[krismusic]

Well. Here's irony. I just ordered myself an expensive pair of CIEMS just as my Tinnitus seems to be getting worse.
It used to be that I only heard it in a quiet room. I now hear it in a noisy room and even when listening to music, in quieter passages. I always said that by the time you can afford high end gear your hearing is knackered.
Any advice?

 

[castleofargh]

limit noise and music for a few days, sleep well, don't drink, try to relax(, jaw/neck, practice sport, sex, holidays... whatever works for you ^_^). if you didn't for a long time, pay a visit to an audiologist, most of the time they can't do much, but sometimes it's a silly little T-rex hiding in your hear.

 

[krismusic]

Thanks. Sounds like very good advice. No music. for days? Makes sense though. Thanks again.

 

[AudioBear]

I feel your pain.  Mine goes up and down, when I am tired I think I hear it more.  Time to chill out and relax.  
 
In general there is not a lot that can be done, however, I have had some success with Tinnitus Pro for IOS--check it out on iTunes app store.  Don't know if there is an android equivalent.
 
There are two theories about ways to de-emphasize tinnitus.   The first is masking with white noise.  You listen to white noise and your brain adjusts itself somehow to ignore the tinnitus.  The other is masking with a notched filter.  Tinnitus Pro does that and it makes sense.  The idea is you measure the frequency of your tinnitus (in the program) and then you play back your music with that frequency notch filtered to zero.  The idea is to train your ear to not be so sensitive at that frequency or something like that.  
 
This only works for some people (30-50%) but it's worth a try because the app is less than $10 and all you have to do is listen to music for a few hours a day--longer is better.  I listened through my iPhones and Shure SE535s. I used all my own music library so it's really no big deal. I felt -- very subjectively -- that it was helping,  I stopped using it and I became more aware of my tinnitus within a few days.
 
The program points you to a PNAS paper on which the software is based.  The people who produce it are a serious audio clinic in Germany,  It's definitely not a joke or a scam.  Try it,
 
You might want to visit an audiologist or ENT anyway since many things can cause tinnitus to get worse, like high blood pressure for example.

 

[krismusic]

Thanks a lot AudioBear. I'll try Castleofargh's advice. If that doesn't help I shall move on to yours. Many thanks again.

 

[sonitus mirus]

Stay away from or significantly limit your caffeine intake.  For me, we just changed the clocks ahead for the ridiculously outdated and obsolete Daylight Savings Time.  I'm tired and drinking more coffee, both of which increase the effects of tinnitus.  To make things even worse, the temperatures around here are finally warming up and my sinus allergies are acting up a bit.  The perfect storm.  I try and limit my music to speakers at low volume levels.  
 
Perhaps something to try would be to use ear plugs for a day, if possible and safe for you to do so.  I was a surface sonar technician in the US Navy for 8 years.  We had annual hearing tests and I almost always failed these on my first attempt.  I had to wear double hearing protection (ear plugs AND ear muffs) for 24 hours and then retake the test.  I always improved significantly on my second attempt.  Ships are extremely noisy in the best of circumstances. 

 

[AudioBear]

Agree on the caffeine restriction.  That worked for me but I decided that life wasn't bearable without my drug of choice.

 

[krismusic]

Agree on the caffeine restriction.  That worked for me but I decided that life wasn't bearable without my drug of choice.

No coffee either? My drug of choice too.

 

[sonitus mirus]

No coffee either? My drug of choice too.

 
I would not go without coffee if you routinely consume it.  The effects of withdrawal are worse, and most of the studies I've read suggest that moderate amounts of coffee are beneficial.  I only meant that if you are tired and drinking more coffee, soda, or tea than you normally do, it can exasperate the effects of tinnitus.

 

[fallen angel]

Curious, would there perhaps be an effect from dehydration? 

 

[castleofargh]

  Curious, would there perhaps be an effect from dehydration? 

the main problem is that it can be a lot of things. blood pressure, physical problem in the ear, previous damage from noise exposure, I've even seen somewhere that it could come from neck pain or the jaw not being straight(most likely because of a non symmetrical teeth placement).
can't say if all is really possible, but just finding the cause isn't a walk in the park.

 

[krismusic]

I may have realised what has caused the sudden deterioration.
I had a hearing test last week. I was told that I have a dip at 4khz.
Probably caused by using woodworking machinery.
So I upped 4k on my EQ.
The App Store is down ATM (!) but when it is back up I will buy the Tinnitus App.
I would bet that I find that my constant tone is at 4k.
I'll keep you posted.

 

[AudioBear]

I'm also a woodworker and I have a 4-6K notch and the expected HF rolloff (I'm 72).  The frequency test is pretty challenging at first but you can repeat is again and again and home in on your exact frequencies.  I ended up using a 4-8K notch.  I thought it would ruin my appreciation of music, but it doesn't change things all that much.  I sometimes chuckle at the people around here who can tell one cable from another.  I save a lot of money this way.

 

[krismusic]

Nice to talk to a fellow woodworker AudioBear.Do you still woodwork?
I'm 58. You are a bit ahead of me. Great that you still enjoy your music. It is of course a lifelong pleasure.
Which is why I am a bit freaked to have this problem. Interesting that our frequency loss is similar. Obviously power tool related. Damn routers!
I am following the good advice I have had here. Missing my headphones. Cold turkey!
Completely agree with you regarding EQ. A very powerful tool. In this digital age I do not see why people don't use it to "fine tune".
We are both old enough to remember those EQ units with 30 sliders. Obviously putting that lot in the signal path was not a good idea.
Maybe that is where the prejudice has come from?
Thanks for the advice and support. Headfi. Not here just for the nice things!

 

[jefpar72]

  There are two theories about ways to de-emphasize tinnitus.   The first is masking with white noise.  You listen to white noise and your brain adjusts itself somehow to ignore the tinnitus.  The other is masking with a notched filter.  Tinnitus Pro does that and it makes sense.  The idea is you measure the frequency of your tinnitus (in the program) and then you play back your music with that frequency notch filtered to zero.  The idea is to train your ear to not be so sensitive at that frequency or something like that.
 
This only works for some people (30-50%) but it's worth a try because the app is less than $10 and all you have to do is listen to music for a few hours a day--longer is better.  I listened through my iPhones and Shure SE535s. I used all my own music library so it's really no big deal. I felt -- very subjectively -- that it was helping,  I stopped using it and I became more aware of my tinnitus within a few days.
 
The program points you to a PNAS paper on which the software is based.  The people who produce it are a serious audio clinic in Germany,  It's definitely not a joke or a scam.  Try it,

 
Thanks for the tip on the Tinnitus Pro app. I downloaded it yesterday and I'm going to try it for a while.
 
I started having tinnitus-like symptoms in mid-January during and after a week or two of blocked ears and muffled hearing. During that time I visited my primary-care physician and he found a substantial wax buildup in both ears, which he flushed out. Before long the blocked ears and muffled hearing went away... but the constant hissing in my ears (similar to a noise around 10k) has remained. The only respite was last week when he prescribed a 6-day Medrol (steroid) pack; during most of those 6 days the hissing was gone almost completely. Sadly it has returned this week, slightly stronger in the right ear (it previously had seemed equal in both ears).
 
I'm working on getting a referral to an ENT now and in the meantime I'm going to use the app to listen to my tunes while I'm at work, just to see if it helps.