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A space for real stories, honest reflections, and small victories from life with tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here you’ll find comfort, perspective, and maybe even a laugh or two as we learn to live a little more peacefully with that damn noise.
The Top 3 Problems Tinnitus Throws At Us
By Marie
If you’ve ever typed “tinnitus help” into Google at 2am with tears in your eyes and half a biscuit in your mouth, then congratulations. You are officially part of a club none of us asked to join.
⇒ The “I’m Being Held Hostage By Tinnitus” club.
And it’s a proper shit club.
Tinnitus shows up uninvited, moves in, and immediately starts rearranging the furniture in your brain. It’s rude. It’s noisy. It doesn’t take its shoes off at the door. It’s barbaric. A rude house guest. An arsehole. A selfish c… let’s continue.
But here’s the twist I’ve learned over the years:
⇒ Yes, tinnitus causes problems.
⇒ ⇒ Real, frustrating, overwhelming problems.
⇒ ⇒ ⇒ But every single one of them can be overcome.
So here they are ⇒ The Big Three ⇒ The holy trinity of tinnitus nonsense ⇒ And how to take their power away
1. The Emotional Spiral
aka: “My brain is screaming and so am I”
This is usually the first and worst part.
Tinnitus arrives and your brain absolutely loses its marbles.
Fear, panic, stress, dread — it all piles in at once like it’s hosting a surprise Christmas party for a turkey.
Your thoughts race:
- “What if this never stops?”
- “What if it gets worse?”
- “Why is my life suddenly set to permanent kettle-boil mode?”
There’s an annoying truth here:
The reaction is almost always worse than the sound itself.
⇒ Why this happens
Your brain interprets new, loud, intrusive noises as danger. Why wouldn’t it? It thinks something is wrong.
So it does what brains do best:
Sets off every alarm system known to humanity.
Tinnitus isn’t the real monster. Your fear response is.
⇒ How to overcome it
This is where the magic happens.
The goal is to teach your brain that the sound is:
- Not dangerous
- Not urgent
- Not meaningful
When the panic drops, the perceived volume drops too.
Things that help:
- Remind yourself the sound is safe, even if it’s annoying.
- Keep living your life instead of waiting for silence.
- Reduce stress first, sound second.
- Use sound enrichment to break the “silence = danger” loop.
- Download these affirmation cards below to help you start accepting tinnitus
Over time, your brain becomes less dramatic.
It stops acting like a Victorian aunt fainting at the sight of another woman’s ankles.
It settles.
You will too.
2. Sleep Disruption
aka: The Nighttime Circus
Tinnitus at night has one job: make itself known.
And wow, it does the job with the dedication of a toddler who’s just discovered the power button on a megaphone.
Everything else gets quiet, and tinnitus goes:
“Excellent. My moment.”
Before you know it, your brain is having a full-blown midnight existential crisis.
⇒ Why this happens
At night:
- There’s less external noise
- Your brain is tired
- Your attention has nowhere to hide
- Anxiety increases sound perception
All of this makes tinnitus seem louder than it is.
⇒ How to overcome it
Ah yes. My speciality.
Believe it or not… I literally fall asleep to the sound of my tinnitus. Not by choice at first. But now? It’s practically a lullaby.
Most people aren’t there yet, and that’s completely normal. I’ve had tinnitus for over 32 years, so I’m practically an Empress in the hierarchy of familiarity.
What am I talking about?
Anyway…
Here are some helpful tips:
- Background noise at night (fans, nature sounds, gentle audio)
- A calming pre-bed routine that signals “safe”
- Stopping the panic response before it builds, such as meditation
- Focusing on breathing or sensations instead of silence
- Accepting the sound as part of the environment instead of a threat
The sound may still be there, but the suffering doesn’t have to be. And one day, without realising it, you’ll doze off thinking:
“Well, alright then, ring if you must. I’m off to the land of nod whether you’re there or not.”
And just like that, you’ve taken away its power.
