over past 6 weeks has become more prominent

[doglover1973 in reply to surviveT]

T is unpredictable but it's still relatively early days given your T started less than a year ago. Hang in there. You'll get used to the changes as they become more familiar to you. My T is high pitched. It matches my hearing loss.

[surviveT in reply to doglover1973]

how long have you had the tinnitus that you hear all the time - thanks - sorry for so many questions

[doglover1973 in reply to surviveT]

No problem surviveT I've had continuous T for a decade but it's only been troublesome in the last two years. Why this should be I don't know.

[drittz78 in reply to surviveT]

Go to your doctor's. If your T has changed then possibly you might have an ear infection or build up of ear wax.

[Maya_83 in reply to surviveT]

Yes I do. But st night its 10x louder

[Happyrosie]

Hello surviveT. Mine is like a badly-tuned radio or a screech. If I’m feeling kind it’s like a waterfall. I can hear it above the sound of my car going at sixty on a motorway, so it’s loud. But, because I’m habituated, it doesn’t bother me very much, Irritating of course but not bothersome unless I’m ill

[surviveT in reply to Happyrosie]

so can you hear your tinnitus all day - is it sort of loud all day? and at night it must be loud

[Happyrosie in reply to surviveT]

Same volume day or night.

[rabbits65]

My tinnitus is like the sound of a fan oven running.It’s not very loud , however if I feel tired then I

get some head pressure and even feel a bit giddy.

Going out in the fresh air is beautiful for me , I can forget it completely when walking poodles , I don’t notice it if I keep myself busy. Occasionally I do feel concerned and think surly there must be some answer somehow, but I try not to have any of those thoughts, what is the point In worrying , worry never solves anything. I have almost accepted it. So I know it can be achieved.

[Snappy001]

My T started in 2012 almost to the day so it's 10 years now. I have an idea what triggered the T. I have noise induced hearing loss caused by working in the construction industry since 1966, but despite this except for turning up the volume on the tv it didn't cause me many problems. Then I visited the dentist who advised me to have a root canal filling as one of my back teeth had deep decay. As the cost of the filling was more than I have payed for a foreign holiday I declined and asked him to extract the tooth. He then changed his mind and said he would try to fill the tooth in the normal way which he then proceeded to do. When the local anesthetic wore off I experienced quite a lot of pain in the area of the filled tooth for a few days. Then one evening later in the week I came home from work fell asleep on the couch and woke up to a ringing in my ear, I called my wife and asked her where the noise was coming from, she asked what noise. Then the penny dropped, since that day I have experienced various levels of T seen a number of audiologists and now shelled out almost £2k for Boots hearing aids which have made a great difference. My T is always worse when I wake up whether it's following a nights sleep or a 5 minute nap on the sofa. Did the dental work trigger my T, I discussed this with my dentist and said that he had never heard of that happening before, but then he would wouldn't he. I spoke to a dentist I used to play rugby with and he said he had, but who knows. After 10 years I have almost got used to and accepted T and normally it doesn't bother me, but there are times when it spikes, but fortunately they are few and far between. One thing I hate is total silence then my brain goes into overload and T kick in so most of the time I listen to the radio on my wifi linked hearing aids. I would be interested to know if anyone else has similar experience following a visit to the dentist.

[pdr60 in reply to Snappy001]

Hi, you need to find a dentist that uses an air drill rather than a turbine drill as they are quieter as the rpm can be more easily adjusted lower. Dental practices that offer endodontic treatment tend to have the air type drills. As below and even with the turbine drills they need to do it in short bursts with a break. From recent personal experience doing this didn't make mine worse. Hope this helps you and others

Dental Drills

The high-pitched noise of dental drills is the most prominent way tinnitus can be caused or worsened. When the dentist is drilling in teeth, the sound is transmitted by bone conduction directly into the inner ear. It sounds much louder than it normally would because bone conduction has essentially no loss of intensity over short distances.

Some difficult procedures including tooth extraction and others where drilling is intense and long-term can cause noise damage to the cochlea. Wearing earplugs in this case will not be helpful; it will not prevent the damaging sound from reaching the cochlea. Anesthesia will also not be helpful as the damage will continue even though the patient is unconscious.

