Tinnitus and other fun stuff.

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Before I ever started reading up on AS, I hardly ever noticed a whole lot of things happening around me, because in domain of my experience, they were normal. One of those things is tinnitus, which in my case presents as a buzz that never relents. Fortunately, I got used to it, and it doesn't really bother me too much during the day-time when there's a lot of other sounds going on and there's barely any peace and quiet. When the city, along with people go to bed, the buzzing becomes a bit tedious.

Since I'm still living with my parents, I get the worst of it when my brother comes over. I'm used to going to bed with some music or lectures playing, but it isn't really doable with him staying in the same room. Unfortunately (?), I've got enough respect for his quiet time, so I just shut the computer down and hope for the best. Last time it took me over 4 hours to get some shut-eye, because the buzzing was just too irritating and completely unbearable.

Another thing that's been bothering me my whole life is inability to regulate temperature. Fun one. I don't know if it's AS related, but this is probably even worse than the tinnitus. My extremities are permanently cold. It's nigh impossible to warm up, especially when in bed. The bizarre thing, though, is that I wake up because I'm sweating and it's too hot. This thing also kicks in when I am feeling uneasy or I'm in a social situation where I am everything but comfortable. The heat becomes so intense that I could probably be standing outside in a t-shirt while it's snowing. I don't know, it's just too hard to get it 'right'. I'm either hot or cold, never just right.

Anyone got any of these? Knows how to best cope with them? Sharing is caring!

Sorry to hear you have this condition.

My wife, in discussion with one of her doctors, mentioned her temperature regulation problems, and found there's a name for this medical condition (forgotten the name, sorry). Sometimes it's almost impossible for her to be comfortable no matter how high we crank the heat or turn down the air conditioning.

Per the doctor's suggestion, and with his letter, we submitted it to the local gas and electric company and they automatically applied a substantial discount to our monthly bill.

EDIT to add: I've got tinnitus as well. Caused by shooting a high power rifle in a VFW meet as a favor to wife's cousin, an Omaha Beach survivor.

oh i have bad tinnitus. i NEED to listen to music when i sleep or the ringing will give me a headache.

i dont have much issues with temperature im just very sensitive to heat.

i carry headphones with me to sleepovers and such, it can be uncomfterble sleeping with headphones or earbuds in but i find it beats the tinnitus.

This works for me, too. I have become completely accustomed to sleeping with iPod earbuds. I listen to ambient sound recordings or podcasts while I fall asleep.

For help with tinnitus:





Story reading podcasts:
http://escapeartists.net/

Virology and microbiology podcasts (sometimes too interesting to fall asleep to, but they will take your attention off the ringing/hissing sounds):
http://www.microbeworld.org/podcasts/th ... crobiology
http://www.twiv.tv/

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Last edited by smudge on 26 Nov 2015, 2:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I've had it for about 4 years now - I got it from a bad sinus infection that led to ear infections that damaged the hairs in your ears. I sleep with a fan on next to my bed. The white noise of the fan is enough to drown out the ringing while the noise itself is stable low pitch type sound that allows me to sleep and not wake up from the white noise itself. No need for things in your ears and the fan noise doesn't bother my wife, she actually prefers it too.

Also, temporary or short-term ringing/different pitches to the ringing indicates that it most likely will go away or you do have a current infection that is causing it. Long-term, continually ringing at the same pitch indicates that the damage has already been done and the ringing is permanent - there is nothing that can be done for this type of "chronic" tinnitus.

Hope this helps,
BB400guy

Yes, if the tinnitus is from damage, it never goes. Mine is from too much loud sound and it is constant. When I am feeling well, mentally together, alert and focused, I don't notice it because I have learned to filter it out by willfully focusing on other things. But when I am fatigued or impaired it comes roaring back (really, I lose the ability to keep my attention off it) and it is very annoying.

I'm afraid the heat regulation/perception issues are outside of my experience and knowledge.

I hope you find ways to ameliorate these sensations.

I have severe Tinnitus as well, mostly caused by standing too close to a drum kit, but also rock shows and lost the last little bit when I was working in a precast concrete factory (like working in a belfry when the bells are tolling). There is nothing to be done, mine changes pitch and starts screaming - I don't like white noise, or abstract sounds. I suppose you just get used to it, even though it can send you crazy. It definitely gets worse when you are really tired - bit of a catch 22 as its the sound that keeps you up.

