My wife is an audiologist who specializes in tinnitus counseling. She’s telling me that Internet research and tinnitus groups tend to lead people to more negative thinking that often leads to spiraling. She says the American Tinnitus Association website has the best, research -based information and guidance and that pretty much everything else on the Internet should be avoided. Www.ata.org Hope this helps.

Oof, that’s rough.

For temporary relief, you can find stuff on YouTube that plays sounds at different high pitched frequencies. You’ll still be hearing the sound but having it come from an external source can provide relief (at least for some people). Noise machine apps have options for different “colors” of noises, so you can experiment and try to find something that works. Also, I can’t explain it at all but for some reason this music does something for me.

Don’t assume that it’ll get worse or that it’ll always be as bad as it is now. If it’s still there when you’re 40, let 40 year old you deal with it. If it sticks around, you’ll learn to live with it. My experience was that it’s worst when you first get it because you’re not used to it, you don’t have any tools for coping with it, and you can’t accept it.

Take it day by day. If you can deal with it for just one day, then you can apply that to every day. So all you have to worry about is today.

But I’ll tell you, shit sucks. There’s an herbal supplement in the US that’s marketed as helping with tinnitus. It doesn’t work, and I knew it wouldn’t work, I saw the word “homeopathic” on the label and I knew exactly what it meant. I bought it anyway. My dad suffers from it too, and I saw the same one in his medicine cabinet.

I think my case is relatively minor, too, but I can remember being that desperate for a moment of relief. But for me it’s faded into the background and I usually don’t notice it. Tbh I’ve come to find it almost handy, in that it’s a way of my body providing feedback to tell me when I’m stressing myself out. Kinda like that thing with old folks where they can tell a storm coming because it makes their joints ache. The sensation itself is just a sensation, it’s annoying and unpleasant, but my experience is that what makes it really bad is when you have other thoughts attached to that. And the good news is that it’s possible to change the thoughts you associate with the sound even if you can’t change the sensation. It just takes time and mindfulness.

If you suddenly developed it without any major accidents (like your eardrums burst from pressure) or continued harmful noises (construction is a big one). You should probably get it checked

Could be a symptom of an underlying issue and it might go away if you fix that

If you come back from that and it genuinely is tinnitus, then I recommend:

1. Keeping your mind distracted. Mostly easy if you are doing day to day stuff, hard when you’re trying to sleep
2. Play ambient noises. I like ocean waves if I have problems with mine, it helps drown out the static
3. Exercise. Doesn’t actually help reduce it, but it does help make your body ignore it IMO, and makes it easier to fall asleep.

Youuuuu juuuust leeearrrn to deeeeeal wwwwith iiiitt.

I’ve had tinnitus as long as I can remember, and it doesn’t bother me at all. I’ve gotten used to it. I mean, I never don’t hear it, so there’s no alternative.

I developed electric crickets in my left year about 8-9 years ago now, it’s not tinnitus because it’s not the little hairs in my ears it’s the nerve between my ear and brain shorting out but the result is the same - when I had my hearing tested they told me 3 months is the time most people either start being able to ignore it OR need supportive care, they offered someone to talk to and/or antidepressants if I hadn’t adjusted in 3 months, thankfully I did and I can tune it out, or tune in if I’m trying to sleep I can just listen to it and I fall asleep.

I would talk to your doctor, if you haven’t already, for the physical aspect of it and mention to them you’re struggling mentally with it, it’s SUPER common to the point my doctors were addressing it preemptively so they might be able to give you tools to help make things easier.

my wife says white noise helps like having a fan on. curiously she said it kinda helps her go to sleep as she pretends its white noise and that she is outside and it kinda helps get to sleep if you don’t think about it as a bad thing. like think of it as white noise you intentionally put on to go to sleep.

Short answer: Get an evaluation by an audiologist, if possible, to determine if something can be done.

Long answer: Depending on the personal cause of tinnitus, solutions range from nothing to getting hearing aids with specific software that provides tinnitus relief. I have genetic, moderate to severe hearing loss in higher frequencies and have very noticeable tinnitus. The complications from hearing loss with tinnitus can vary, but personally were resulting in increased sensitivity to noise throughout the day, irritability, and diminished ability to communicate (I couldn’t hear what my spouse or kids were saying when there was any kind of background noise present). It led me to never want to go anywhere or do anything outside our home because I couldn’t hear or enjoy anything.

I went to an audiologist, had a bunch of tests, and was prescribed a set of hearing aids. Said hearing aids play soft ocean noises in addition to boosting the frequencies I have diminished hearing in. The ocean noises allow the brain to train itself to treat the tinnitus as a routine background noise instead of a panic inducing “danger” sound. Over time, it has helped in significantly reducing my attention to the tinnitus. It will never go away, and I have to sleep with ocean sounds playing so I don’t go insane.

I’ve had Meniere’s Disease since I was 17, and the tinnitus comes with it at no extra cost. Thirty five years on and all I can say is you just learn to cope. Some days it’s louder and some days you don’t register it despite it being a constant. It’s tough at the start, but take some comfort in knowing you’ll adapt. There are plenty of people out there who’ve gone through what you’ve experienced, so you’ve already got a support community.

I have it, caused my hearing damage (non genetic). I’ve noticed some muscle relaxers will increase the sound, but when the meds wear off it goes back to normal.

Broadly speaking, I live in a quiet environment. Over there past few years it seems like it’s gotten better. Like since I hear it slightly all the time my brain ignores it better. YMMV.

But yes, see a doctor about it. And don’t freak out. What comes on suddenly may go away slowly too. My sudden episodes sometimes last two weeks, but they subside.

Ive had tinnitus throughout my living memory. Unsure if it’s because I was a loud child or something inherent to my physiology. Maybe having no memory of perfectly crisp hearing makes it easier to forget, but I can’t say that it has truly affected my quality of life. I can still sing in a choir and listen to jazz. Mine might be a milder case, I have no way of knowing, but please don’t allow it to keep you from doing what you enjoy.

Check your blood pressure

Assuming you go to the doctor and find out you do have tinnitus and it’s permanent, I can totally understand the panic you’re feeling right now. It’s a very existential, pit of your stomach sense of dread you’re feeling right now.

As somebody with tinnitus that is likely more severe than yours is right now, and have had it as young as you if not younger, you will get used to it with time, to the point that 90% of the time, you won’t hear it at all. Right now it’s going to seem far worse and suffocating because more than anything the tinnitus is triggered by remembering that you have it. Since it’s going to be stuck on your mind for awhile it might feel like you’re suffocating under it but as bad as I have it, it really is only an occasional annoyance.

The important thing is to start protecting your hearing today. Ear plugs at concerts, plug your ears when the ambulance drives by, don’t blast the music in your car so loud.

Don’t despair, when it’s really bad there are things that help like white noise, which can be generated on your phone or you can set up a fan at night. iPhones have a feature now that can add subtle nature sounds or white noise behind whatever else you’re listening to including music, if you find that’s something that helps you.

I have lived with it for 20 years. I listen to a lot of music or podcasts to help not focus on it. I got relief once for about 2 hours after my ears popped on an airplane. Everyone is different but rubbing the pressure point behind my ear doesn’t go away but turns down the volume for a bit.

You can get temporary tinnitus from an active ear infection or a swollen/inflamed ear, it may not be permanent.

Were you exposed to any overly loud sounds recently, or chronically over the course of your life?