Dr. Jack Vernon, of the Tinnitus Center at Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU), states that the best way to avoid hearing loss and tinnitus is to ask the dentist to drill in short spurts. Drill for five seconds then stop for ten seconds, drill for five seconds and stop for ten seconds, and so on. “The exacerbation of tinnitus by sound is a time-intensity function and by reducing the time of each drilling episode, the degree to which this kind of insult will influence the ears is also reduced.

tinnitusformula.com/library...

[Snappy001 in reply to pdr60]

Thanks for the info pdr60 I would' except for some certain exceptions my T is almost under control I am waiting for an MRI scan on my inner ear I do not have the appointment as yet but I will post on here when I have the results.

[mrsnosleep]

Hello, my tinnitus is also 24/7 and v loud all of the time eg it is far louder than the volume of my TV but, as with rabbits65, I find I can quite easily cope with it when outside and surrounded by lots of different noises . If I find it too intrusive in the evenings, I play music instead of TV etc and find that really listening hard to the complexity of the tunes helps. The trick is in training yourself to just accept it, which I know is way harder than it sounds, but in my experience it definitely can be done with time and effort - good luck!

[purenostalgia]

At bedtime without any other sounds it is 80% of what I hear, with the radio on it is about 60% of what I hear.

During the day with outdoor ambient sounds it is about 25% of what I hear.

During the day about the house it is about 50% of what I hear.

The tinnitus sound does not seem to alter.

Take Care Mike.

[Tissybelltent]

My tinnitus seems quite similar to yours but I have muffled (underwater) hearing also. I usually wake pretty reasonably well but it gets louder and quite distressing by evening. Not knowing what is going on in my head is making it worse with anxiety. I am also still in shock after losing my best friend recently. I loved him so much. We had a wonderful brother sister (stronger) relationship. I feel like I have been hit by a train. That caused hyperacusis for which their is no cure either. All in all, the tinnitus is worse at night in the humidity, even with A/C on dehumidifier. Once I take my Ativan it's easier and with my sleeping pills I sleep quietly except for the grief dreams. It's like a white noise that I used to hear when daddy fell asleep with the TV quite high on at night and programming had finished. My other ear has clocks ticking like those big old bedside wind ups with the bells on top. That's less bothersome. Good luck with finding peace my dear. Sending you love and blessings from Malta🌷

[rabbits65 in reply to Tissybelltent]

Hi , I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your best friend . I know what this shock feels like because I too lost my best friend in March this year , she died of leukaemia and I cannot get over the fact that before she got this cancer she was the most healthiest person I knew, despite her 79 years she was still riding her bike and going to different clubs . She spent many years nursing her sick husband and after he passed she seemed to get her life back again, then this happened to her, life seems very unfair . It would appear .I hope you feel better soon

[Villagelife]

Hi, for me I dont notice my tinnitus during the day when Im busy. It does get louder during the evening although I can ignore it if I'm engrossed in a good program. If my stress levels are high the loudness of the tinnitus increases. When going to bed the tinnitus is more noticeable/louder I put this down to the fact there is less other noise to distract me. Right now although I'm watching TV the tinnitus is a loud ringing, this is partly because I'm thinking about it while typing this response.

[bluebell71]

Hi I’ve had tinnitus for 27 years, there are times when it is very loud and I feel I cannot stand the racket anymore but somehow I do. I have accepted that my T is not going away so I have to and I have found a way to cope….. since May I have had very loud tinnitus, unbelievable the noise that goes on, horrendous at times. I totally understand how you must be feeling, my tinnitus has been loud for most of the days although for some reason I sleep fairly well. When I wake up my T is at its fullest then it calms down a little probably because I am distracted with daily chores. I believe that distraction of any kind gives us a break from the loud noises.

Your tinnitus will get better, try not to stress yourself if you can I know it isn’t easy.

Go outside let the wind through your ears makes a difference, talk to friends and family listen to the radio any distraction will give you a mental break.

I have been to a funeral this morning and never thought about my tinnitus until I got home.

I wonder this day and age why scientists haven’t

come up with a solution. Hearing aids help but surely there must be a cure, until then we have to live with it.

Your not alone, wishing you all the best.