3. Difficulty Concentrating
aka: Trying to Live Whilst Your Head Makes Commentary
Tinnitus loves to interrupt everything:
⇒ Trying to work?
Tinnitus: “Let’s celebrate International Tinnitus-is-a-Twat Week with fireworks and a brass band!”
⇒ Reading a book?
Tinnitus: “Guys, I’ve got an idea for a concert. Gather round…”
⇒ Trying to enjoy tea and a biscuit in peace?
Tinnitus: “Not only am I going to be really loud, but I’m going to make that biscuit fall apart the second you dunk it.”
Biscuit: plop!
Tea: ruined.
It’s like having a toddler in your skull armed with a whistle.
⇒ Why this happens
Your attention system is wired to focus on new or intrusive noises. It thinks it’s helping. Bless it. It’s not. But once tinnitus is no longer new or threatening, your attention becomes much better behaved.
Just to add:
I’ve had tinnitus for over 32 years, since I was 15. Even now, I still have unbearable days. I can cope, yes, but the whole ordeal can be exhausting.
⇒ How to overcome it
This is all about retraining your focus. Try:
- Gradually shifting your attention to what you’re doing, not the sound
- Staying engaged in tasks you enjoy
- Practising the “tune-out” skill (explained below and you really do get better at it)
- Letting the noise exist without stopping life for it
What is the tune-out skill?
The tune-out skill is the ability to let tinnitus fade naturally into the background by not feeding it attention or emotional energy.
How to practise it:
- Notice the sound briefly.
- Acknowledge it without reacting.
- Redirect your attention to what you're doing.
- Repeat whenever your brain drifts back to it.
This teaches your attention system, “This isn’t important.”
Over time, your brain listens.
Eventually, the sound becomes the background hum, not the main event.
You become the main event again.
Yay for you!
Bonus Issue: The Internet of Doom
aka: The Rabbit Hole You Should Avoid Like the Plague
Ah yes. The forums. The horror stories.
The “my tinnitus ruined my life” posts written by people who haven’t slept since 1998.
No disrespect — those who suffer deeply are heroes — but you don’t need to fill your brain with doom about the very thing you’re trying to calm. Anyone and everyone with tinnitus can work on improving their lives. You have to want to improve your life. That's the difference, some people for some reason, don't want to make their lives better. There have been times where I've felt like this, but honestly, the hard work and persistance is so worth. If you dive into the online tinnitus abysse, you’re basically asking your nervous system to spontaneously combust. I once watched a TV programme about someone who spontaneously combusted. Although I found it unnervingly hilarious at the time, I can confirm it isn’t pretty. Don’t put yourself in that ridiculous situation.
⇒ Why this happens
- Negativity sticks like glue
- Fear grabs onto extreme stories
- Algorithms feed you more of whatever scared you the first time
⇒ How to overcome it
- Avoid doom-scrolling tinnitus forums
- Seek out balanced, positive, up-to-date information
- Follow people who’ve adapted (like you’re doing now, you legend)
- Remember: people who cope well rarely post negative content. They understand how hard it is and they know you can't focus on the negative points.
The internet can either be a tool or a trap. Choose wisely.
Closing Thoughts
Tinnitus does cause problems. Real ones. Annoying ones. Life-disrupting ones. But every single problem tinnitus throws at you has a solution.
⇒ You can calm the emotional spiral.
⇒ You can sleep again.
⇒ You can focus again.
⇒ You can rebuild your peace.
⇒ You can live fully even with the noise.
And the weirdest part?
You might even come out stronger, steadier, calmer and more resilient because of it.
I’ve written many articles to help you. You'll find them listed at the end of the article.
You're welcome to download this free ebook I've written about "Habituating Tinnitus." No sign-up required.
Your Life Is Bigger Than the Noise
A free, practical self-coaching guide for anyone living with tinnitus.
If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, stuck, or just tired of the noise taking up too much space in your life, this little book might help you breathe again. It’s simple, calm, and created to give you tiny shifts that add up to real change.
Download the e-book in PDF format (no email required, no fuss)
Or read the full series on my site
Take care
Marie
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