Tinnitus in ear triggered anxiety

[Russellmania]

I was doing just fine last Saturday when all of a sudden my right ear felt blocked/plugged and I started noticing ringing in my right ear and also a constant high pitched sound. For some reason, that caused me so much anxiety it started giving me heart palpitations. I tried to rid my ears of the clogging by using drops, which got rid of the clogging but the ringing remained. Ever since, the ringing in my ear became more noticeable and it gave me such terrible anxiety that this was going to be something I’d have to live with forever. Over the next few days, I started getting more anxiety symptoms like muscle weakness, lack of energy and enjoyment in the things I normally do, loss of appetite, and I get this inexplicable feeling in my body when I wake up in the morning and try to go back to sleep as if my body is keeping me from going back to sleep. A week later I feel like the ear ringing triggered my anxiety again, and now I’m constantly worrying about things I don’t normally worry about, such as the future. Then I just feel so weird like I can’t stop my mind from thinking about my anxiety, which gives me more anxiety. I don’t even know if that makes sense but that’s what I feel like, having anxiety gives me more anxiety. I just can’t seem to enjoy life right now.

Any tips, recommendations on dealing with anxiety? Any success stories here of people beating anxiety or learning to manage it and live normally again?

Writing this post actually gave me a bit of relief, so I guess having a place to write about my anxiety is a help. As much as possible, I really want to avoid medication as I don’t want to be dependent on it. Any successes here with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

Thanks everyone!

 

[Cuchculan]

When we start to worry we feed the fear. Thus make it worse. Also making our anxiety worse. What is the worst thing that could happen to you with this ringing sound in your ear? These are just the sort of questions I would be asking. Can it actually do you any harm at all? I know it is something that probably wrecks your hear. Is more annoying than anything else. Apart from been annoying, can it actually hurt you in any way at all? I know these things can come and go. Have had similar in the past. Might last for a few days. Then just vanish. Is the fear that makes our anxiety worse. So to remove that fear would be a good start. I know it is easier said than done. But by telling yourself that this ringing in the ear can't actually hurt you., will remove most of the fear. Is just a bloody pain. By oain I mean annoying. But by letting it get to you, you are making your own anxiety worse. I used to stay in the house all the time. Talking 10 years indoors. I used exposure therapy to get back out. Mixed with CBT. I no longer saw fear were I once used to see it all the time. That is the whole trick of it. We see fear in a lot of places. But there is no real fear there at all. It is how our mind reacts to things. So if we think differently and react differently, the rest will simply fall into place. Is hard work. But it can be done.

 

[Russellmania]

Thank you, you’ve been so helpful with your responses. I couldn’t agree more when you said that it can’t do any harm other than be an annoyance. Thankfully the ringing has not been too bothersome at certain times, especially when I’m outside. There are times when I feel the ringing is more noticeable, like at night alone in my room, and it makes my heart race sometimes, but keeping the fan on at night helps mask it a bit.

Unfortunately, I do think the tinnitus triggered my anxiety to become worse. At first it was just anxiety about the ear ringing. Now I find myself excessively worrying about little things that I never really worried about before, like scenarios in the future, which in turn brought about more anxiety and symptoms. So now I guess my next step is to manage those symptoms and my excessive worrying. I know that there’s nothing to be worried about, but for some reason I just can’t shake the worrying.

 

[Jasper]

Hi Russellmania,

Do you have any update on your tinnitus? I developed some neck pain and pulsatile tinnitus at about the same time over a year ago. After doing physical therapy exercises, the neck pain FINALLY went away, but the tinnitus is still with me. Just like you described, it can sometimes make my regular anxiety worse. It doesn't seem to be harmful, and the doctors do not seem to be concerned about it, but I wish it would go away.

I've noticed that mine can actually get worse and louder during times of stress. It's made me wonder if it's linked to muscular tightness, but that's just a crackpot theory of mine.

 

[Fraser]

I have permanent tinnitus in my left ear if anyone has any questions about it. (Sorry Jasper, but it's not pulsatile).

 

[overthinkerella]

Hi Russellmania,

Do you have any update on your tinnitus? I developed some neck pain and pulsatile tinnitus at about the same time over a year ago. After doing physical therapy exercises, the neck pain FINALLY went away, but the tinnitus is still with me. Just like you described, it can sometimes make my regular anxiety worse. It doesn't seem to be harmful, and the doctors do not seem to be concerned about it, but I wish it would go away.

I've noticed that mine can actually get worse and louder during times of stress. It's made me wonder if it's linked to muscular tightness, but that's just a crackpot theory of mine.

Hi Jasper

How is the pulsatile tinnitus for you? Is it in one ear, and how often do you hear it? What did your doctor diagnose?

I had this about 2 months back, and usually happens at night in my room when sitting up. ENT doctor unable to diagnose what it is and did a nose scope and gave me nasal spray. She advice me to go for a brain scan as it could be some vessel problems in the brain.

For me, it is only on my right ear, and in the past 2-3 weeks, i have a ringing in my ear when i burp/yawn long enough that sounds like a chime/chord. Also, if i lie down on my right side with ears covered, i can hear a faint constant 'teeerrrrr' sound in the background.

Recently also i noticed my tonsils seem patchy and larger on one side (the right side) and feel a minor and slight sore throat and im linking everything together. geez.