Here’s the deal about tinnitus, and why you don’t hear it when you’re listening to something else… Your body sends weak signals to your ears to stimulate them, even when it’s really quiet. It’s your bodies way of doing a “system check” on your ears. That signal is transmitted to your brain to say “system good.” In people with normal hearing, this signal is basically imperceptible. But, when a person has sustained hearing damage, the body turns up the “check signal” (because the weaker signal is insufficient to complete the loop) and that is what you hear as ringing when it is quiet. When you are listening to something else, you don’t hear the ringing- or it is lessened- because your body isn’t sending the same intensity of “check signal”; it knows your ears are working because you are listening to something. This is also, likely, why hearing aids seem to lessen tinnitus.
From the reading that I’ve done, “tinnitus remedies” are universally snake oil.
My tinnitus is made worse by ear buds, ear muffs, ear plugs, and sleeping on my side. Drinking alcohol also makes it worse. And, too much or too little caffeine makes it worse. And, air travel makes it worse.
I can’t stand white noise and a fan buzzing away will keep me up at night. I don’t remember not having tinnitus (though I know it got more noticeable after an ear injury at a water park). And, my mom (who was not a shooter) also had tinnitus. I guess I’ve just learned to live with the ring. For me, it is a VERY high pitched ring, and I can increase the volume by clenching my teeth, or contorting my jaw. I feel for those of you with locusts buzzing about between your ears. That would drive me batty.