I have hearing loss in my right ear. When I was younger I experienced facial paralyses and was treated for Bell's Palsey but it may have been Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. Talked to an audiologist who thinks the auditory nerve was permanently damaged.

I've also had intermittent tinnitus from the right side and lately I've had an ongoing headache the tinnitus has become persistent and very annoying. Not sure if this is a migraine or a tension headache triggered by my college workload.

I have had tinnitus since childhood. I also have had problems with ear infections and chronic sinusitis. My sinuses are so bad that I have a narrowing of my upper airways, it is called Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome. I wake 20 times per hour and suffer from extreme insomnia. It is interesting how many of us have similar physical problems.

Weird, I went through something similar and they treated it as Asthma. I started waking up in the night with a gasp.

Started on allergy meds and sometimes I'll take a hit on an inhaler before going to bed.

I remember seeing a commercial on TV a year or so ago for a medication that treats tinnitus. I forget the name of it thou.

I remember a company called Quietus that would advertise on the TV or radio.

At one point in the commercial, they play a high pitched sound to simulate for the audience what Tinnitus was like. I guess they were successful, because it annoyed the hell out of me and I'd be scrambling for mute button or volume knob.

I've had tinnitus for 2-3 years now and actually manage quite well. My tinnitus is a unilateral (one-sided) high-frequency beeping (approximately 4 kHz) accompanied by hearing loss of 35 dB at the same frequency. It is loud enough that I may hear it in quite noisy environments (e.g. traffic), though usually I don't notice it even in silent rooms.

The first 3 months, though, I had severe panic attacks on a daily basis, so I know how horrible this can be. I was certain I was going to live the rest of my life in agony. Like I said though, I don't have problems due to my tinnitus anymore, and if I can somehow help then I'll be glad. Feel free to ask, and I'll try to answer.

I suppose you've already familiar with the concept of habituation? The idea of "getting used" to it (despite how silly that may sound). Well, it worked for me, although it took me a year or so to fully get used to it. My goal wasn't to never notice it, just to spend little time noticing it. For instance if I would manage to spend as little time noticing it as I do on eating breakfast then it is not really a big handicap anymore. Eventually, I managed to get so used to it that I had no problems sleeping, and I do this without sound therapy. Interestingly, though, I have tried sound therapy _after_ getting used to sleeping without sounds, and I notice my tinnitus more then, because I am not used to try masking it. You have probably habituated to the tinnitus plus your masking noise.

Maybe (just maybe) if you tried getting used to not using sound therapy you eventually would not need it. However, if you have already gotten used to sleeping with sounds and is happy with that most of the time I'm simply not sure it would be worth attempting to change that. But I'll leave that up to you to decide.

Another trick could be "getting a stim" that is noisy. E.g. I sometimes makes noise with my teeth which only I can hear, although I'm not sure if this is good for my dental health.

Unfortunately, most of what I've seen for "tinnitus treatment" have been BS to fool people and steal their money. That doesn't mean there's no help.

First, the probability of tinnitus going away decreases gradually the longer one has it. Thus if it has only been there a few days it's still very possible it will go away. When it's been there for 3 months, it is very unlikely it will go away, at least if it is due to loud noise (which is my case). There are other things which may cause it such as stress, stiff neck or a tight ear canal. Then it may go away if you cure that. My first advice is therefore: See a doctor.

If it is a noise damage, then it's harder, but not impossible. As for me, I fighted daily panic attacks until the 3 month mark. But then I stopped fighting. I kind of accepted my faith, and I started slowly getting better (mentally). For me, the initial period of panic attacks would have lasted longer if I believed there was medicine that could cure it. Then I would have kept fighting. However, I realized something else which was very important: The tinnitus is not dangerous! It is a sound. It is there, but it doesn't hurt you physically. It is not like cancer or a stroke. The only damaging things with tinnitus are the thoughts, the fact that you spend time thinking on it, and all the bad consequences that follows. But thoughts can be changed! My second advice is therefore simply cognitive therapy.

Finally, I do not exclude the possibility of a future medicine. But it may take some years yet. Maybe one year, maybe 20. For now the best thing is cognitive therapy accompanied possibly by sound therapy.

Why don't you get a white noise machine or a fan?