Hello😊

Hi. I'm a new member to this forum. It's currently 4.30am and my tinnitus, as usual, has prevented me sleeping. I suddenly developed it one one side only, 4 years ago. It did slightly improve, but has recently got worse, with little respite. Nights and early mornings are by far the worst. I can cope with it when I sleep well, but this is rare. Trying to maintain and improve my mood and mental health is proving challenging. It's nice to find this forum, because people just don't see how much you're suffering. I hate noise and can now, never find any peace or quiet.

[perlcoder]

Hello,

Just a word of welcome.

Your experience shared by so many of us. My T (more than 20 years), is fundamentally left sided, where I have more sever hearing loss than my right, but really it does as it pleases. If I fall asleep on my left side it will probably move to the right, or centre etc, and of course the problem with sleep is that there are no coping strategies to adopt in that condition. I am currently experimenting with the Soundcore A20 sleepbuds to see if having a degree of masking while sleeping. I am not sure that it will - some nights have been better, some awakenings worse. I may eventually write a review when I know what I think.

This is forum as not as busy as some - which is rather nice, but there is a great deal of experience between its users and its knowledgeable staff.

Do check out the resources / news on tinnitus.org.uk.

Best wishes

[Hidden in reply to perlcoder]

Thanks for your reply and sharing your experience.

[Jimbob7]

Hi,

Sleep is Numero Uno - in my book. If I don't sleep properly - for a few days - then my recovery and habituation starts un-ravelling at the seams and then, everything goes . . .

Talk to your GP about getting some help with sleep - you should be getting at least 6 hours of healthy, as natural as possible, sleep. If that means prescription stuff to assist then make it the lightest you can just to get off. Other useful practises are to stick to your evening routine so that your body and mind come to expect you to show up in bed, at the same time and in the same frame of mind each and every night until you get good sleep patterns reastablished.

I use Phenergan - it's not even prescription. It's sold for allergies but it also has slight sedating effects and promotes sleep. You can get it OTC or online.

When my sleep starts going wrong I reach for it to get me over the bad patch and back on track with the great God Morpheaus (Greek God of sleep). Try that to start - if it's not working for you then go down the prescription path.

As you said yourself - if you sleep right then the rest can be dealt with.

Good luck and keep us informed how you get on.

[ETHEL103 in reply to Jimbob7]

Yes I use phenergen too in fact I took one 10mg last night.Still wake in night but go back to sleep straight after loo visit.Ive got a pharmacy call today as I'm feeling very off balance and tinnitus is raging due probably to the fact I'm grieving for my husbands passing 8 months ago.

[robtheprint in reply to Jimbob7]

Never knew there was a Greek God of Sleep, Was there also a Greek God of Tinnitus? If there was I should like to have a word with him (or her) .

[Jimbob7 in reply to robtheprint]

'Fraid not but if you wanted to direct your comments to anyone that would have to be Chandra - the Hindu God of ears/ hearing and sounds. 😏

[TinnitusUKPat Partner in reply to robtheprint]

As a big fan of "The Matrix", Morpheus is very much on my radar and that character spent a fair bit of time waking people up from their slumbers as I recall...😀

[bluebell71]

hi

I understand how you feel tinnitus can be and is most debilitating, I have had tinnitus very bad for the last 30years. Last year my T became much quieter just in my left ear. I’m not sure why, I’m 74 yrs old perhaps I am not as anxious as I used to be and I do not stress over things as much as I used to, ‘what will be will be’

Try to distract your mind on a hobby or taking exercise, walking in the fresh air especially when there’s a slight wind. It will improve for you, I would never have thought that my T would be like it is now.

All the best I hope this helps in some way.

Jean

[Keepfitandhealth]

I completely agree with Jean. Try losing yourself in a task as paying it too much attention feeds it. Sleeplessness is not good for anyone and when you have tinnitus it is even more of a challenge to manage. I was told to not just lay there but to get up and do something. My doctor suggested I bake cakes for instance, which I thought would be nice! Although just having a cup of tea at whatever hour helps!

[Philip6]

Try using some white noise masking at night, I have a Sound Oasis machine, it has lots of sounds built in, you could also try Kirkland Sleep Aid pills, they are OTC and work well for me, although I rarely need them it’s nice to know they are there, they are safe and non-addictive.

[Ray200]

Awake in the night, then I find Classic FM helps. Nearly all of it at that time is violin, and the sound frequency of the strings seems to cover the tinnitus. They must be of a similar frequency

[Graham-E]

Hi and welcome.

I agree this is a quiet forum but has a great deal of knowledge.

I find T to be a lonely condition as it’s really only you that knows what yours is like. I’ve often said if I had an arm in a plaster cast people see that and T is not like that at all.

It’s all internal and even close loved ones can and do forget what you are going through. That is one of many parts I’m not keen on. Even though there is T week coming sometime, I’ve never know another person hear of it or it even pings on their radar.

All that said Stress and Sleep as so many have already said are the villains here. As you know these two go pretty much hand in hand.

I have had the usual path of GP To ENT with HAs and a sound machine besides the bed. CBT and meds and somethings work somedays. Distraction, as ever, is a way to find some relief. Sitting in my living room on my own as I am at the moment is not helpful. I know going for a walk in the evenings helps me but when it’s wet and cold then that crumbles as an option.

Truly I don’t think I can add anything new to what has already been said other than so many of us T suffering people do get you and feel for you and to that ends you are not alone anymore.

Always happy to chat and help if I can.

Take it easy and be kind to yourself, this is sometimes hard but sometimes not so much.

Best G

[Graham-E in reply to Graham-E]

Yes I know I’m replying to my post but jumping off here I search to find I’ve missed it already!!

Good grief I suffer from this condition, know about the event and see info on it and still miss it. It’s typical that this condition drifts under the radar like this.

So to correct my post,

“Tinnitus Week 2025 will be from 3-9 February”

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