u/Squall_j1

I have been using ear protection for two years now, even in many everyday situations. I believe this has done nothing but increase my hyperacusis and phonophobia. I am trying, bit by bit, to stop using earplugs at home. Obviously, all everyday sounds seem 'dangerous' to me because they feel amplified. However, I hope they aren't; I hope it’s simply that I perceive them as louder than they actually are (these are everyday household noises, like opening a refrigerator—nothing dramatic). Therefore, I hope they cannot cause me hearing damage since they aren't actually loud. In short, I hope my perception of sound doesn't correspond to the actual decibels my hearing is subjected to. This is the only way I can get out of this situation where I am terrified of every noise and fear it might cause me hearing damage. At least, I’m talking about normal household noises, certainly not concerts or high-volume music, etc

Hi, i have bad and good days.

Like 50-50 or 60-40 depends month to month.

Recently i noticed that i can have 3/4 days in a row good or bad.

For example, my last bad day was sunday. Today is my third good day and when it happens i feel myself like ‘healed’.

But i know tomorrow or the day after probably bad days will return.

I’m asking myself if it could be a good sign that my brain quiet down my tinnitus for 2-3-4 days in a row.

Hi, I’ve been living with tinnitus caused by acoustic trauma for two years now. During this time, I’ve gone into 'over-protection' mode. At home, I frequently used Bose QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones, and outdoors, I used earplugs. The problem is that yesterday I realized that if you touch the inner part of the headphones in a certain way, they can emit a piercing, high-pitched screech. Now, I’m terrified of using them because I don't want to risk further hearing damage (luckily, I was just handling them yesterday and wasn't wearing them, but the whistle was still very loud... I can't imagine if I'd had them on). However, after two years of this routine, I’m now terrified of being at home without protection. I live with noisy people.

I’m so discouraged... I don’t know what to do. Obviously, I couldn't go on living with headphones on forever; in fact, I was already progressively trying to use them less often. But now I find myself forced to stop using them all at once. I’m terrified that any noise I hear—dishes clattering, windows or doors closing—could cause me acoustic damage. I could use earplugs, but even then, I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to keep putting them in and taking them out. Doing that creates a sort of 'vacuum' effect, and I don't think it's healthy to do it so many times throughout the day. Maybe I should just give up, only wear plugs when I go out into very noisy environments, and pray that my tinnitus doesn't get worse. To think that just a few years ago I lived a normal life and could be in my own home without any protection... The thing is, the people I live with are so loud; they are hyperactive. They’re constantly grabbing plates and making noise. To avoid it, I end up risking isolating myself in one room.

Hi, I have a pair of classic Loop earplugs. However, when I speak, my voice echoes in my head, so I either end up staying silent or whispering. This isn't ideal when I'm in a crowded place and want to talk to the person next to me... I've read that there are Loops designed to 'help you hear voices better,' but looking at the Amazon reviews, it doesn't seem like they actually solve this echoing issue. I'm afraid there might not be a fix for it (for physical reasons: if the ear canal is sealed by a plug, it's normal for there to be an echo).

Hi, I’m getting along well with the Loops and I find them easy to put in and take out. The only thing is that I always try to do it slowly because I’m worried that this constant pressure from removing and inserting them could cause problems for my eardrum. I use the regular tips — the smaller ones don’t seem to seal very well for me. I guess a certain amount of ‘pressure’ is normal because, to protect your hearing, the ear canal needs to be sealed. But I’m still a bit worried… any advice?

Hello, I’ve been suffering from bothersome tinnitus for 2 years now (caused by acoustic trauma). I admit that I had already been dealing with tinnitus before that, since 2005 to be exact. However, back then it was mild and never really caused me any problems.

I have to say that from 2005 to 2024 there were periods when it suddenly got louder (always due to small acoustic traumas), and during those times I was worried. But in the end it always managed to calm down and return to non-bothersome levels. The point is that, in those previous cases, it lasted at most 6 weeks (once 2 weeks, once 3, once 4 days, once 6 weeks).

Now that I’ve had it for 2 years, though, I’m starting to doubt that long-term improvements are even possible. Ironically, I myself am living proof that tinnitus can decrease in volume. But the previous times it was never this distressing, even when it was loud. And now I also have a whole series of symptoms (like hyperacusis on the days when the ringing is worse, changes after naps, etc.) that I had never experienced before. So I have the feeling that this time the damage is more severe. And therefore “irreversible.”

As a result, I’m starting to wonder whether it still makes sense for me to hope that one day I might feel better. I admit that this hope is the only thing still keeping me going… because at this point I’m just living on autopilot. I have at least 2 or 3 high-frequency tones tormenting me constantly. I can honestly say that living like this does not feel like living.

Fortunately, I still get around 12–15 “decent” days per month where I don’t suffer too much. But the other 15–18 days are really hard. Every day I wake up feels like a new adventure. Some days it’s tolerable, others unbearable. It changes every single day. Even these constant fluctuations no longer feel like a good sign to me… because I don’t see any real improvement over time.

Years ago, when I had episodes where it spiked, it would stay consistently loud for 2–6 weeks, but when it finally went down, it actually went down. And it could remain mild for 5–7 years straight. Now, instead, it feels like a continuous illusion: maybe I get 1, 2, 3, or 4 good days in a row and I start to hope again… but then inevitably the terrible day comes back. And often it’s not just one day, but 2, 3, 4, or 5 bad days in a row. Then the cycle repeats itself.

Of course, if I could consistently have the kind of “decent” days I’m having now, I would definitely feel better and more hopeful. But my impression is that this has become some sort of endless loop made up of good days and bad days, with no real progress toward improvement.

As a result, I’m starting to doubt that there are real success stories for people who have suffered from tinnitus for years. Maybe they’re just illusions. Maybe the people who write those stories only had a temporary good period, and then the symptoms came back a few days later. Maybe they still continue to have terrible days anyway.

In previous years, I didn’t have terrible days like this. Either things stayed stable, or I had periods of 2–6 weeks of discomfort, but then I would feel fine again for years. So back then there was a real, tangible improvement. It wasn’t something subjective or something that changed depending on “how I woke up that morning” (like it does now).

Honestly, it would already be enough for me if the volume just decreased a little bit (like it does on my good days). I’m not expecting to go back to how I was before… but living through this constant alternation between good days and bad days is exhausting. Because you always hope you’re finally improving, but then you never actually do.

I’m starting to lose hope. I don’t know what to do anymore.

Another thing that deeply depresses me is that there are no real cures. Not even real medications that can make you feel better on the days when the tinnitus is unbearable. Nothing concrete exists. And I don’t know if or when something concrete will ever exist.

I have a condition that nobody talks about and for which there are no cures. Even going to medical appointments feels useless in the long run. At least other diseases have treatments or drugs that alleviate the symptoms. For tinnitus, it seems to me that nothing truly effective exists. And this thought makes me feel terrible.

Hello, two years ago I experienced an acoustic trauma that left me with an annoying tinnitus. I’ve had medical examinations and I don’t have any significant hearing loss. However, I noticed a lower tolerance threshold for sounds. Since I became aware of it (two years ago), I developed the bad habit of protecting my hearing very often during the day (with earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones). I think this may have increased my sensitivity to noise.

I don’t think I have severe hyperacusis because in some public settings (like shopping malls, etc.) I can manage without earplugs, or I only put them on if it starts to feel too noisy. However, in daily life some sounds (like cutlery hitting a plate when I put it down) bother me.

Now I’m trying to use earplugs less and less, even at home in everyday situations (before, I used them almost all the time except during quiet moments). Is this a good idea?