[iancraig10]

My ears are important to me for work so I became extremely concerned when I detected tinnitus. Also on this great site ... quite a few people had been discussing problems and resting blame on headphones etc. This really concerned me and I became acutely aware of my own 'head noises'.

To my horror, last week, I woke up at 4 in the morning with a Gawd almighty noise in my right ear. (3 notes going off at once and LOUD) It was like an alarm and I was unable to sleep because the noise kept me awake. When I got up, I realised that I was virually DEAF in one ear. (My right ear)

This was serious so I phoned a doctor as soon as they were open. No appointment available so I threatened them because my ears are crucial to my work. They then agreed to let me see a nurse straight away.

She examined my ears and found mucus resting on my ear drum. She could see it with those things they put in your ear with a light. She diagnosed a bad case of Sinusitis and so gave me loads of things to take along with anti-biotics.

I now realise that I have had problems breathing for a very long time since the drugs have started to sort my ear out and for the first time in years, I am able to breathe properly through my nose.

Now that I am on the mend (having missed work which in my job is bad news), I went back to my trusty headphones. They sound so different that it is unbelieveable. The clarity that I can now perceive is far greater than I ever imagined. My Beyers don't seem to have as much middle missing as I first thought. My Sennheisers sound more forward than I first perceived and I am playing my music at MUCH lower volumes with as much satisfaction because of more detail coming through.

I still have a very high pitched whistle (TV tube pitch) but that may go down with the treatment, but if you suffer from Tinnitus it may well be worth checking out your sinuses. For me, it has been a massive ear opener. I feel like a tin of beans that has just been opened with a tin opener and my headphones sound so much better than I ever remember so I must have been suffering without knowing for a very long time. This could also be the case with those people on this site that have suffered with 'ear noises'.

My advice now is 'Get it checked'. I have been pleasantly rewarded with a new lease of life on 'phones after basically accepting that maybe my hearing had been deteriorating due to my age. Not the case.

Don't hesitate if you have noises in your ears.

 

[saxphile]

Hi iancraig10,

I have a very mild case of tinnitus and I've always assumed I got it from my grand father. I also have pretty severe sinusitis, so after reading your post I started wonder if I have the same condition, too.

My question is this: what kind of doctor did you go to? Just a general practioner or a specialist?

 

[iancraig10]

Hi Saxfile,

Because I am a musician and am often attached to headphones (Which seem to make it more obvious) I became very anxious about it. I have had it for 4 months now and it has started to either fade away or I am less aware of it. I have been taking all sorts of remedies including a high dosage of Ginkgo Biloba which is recommended for things like this. (I have no idea if it is that effective though)

A new one though ..... the night my daughter was born (two weeks ago) I had a river rushing sound in my head. I now wonder whether stress is having an effect on what I get.

Tinitus isn't nice and I can understand people getting depressed about it because doctors don't seem to be that fussed about it. On the face of it, a little noise in the ear isn't going to hurt you but it has made me quite anxious over the past 4 months. I certainly don't use headphones loud at all now.

Lots of sleep and Glinkgo. It's worth a try and at least you'll end up refreshed!!!

Ian

 

[Skylab]

Stress can cause Tinnitus in the following way. I have very mild Tinnitus and it's caused by my grinding my teeth at night when I sleep. I got a nightguard appliance to reduce this effect, and it did quite a bit. If you clench or grind your teeth at night, you should go to a DENTIST. This may reduce your Tinnitus greatly (although the appliance does not eliminate clenching, so it does not eliminate the Tinnitus totally).


There is a very easy way to test this that an Audiologist (who determined that the teeth thing was my issue): in a quiet room, if you can hear ringing, clench your teeth. Does the ringing increase in level? If so, your Tinnitus is, at least partially, caused by jaw issues due to teeth clenching/grinding.

I assume in my case, and in most cases, this is induced by stress.

All that said, I still listen below 80 db C weigthed to Headphones

 

[BillyC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skylab Stress can cause Tinnitus in the following way. I have very mild Tinnitus and it's caused by my grinding my teeth at night when I sleep. I got a nightguard appliance to reduce this effect, and it did quite a bit. If you clench or grind your teeth at night, you should go to a DENTIST. This may reduce your Tinnitus greatly (although the appliance does not eliminate clenching, so it does not eliminate the Tinnitus totally).

I second this. I normally have little or no tinnitus. On nights when I really go to town on my nightguard my ears ring the next day. Usually gos back to normal as my jaw muscles relax.