I have tinnitus. I don't recommend it

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Personal experiences & impact

  • Many commenters have tinnitus, from mild “sound of silence” only noticeable in quiet, to constant, loud ringing or pulsatile (heartbeat-synced) noise.
  • Onset varies: since early childhood, after a single loud event, gradually over years, or suddenly (e.g., after illness, meds, or vaccines).
  • Impact ranges from “barely notice it unless reminded” to severe anxiety, sleep loss, difficulty with conversation (especially calls and noisy rooms), and, in extreme cases cited, suicidality.
  • A recurring theme: the brain can learn to filter it out over months/years; distress is often highest near onset and decreases with habituation.

Causes and triggers discussed

  • Loud sound is the dominant cause: concerts, clubs, bands, PA systems, gunfire, machinery, sirens, and even a screaming laptop drive.
  • Military service (artillery, helicopters, defective earplugs) is frequently mentioned.
  • Other triggers: childhood ear infections, eardrum rupture, snorkeling/barotrauma, TMJ/TMD, neck posture, jaw clenching, stress, high blood pressure, COVID infection, and some drugs (antibiotics, valproate, chemo, Zyban/Wellbutrin).
  • Some report onset soon after COVID vaccination; others associate theirs more with WFH headphone use. Causality is acknowledged as unclear.

Coping strategies & therapies

  • Common tools: white/brown noise (fans, apps, myNoise), meditation, distraction, and avoiding silence.
  • Several describe cognitive-behavioral / “tinnitus meditation” approaches: deliberately focusing on the sound to change the brain’s threat response, then learning to shift attention away. Some report major benefit; others online reportedly fear it might worsen things.
  • EMDR and trauma-focused therapy are linked in papers connecting tinnitus with PTSD, complex trauma, and adverse childhood experiences.
  • Physical approaches: neck and jaw work (stretching, massage guns, posture changes), night guards for bruxism/TMJ, and in a few cases upper-cervical chiropractic.

Devices and tech aids

  • Bimodal/bilateral stimulation devices (e.g., Lenire, and an anticipated but delayed Susan Shore device) get mixed reports: “much quieter” for some, “made it worse” for others.
  • Hearing aids, especially high-frequency loss–targeted (e.g., Lyric), are reported to reliably reduce or eliminate tinnitus for some.
  • AirPods Pro and similar devices: personalized audiogram-based EQ and hearing-aid features can improve hearing clarity; not claimed as a tinnitus cure but sometimes change its character.

Prevention and sound environments

  • Strong consensus: wear earplugs at concerts, clubs, shooting ranges, even with lawn equipment and vacuum cleaners; carry plugs or use ANC as routine.
  • Several argue concert and venue volumes are unnecessarily, even dangerously, high and call for regulation.
  • Rule of thumb voiced: if sound is painful or leaves ears ringing, damage is occurring.

Research, psychology & side threads

  • Links shared to treatment trial trackers, support forums, EMDR/tinnitus studies, and a hyperacusis definition.
  • One thread debates whether tinnitus is cochlear (hair-cell) vs central/neuronal, with references to phantom limb analogies and specific neuroanatomy work.
  • A sizeable tangent discusses the author’s lowercase style—some see it as degrading readability, others as natural linguistic evolution and conversational tone.