An effective tinnitus management program hinges on knowing your tinnitus well: what it sounds like, the volume, what triggers it and what coping mechanisms work well for you. But tinnitus isn’t necessarily static; it’s capable of changing as time goes on, and these changes may be important indicators of how your tinnitus is progressing, or even indications of other health concerns. Therefore, it’s valuable to keep track of your tinnitus. Let’s discuss how to do that.
Why Does Tinnitus Change?
Tinnitus is not a condition in and of itself. Instead, it’s a symptom of another condition. It is also completely subjective because the sound has no external source; your brain is essentially making it up out of thin air. This is why tinnitus varies so much from person to person, and it’s also why tinnitus can change. Some potential tinnitus changes are:
- Change in pitch
- Change in volume
- Change in sound type (humming, buzzing, whistling, etc.)
- New triggers
- Previous coping mechanisms not working as effectively as before
Additionally, tinnitus changes may take place gradually over time, so you may not notice changes right away.
Keeping a Tinnitus Diary
A great way to stay on top of your tinnitus symptoms and track changes is to keep a tinnitus diary or journal. You can use a basic notebook, or you can also find specialized tinnitus journals online. You can use this diary to note down key details about your tinnitus flare-ups. Once you’ve built a solid record of your flare-ups, you’ll be able to get an overhead view of changes over time.
When you make an entry in your tinnitus diary, you may want to make note of items such as:
- Date and time
- Where you were or what you were doing
- What the tinnitus sounded like
- How loud/intense it was
- How long it lasted
- Your reaction to it (e.g., level of annoyance)
- What triggered it, if known
- How you dealt with it
- Any other details you find helpful, such as sleep quality the night before
How to Use This Information
Tracking these tinnitus flare-ups empowers you to take control of your condition. You may see patterns you hadn’t noticed before, realize that the pitch or volume was changing subtly or identify a trigger you were unaware of.
Armed with this information, you can feel more confident about avoiding triggers and using coping strategies that work. We also recommend you bring this information to a hearing and tinnitus specialist to discuss potential coping and management strategies.
To learn more about tinnitus and tinnitus management, contact Gary D. Schwartzberg, Au.D., Doctor of Audiology.