worse through exercise

[091960]

I have posted before about my tinnitus. It gets worse when ill & now found out that exercise has also made it worse. Went back to the gym Saturday to get me back walking as I don’t feel safe walking outside due to having balance problems & partial deafness caused by the injury to my left ear over a year ago. My heart rate shot up & the tinnitus was so much louder. Ive tried to calm it down by relaxing & breathing exercises but it’s still very loud. Need to cross gym off my list of things I want to get back to & am now very down as I need to get back to doing things I used to do, even if it means doing much less than I did before! Am hoping that in time the noise will get less. My specialist said carry on as normal as you can but how can I when everything affects the tinnitus, loud noise, exercise, working environment, it’s useless & so depressing.

many advice would be welcome thankyou

[TinnitusUKPat Partner]

Hi 091960

You mention having balance problems, some hearing loss and tinnitus in your post and an injury to your ear.

The main thing that I would suggest - if this hasn't already been done - is to consult a specialist in balance disorders, as audio-vestibular doctors often citee hearing and tinnitus as the issues they support patients with.

One of the professional bodies for this discipline is baap.org.uk, whose front page links to a searchable list of practitioners (NHS and private) within the UK, who you may wish to discuss with your doctor.

[091960 in reply to TinnitusUKPat]

thankyou for the advice. I’ve seen the balance specialist who a year ago gave me a series of exercise's which I do, but she said the balance will not totally go, it’s something I have to live with, like the tinnitus.

[Happyrosie in reply to 091960]

Just to say about your balance, I too saw a specialist some years ago and whilst I am careful not to do the things that start the vertigo off, it’s almost disappeared. Unlike the T.

[Muleskinner]

I do a fair bit of long-ish distance running and exercise also makes my Tinnitus worse. However, it is a temporary thing and goes back to 'normal' fairly quickly.

An audiologist told me there are scientific reasons for dehydration making it worse, so that's also something to consider when exercising.

My advice would be not to stop doing the things you like to do, if you let your Tinnitus dictate your lifestyle it has won. The best thing is to carry on as normal and, after a while, it begins to fade into the background at least some of the time.

I've had it for almost two years and last night I got through about 90 minutes of telly without even thinking about it, that is a rarity but it's all about habituation.

cheers

[091960 in reply to Muleskinner]

Thankyou for the reply. Much appreciated. It’s not calmed down much since Saturday. I drink loads of water daily & also do relaxation so it will eventually calm down I imagine. I literally only walked on the treadmill for 25 minutes on a slight incline then went onto the cross trainer, I wasn’t overdoing it, or I didn’t think I was, on the lowest setting but my heart rate shot up to 180 & am 63 so didn’t think that was good!

[Seabob]

Hi there so sorry you are experiencing this, have you been able to ask a dr about heart rate?? as well as what others have said i have somatic Tinnitus which is caused by movement - so breathing, moving my jaw especially, and walking causes it to flare up, apparently its a sub type of T and we have to address it the same way as any T - thats not easy and i completely understand the distress and frustration, my own anxiety and muscle tension no doubt makes it worse but droning T in one ear and hissing etc in the other is quite hard to not get anxious about - my muscles are causing referred pain so i have terrible 'ear' pain...anyhoo i have done some research and all you can do is try and calm the nervous system down - my enjoyment of going for a walk has been tainted by T but some days i have to force myself out for a walk - i do understand how you feel completely.

[091960]

hi, that sounds awful, so many people suffering & no cure! In this day & age & the miracles they can now do you would think something can be done. I’ve been told that stem cells would be the only way to repair the damage to my inner ear, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon!

[1966366]

Exercise and T as featured on this forum intermittently for several years: I have been swimming this morning and my head is now screaming with noise! It's hard, but I persevere and try to get in three sessions a week. Personally, I don't think dehydration through exercise is a big 'spiker'; take isotonic drinks as you go if you're unsure. You just have to find out what is best for you. All da best

[Sonnybee]

Hi there. Your not alone. I do a lot of cycling, cold water swimming, hiking etc. They all, particularly the cycling, ramp up my tinnitus, particularly after I've done it. At the beginning, I panicked, but after a LONG time, I realised it leveled out again. I'm not medical but I think its purely down to exercise increases our heart rate. My advice is to NOT avoid anything you love doing. Once you start avoiding everything, you make the tinnitus the most important thing in your life and it controls everything you do. This, in turn, reduces your ability to get over it and habituate. By all means investigate the balance issue, but it may be something you also have to deal with. I get bouts of dizziness stemming from a virus in my inner ear about 20yrs ago. My attitude towards this is similar to my tinnitus approach. It took me ages to realise this!! Keep exercising and take care friend.