Tinnitus

[CSW]

I was an Infantry guy back before we knew that shooting M16s without hearing protection (or just "foamies") was a bad thing (TM pending). Also got plenty of experience shooting M2s from the turret of a HMMWV with just the handset of the vehicle radio shoved in my right ear, left ear wide open. Not surprisingly, I've had tinnitus since my mid-20s. Now in my later 50s, it's very bad. The VA just fitted me out with "noise canceling" hearing aids that work to a greater or lesser degree during the day, but at night things are no bueno. My wife can't sleep with ANY of the ambient "white noise" options my VA-supplied noise machine, so it's toss and turn listening to the ringing until I pop two Benadryl and call it a night...

Walmart sleep aid pills and a fan. 😒🙄

[psalms144.1]

Walmart sleep aid pills and a fan. 😒🙄

We've done the box fan thing - herself sleeps like a baby, it does precisely jack squat for my tinnitus. The only sound that really "drowns" the tinnitus I've got sounds like crickets chirping (nearest thing I can describe). It keeps herself up all night, and, since I'm retired and she's still working, I just bash myself down with the Benadryl. Might try the Walmart sleep aids - is it just Melatonin?

[CSW]

No, it's dyphenhydromine, the same stuff in benadryl.

[revchuck38]

I was an Infantry guy back before we knew that shooting M16s without hearing protection (or just "foamies") was a bad thing (TM pending). Also got plenty of experience shooting M2s from the turret of a HMMWV with just the handset of the vehicle radio shoved in my right ear, left ear wide open. Not surprisingly, I've had tinnitus since my mid-20s. Now in my later 50s, it's very bad. The VA just fitted me out with "noise canceling" hearing aids that work to a greater or lesser degree during the day, but at night things are no bueno. My wife can't sleep with ANY of the ambient "white noise" options my VA-supplied noise machine, so it's toss and turn listening to the ringing until I pop two Benadryl and call it a night...

During my first enlistment, I was assigned to FA units, first an 8" SP firing battery and then a 155mm SP firing battery. You were considered a pussy if you used hearing protection. I also spent a lot of time during that period working the radios in an M577, AN/VRC-46s which often didn't work with the squelch on, so they were on squelch off most of the time. My ears ring all the time, and my phone ring tone is low-frequency because I can't hear high frequencies. I probably need to go to the VA about it.

[GearFondler]

I have Meniere's Disease in my right ear and the Tinnitus is terrible. I had a Retrosigmoid Vestibular Nerve Section to cure the dizzy spells but the Tinnitus is impossible to cure and only gets worse with time. If there's any ambient noise around me then conversations are nearly impossible. It really sucks but what you gonna do? I just learned to ignore it as best I can and smile back at people while pretending I followed their conversation. And use closed captions on the TV.

[Rocky Racoon]

I was an Infantry guy back before we knew that shooting M16s without hearing protection (or just "foamies") was a bad thing (TM pending). Also got plenty of experience shooting M2s from the turret of a HMMWV with just the handset of the vehicle radio shoved in my right ear, left ear wide open. Not surprisingly, I've had tinnitus since my mid-20s. Now in my later 50s, it's very bad. The VA just fitted me out with "noise canceling" hearing aids that work to a greater or lesser degree during the day, but at night things are no bueno. My wife can't sleep with ANY of the ambient "white noise" options my VA-supplied noise machine, so it's toss and turn listening to the ringing until I pop two Benadryl and call it a night...

Constant use of Benadryl is no bueno and may not be letting you reach deep restorative sleep. I'd try melatonin as a healthier alternative. The minimum effective dose may be a lot less the 5mg you often see. Find some 3mg gummies and cut them in half and that might be all you need.

You need to sleep in separate bedrooms or your wife needs to be educated about what you are going through, gain a little sympathy, and suck it up and learn to sleep with white noise. (I actually prefer brown noise.)

[Hemiram]

I suspect they are the same volume. When I played them on my laptop for someone else in the room, they reacted and were dismayed i couldnt hear it well or at all, to them it was as loud as the others and very irritating.

Im in the midwest part time, out dog walking with a friend, I asked if the cicadas were going, she reacted "'You cant hear them?!!!" "Well, sort of, but Im not sure". To her they were loud. Cicadas seem to be a similar frequency to my tinnitus, but a different (lower) tone. Im sort of-kind of aware there may be cicadas going, but not positive. Sounds in either the frequency or pitch range as my tinnitus is pretty hard to hear, if i can hear them at all.

I've had mainly two types of tinnitus, both are probably due to watching too many nitro Funny Cars and Top Fuelers over the years without hearing protection. My main sound is like Cicadas. The first time I heard it was in the Winter with about 6" of snow on the ground. I was in the bathroom, and had just come out of the shower. The speed of the noise is whatever my pulse is at the time. I can make it stop almost totally by "popping my ears", holding my nose and blowing gently will cause it to just almost fade away. It lasts about 10-15 minutes before it comes back. The other sound is a high pitched, about 5khz whine that only happens about 10% as often as the Cicada noise, and is MUCH louder. If I pop my ears, it's gone instantly and usually doesn't come back until the next day. The Cicadas are with me tonight...

[CSW]

Ordered, and have been taking those lipo-flavonoids since Wednesday afternoon.

While it is still there, and still ringing, they're might be a reduction in the intensity;

Although I'm really not sure it isn't a placebo effect. I'm going to continue taking them as directed, but without being doubting Thomas, I don't really believe that vitamins can reverse hearing loss.

Constant use of Benadryl is no bueno and may not be letting you reach deep restorative sleep. I'd try melatonin as a healthier alternative. The minimum effective dose may be a lot less the 5mg you often see. Find some 3mg gummies and cut them in half and that might be all you need.

I've also used the week to wean off the sleep aid, and I'm trying a sleep gummy that's melatonin and volarian. Slept until my bum shoulder woke me up from the constant pain, as it does every night, but I slept.

[medmo]

YouTube is a big help for me. There are sleep sounds videos that go for 8 to 12 hours. Surf sounds and rain sounds work great. My wife also enjoys them. I’ve also tried listening to guided sleep meditation videos on YouTube by Jason Stephenson which also are helpful. If the sound bothered my wife I would go with earbuds.

[RoyGBiv]

I have tinnitus that correlates closely with some c-spine problems. Terrible tinnitus downgraded to annoying tinnitus with lots of PT.

Wife likes white noise at night, I prefer total silence. I avoid hotels with through-the-wall HVAC because i can't get any sleep with the air cycling at night.

No such thing as total silence with tinnitus.

Wife recently bought a fan that her brother had in his house, that she really liked last time she visited... its' low hum is quiet enough that I can sleep with it on at night and it definitely reduces the "volume" of my tinnitus. And the extra breeze is nice in the summer. FWIW... Link.