Tinnitus: Could I have permanent hearing damage?

I think I saw a thread about this once... usually caused by blasting music back in the day or working long shifts around loud machinery without proper ear protection, etc...

Health-wise, I’m fine—never had any issues before. But lately, when I’m lying in bed at night, everything is dead quiet and there’s absolutely nothing going on, I start hearing this constant tone in both ears. Honestly, I don't even think I'm "hearing" it so much as it's just stuck in my head.

Has anyone actually heard of or read anything about whether this can be cured?

p.s. if you don't have anything useful to add, just move along—I can hear better than most of you, I'd bet on that.

Kenneth Lee16 said:I think I saw a thread about this once... usually caused by blasting music back in the day or working long shifts around loud machinery without proper ear protection, etc...

Health-wise, I’m fine—never had any issues before. But lately, when I’m lying in bed at night, everything is dead quiet and there’s absolutely nothing going on, I start hearing this constant tone in both ears. Honestly, I don't even think I'm "hearing" it so much as it's just stuck in my head.

Has anyone actually heard of or read anything about whether this can be cured?

p.s. if you don't have anything useful to add, just move along—I can hear better than most of you, I'd bet on that.

Tinnitus—that persistent, maddening ringing in the ears—isn't always just some phantom sound born from nothing. It can actually be a physiological red flag. One common culprit? High blood pressure. When your hypertension starts climbing, the increased force of blood pumping through your vessels can create enough turbulence to manifest as that rhythmic or steady buzzing in your head. It’s much like the hum you might hear from a pressurized water pipe in an old apartment building when the pump kicks into overdrive; if the pressure is too high, the system starts making noise. If you're experiencing this, don't just ignore it as a nuisance; it's worth looking at your cardiovascular health.

Jerry Booth10 said:Tinnitus—that persistent, maddening ringing in the ears—isn't always just some phantom sound born from nothing. It can actually be a physiological red flag. One common culprit? High blood pressure. When your hypertension starts climbing, the increased force of blood pumping through your vessels can create enough turbulence to manifest as that rhythmic or steady buzzing in your head. It’s much like the hum you might hear from a pressurized water pipe in an old apartment building when the pump kicks into overdrive; if the pressure is too high, the system starts making noise. If you're experiencing this, don't just ignore it as a nuisance; it's worth looking at your cardiovascular health.

Alright, care to elaborate on this high blood pressure thing? Honestly, I doubt that's it—I'm pretty young... and even when the ringing starts, I'm not feeling particularly stressed or anything

We've already covered this: click
And you can find info on: tinnitus

Kenneth Lee16 said:Alright, care to elaborate on this high blood pressure thing? Honestly, I doubt that's it—I'm pretty young... and even when the ringing starts, I'm not feeling particularly stressed or anything

Youth offers no immunity. There was a case where a seventeen-year-old girl passed away while waiting for a doctor because she showed up feeling unwell, only for it to be discovered later that her blood pressure was dangerously high. It is the silent killer. It wreaks havoc on your kidneys and your heart. If you aren't consistent with your medication, you're looking at a potential heart attack or a stroke. Aside from the tinnitus, other symptoms can include hand tremors, seeing spots, or even nosebleeds.

Jerry Booth10 said:Youth offers no immunity. There was a case where a seventeen-year-old girl passed away while waiting for a doctor because she showed up feeling unwell, only for it to be discovered later that her blood pressure was dangerously high. It is the silent killer. It wreaks havoc on your kidneys and your heart. If you aren't consistent with your medication, you're looking at a potential heart attack or a stroke. Aside from the tinnitus, other symptoms can include hand tremors, seeing spots, or even nosebleeds.

My blood pressure is fine...

If it wasn't, I'd probably know by now...

Ringing or popping in the ears. It can be constant, intermittent, pulsing, high-pitched, or low-pitched.

Medical malpractice. High pitch, sure—but nothing low-end...

So the literature says therapy involves listening to the same tone to get used to it? Personally, when I'm exposed to it, it just gets louder... though I've noticed if I stay busy moving around, I don't notice it as much.

Is there basically no cure? At least I'm aware of it. You should try every alternative out there, but who has the energy... feels like I won't even make it to next week anyway...