Jean

[surviveT in reply to bluebell71]

many thanks jean - do you hear yr T all the time? I do . I found hearing aids made the T unbearably loud when not wearing , and i couldnt wear them for this reason

[bluebell71 in reply to surviveT]

Hi yes I listen to horrendous noises most of the day right now, but believe me it will lessen..I don’t know the reason why my tinnitus has been very loud for the last three months, prior to that it was manageable but still loud at times.

I’ve thought about a connection with atmospheric pressure as the weather is so changeable at the moment, I kept a record of these months last year they are similar to this years loudness.

I’ve had T for a long time it’s a real struggle but with hind sight I know at some point it will change and be more liveable.

At the moment if I wear my earring aid it does create more noise the other side so I don’t wear it, however, when my tinnitus does return to my left ear and it will…, I can enjoy wearing my earring aid which gives me a break.

Stay positive it will get better.

Jean

[Fridays_Child_62]

I recently joined the forum and it seemed a logical first step to respond to this thread. My tinnitus started in the mid-90s as a very high-pitch whistle in my left ear. It has worsened over the years and moved to both ears, especially over the past three years since I had an 'episode' with my ears, but it has been particularly heightened this year. I have always likened it to an out-of-tune radio but the background static sound is now more pronounced and there are more whistles.

It varies in loudness and is also reactive in that it often seems louder in noisy environments. Nowadays I can hear it in traffic noise and even watching the TV can provoke it. I've always thought it to be connected with blood circulation and I now sometimes notice that moving around can have the immediate effect of turning the volume up. In terms of loudness, it may not be as severe as some people's but can still be distracting. However, really loud noises, like the engine noise from a train pulling away from a station, can actually reduce my tinnitus for a short while, an effect I've long known from Pop concerts.

Loudness is one thing but I find that texture is a significant factor in how irritating tinnitus is. Mine has also started varying in texture between very hissy and a steely/squealing sound. The latter is the most uncomfortable texture and when it has also been loud, I have found it quite distressing - it can put me on edge, like 'nails down a chalk board'.

My tinnitus is probably not unusual in that many sufferers experience it in a similar way.

[PABLR]

I don't think my tinnitus is particularly loud; in fact I know it's not as I have had occasional days when it is, and I really don't know how I would cope if it were like that all the time. It never goes away but much of the time I can ignore it. As much as the volume level I am aware of all the different sounds going on, never less than four. I have what I call a high pitched 'straight line' sound continuously in both ears, a lower additional slightly buzzier sound in the left ear, and some kind of low hum 'surround' sound, that I'm not sure where it originates. As the day goes on the sounds don't really increase in volume, but the tinnitus in my left ear often becomes pulsatile. Hearing loss in my left ear is far worse than in my right. I also occasionally have a sound that will suddenly appear, last from a few seconds to a minute or so and then disappear. I have had a weird hearing loss history and at the moment am rarely using my hearing aids unless I'm going to be with more than one person in a conversation. One on one I can cope with well enough at the moment. At other times I need to use them, or at least the right one, most of the time. I have been diagnosed with Meniere's disease although all my vertigo spells happened within a two year period and I haven't had one for about ten years.

[Ana20]

Hi! I’ve got the same symptoms as you have and almost the same level of T during the night and in the evenings. I give marks from 1 to 10 and I think that my level of T is between 7 and 8.5, unfortunately.

I have been recommended by the doctor(in Romania) to take Betaserc(2x24 mg) every day all my life.

Good health!

[surviveT in reply to Ana20]

hi Ana thnx for yr reply - does the Betaserc help yr T ?

[Ana20]

Hi! T has remained at almost the same level. It isn’t worse. I also take Mg , B6, B12, 3-4 months every year.

I watched a clip yesterday about the link between T and candida. I had candida more than 17 years ago. I think it could be some truth in it. Anyway, treatment for candida involves healthy diet. It could be good for T, too.

Good health!

[please_stop]

Hi SurviveT, difficult to describe loudness. My T is a 24/7 high tone, it doesn’t stop, it is always there. Often through the day I get short waves of multi tones on top of it which seem louder. Here is the difficulty in describing loudness because I can’t separate it from perception. I work in a quiet office, when I’m engaged in a task I don’t notice T. So if I don’t notice T is it the loudness or my perception which has changed? I can mask it with noise generators and when I’m in a similar frequency rich environment like driving. TV doesn’t mask it at all yet when I’m really into watching a programme I don’t notice T.