Tinnitus

[chiilichips]

I have Tinnitus it is quite severe.

I am waiting for an MRI scan of my neck and head. My doctor has put this down as none urgent so i do not expect this soon.

I have no issues going to sleep but i do wake up very early most days at 4am

My question is if i sleep an my left side my Tinitus is not as bad and i can cope but if in the night i turn over and sleep on my right side the tinnitus is very severe and will continue all day. Is this a thing with Tinnitus. I do notice the sound it worse on my right side.

[perlcoder]

Hello,

Has your hearing been assessed? Do you wear hearing aids?

It is common for one ear or the other to be the primary source of T (mine is the left ear), and this will often correlate to worse hearing deterioration in that ear. This is only a rough guide, because the brain locates T wherever it chooses, and, particularly when one is awake and there is ambient sound, it may be evenly distributed - or even skip to the "wrong" side. Well adjusted hearing aids can, to an extent, compensate for this (mine do), but this is not possible overnight. In my case I am more likely to be woken by my T when I am sleeping on my right side, with my worse ear uppermost. You seem to have the opposite effect but nothing about T surprises me - particularly in the night.

So, in answer to your question, yes, in my sadly long experience of T and of participating in forums such as this, you describe a somewhat common symptom - and the effect of a bad night often does extend into bad day.

Best wishes.

[chiilichips in reply to perlcoder]

Thanks for your reply. No I do not wear earing aids and have not had my hearing tested. I was waiting for the scan before I got this tested.

I just need to not turn in my sleep.

[perlcoder in reply to chiilichips]

You are welcome.

Obviously your preferences are your own and you have your reasons. I don't know how things work in your NHS region (they seem to vary quite a bit), but in mine we can self-refer for hearing assessment. There is a waiting list, but the result will be a competent assessment and free high quality aid(s) if you need them, including T maskers if they are called for. I am older than you, and put off my own first assessment (it was in 2017), for too long. I don't see how the assessment or its outcome could prejudice your MRI. Just a thought.

[VeganSausage in reply to perlcoder]

You can also get free hearing tests done outside the NHS with little waiting, for example with the hearing care partnership.

[bluedawnstar]

Hi,

I took an online hearing test available free through RNID. It's quick and easy and as hearing loss was detected they gave me a letter to print off and take to my GP. The GP conducted a tuning fork test and referred me onwards. I was not aware that my hearing was impaired, I now have a hearing aid for my left year and it has definitely helped with my T. I would recommend taking the online test as hearing loss is insidious. You have nothing to lose but may find it helpful.

[perlcoder in reply to bluedawnstar]

That is very similar to my case. I had suffered from T for about 16 years when possible symptoms of something else led to an ENT referral. He gave me the all clear for that something else, but referred me to audiology for a hearing test. That clearly revealed the loss in my left ear and an aid+masker was prescribed. More recently, when I felt that my hearing had further deteriorated, I used the self-referral available here. A great many people have undiagnosed loss.

[chiilichips]

Thanks everyone i will get an hearing test.

[Hiscid321]

this is of interest to me too

[Georgie322]

Mine is exactly the same way when I have it.

[PABLR]

I agree with everything I've read here. Just to emphasise, Tinnitus is incredibly individual and varies from person to person, and very little is known about it. I agree with everyone that says you should get a hearing test sooner than later. Even one from Boots or Specsavers (not free, but not horrendous) would give you an idea if there's any kind of correlation between your tinnitus and hearing loss and that's good information to have. I am British but in the USA and while I've read a lot about masking HAs on this site it doesn't seem to be so much a thing here. BUT, just wearing HAs rather than not improves things in the day time because other sounds come in better and more clearly and push the tinnitus into the background. When you take your HAs out it can initially seem loud, but you do begin to adjust and habituate.