Could that laser thing be worth a shot? What if they miss the mark with the laser?

Noise-induced damage/acoustic trauma:

A common cause for tinnitus (around 30% of cases) is damage to those delicate hair cells in the ear caused by loud noise or an explosion. This mostly includes the music kids blast in their free time (Walkmans, clubs, rock concerts), but also workplace noise. Blast traumas can almost always be treated if caught early enough.

That's me. And I know exactly what caused it...

ps. rapidmaker10, great links! Spot on...

You might want to get your blood sugar levels checked too, because a sudden drop can definitely trigger that ringing sensation.

Jerry Booth10 said:Youth offers no immunity. There was a case where a seventeen-year-old girl passed away while waiting for a doctor because she showed up feeling unwell, only for it to be discovered later that her blood pressure was dangerously high. It is the silent killer. It wreaks havoc on your kidneys and your heart. If you aren't consistent with your medication, you're looking at a potential heart attack or a stroke. Aside from the tinnitus, other symptoms can include hand tremors, seeing spots, or even nosebleeds.

As for me, I have a colleague who ended up with kidney issues just from taking blood pressure meds—so now she’s stuck adding those to her regimen, and in a few years, it’ll probably be even more pills.😕

Can you actually tell me which blood pressure meds are messing with the thyroid? Like, are we talking about hypo and hyperthyroidism being caused by the pills themselves?
Some drugs can just mask thyroid issues if they aren't caught early on. Honestly, you're just talking nonsense.

Jerry Booth10 said:Youth offers no immunity. There was a case where a seventeen-year-old girl passed away while waiting for a doctor because she showed up feeling unwell, only for it to be discovered later that her blood pressure was dangerously high. It is the silent killer. It wreaks havoc on your kidneys and your heart. If you aren't consistent with your medication, you're looking at a potential heart attack or a stroke. Aside from the tinnitus, other symptoms can include hand tremors, seeing spots, or even nosebleeds.

Right, because apparently, people just drop dead from ringing in their ears now. Clearly, that girl had some sort of genetic defect.

I used to get occasional ringing in my ears myself; it comes and goes. Still, it's probably worth seeing a doctor so they can send you to an ENT or maybe a neurologist.

If it’s really driving you crazy, try falling asleep with the TV or a radio on. It helps mask those "internal sounds."
All things considered, you aren't going to die or end up with permanent damage. 👍

wanderingcobra2 said:Can you actually tell me which blood pressure meds are messing with the thyroid? Like, are we talking about hypo and hyperthyroidism being caused by the pills themselves?
Some drugs can just mask thyroid issues if they aren't caught early on. Honestly, you're just talking nonsense.

I was just passing along what a friend's doctor told her—and honestly, I hope it is nonsense, because it sounds like it to me. But I have to admit, this whole situation feels off to me too. Take this guy, for instance—he’s 33, felt his blood pressure spike slightly, and immediately got slapped with a prescription. You know how doctors are; they see ten people a day all complaining about blood pressure and just hand out pills like candy, and apparently, that's perfectly fine (I'm a living example myself—I walk into the clinic all worked up with a reading of 145/95, and the doctor just pulls a Norvasc out of his pocket and tells me to take one right now)😕But I really think there are other ways to approach this at the start—things like diet, eating plenty of grapefruit, garlic, and cutting back on meat—especially processed stuff. If that doesn't work, then sure, move to the pills. And again, I never said that blood pressure medication *causes* thyroid issues (or hypo/hyperthyroidism... if we're being professional)

Kenneth Lee16 said:I think I saw a thread about this once... usually caused by blasting music back in the day or working long shifts around loud machinery without proper ear protection, etc...

Health-wise, I’m fine—never had any issues before. But lately, when I’m lying in bed at night, everything is dead quiet and there’s absolutely nothing going on, I start hearing this constant tone in both ears. Honestly, I don't even think I'm "hearing" it so much as it's just stuck in my head.

Has anyone actually heard of or read anything about whether this can be cured?

p.s. if you don't have anything useful to add, just move along—I can hear better than most of you, I'd bet on that.

SINUSES
Try inhaling steam from warm water. You could try sitting over some warm water with your hands, pouring warm water over your head and nose area, and really clearing out your sinuses. Just listen for changes—if there's no change, it's probably not sinus-related.

BLOOD PRESSURE
Make sure you eat dinner around 8 PM so your stomach isn't empty overnight; sinus mucus drains into the stomach and can cause issues. Also, check your blood pressure at night when you lie down (it’s likely low, maybe under 100/65). Any movement, turning over, or excitement like watching TV can cause a shift in pressure, and that fluctuation causes the ringing. That's why you need to eat so your pressure doesn't drop below 100. I spent a year bouncing between ENT specialists, neurologists, and physiotherapists, and they all concluded it was a circulation issue. They recommended Betaserc 24 mg (it's not covered by Medicare and costs between $95 and $37 for a 10-day supply). I used it for three months without much improvement. It might be different for you, but it's worth a shot. Good luck.

Maybe your ear is just plugged up? You might need to have a doctor flush it out. I had something similar happen once while I was vacationing down in Florida after swimming and snorkeling, and man, it was such an uncomfortable sensation... just this heavy blockage and constant ringing in my ear. But once they rinsed it out, everything cleared right up.

Listen up. This might be the cure for tinnitus we've all been looking for. I can't guarantee it works, but that's what the claims say. You can find all the details on this site: www.banishtinnitus.com. Good luck. If anyone actually finds relief, let me know.

Kenneth Lee16 said:I think I saw a thread about this once... usually caused by blasting music back in the day or working long shifts around loud machinery without proper ear protection, etc...

Health-wise, I’m fine—never had any issues before. But lately, when I’m lying in bed at night, everything is dead quiet and there’s absolutely nothing going on, I start hearing this constant tone in both ears. Honestly, I don't even think I'm "hearing" it so much as it's just stuck in my head.

Has anyone actually heard of or read anything about whether this can be cured?

p.s. if you don't have anything useful to add, just move along—I can hear better than most of you, I'd bet on that.

I actually posted about this a few years ago. Tinnitus. I've been dealing with it since 1993. It’s the same thing—it doesn't feel like it's coming from my ears, it feels like it's originating inside my skull. And everyone who replied telling me there's no cure and that it only gets louder as you age? They were right. Unfortunately. 😢

Kenneth Lee16 said:I think I saw a thread about this once... usually caused by blasting music back in the day or working long shifts around loud machinery without proper ear protection, etc...

Health-wise, I’m fine—never had any issues before. But lately, when I’m lying in bed at night, everything is dead quiet and there’s absolutely nothing going on, I start hearing this constant tone in both ears. Honestly, I don't even think I'm "hearing" it so much as it's just stuck in my head.

Has anyone actually heard of or read anything about whether this can be cured?

p.s. if you don't have anything useful to add, just move along—I can hear better than most of you, I'd bet on that.

Sounds like tinnitus to me. Professional musicians deal with it all the time from loud concerts and constant exposure to high decibels. Just stop wearing headphones; as far as I know, there isn't an effective fix for it. I'm just a layman, though, so go see a doctor. It might just be some damage to your eardrum.

Kenneth Lee16 said:I think I saw a thread about this once... usually caused by blasting music back in the day or working long shifts around loud machinery without proper ear protection, etc...

Health-wise, I’m fine—never had any issues before. But lately, when I’m lying in bed at night, everything is dead quiet and there’s absolutely nothing going on, I start hearing this constant tone in both ears. Honestly, I don't even think I'm "hearing" it so much as it's just stuck in my head.

Has anyone actually heard of or read anything about whether this can be cured?

p.s. if you don't have anything useful to add, just move along—I can hear better than most of you, I'd bet on that.

I know this thread is ancient—I just stumbled upon it while browsing the web—but honestly, it might still be worth a look.

If we’re talking about hearing this "tone" only when you’re lying down—completely still, mind you—and assuming you’re a perfectly healthy individual; then the only logical explanation is that you’re hearing your own heartbeat... honestly, anyone on this planet can hear their heart pumping, provided they’re totally calm and surrounded by absolute silence. If that "tone" follows a rhythm, then it is definitely that... THAT.