Spikes
Tinntus attacks
01
A spike is a sudden onslaught of increased tinnitus, which is a phenomenon most people with tinnitus have to get accustomed to. Experiencing a major spike can be seriously frightening, especially initially, but by learning to understand and manage this, the impact will gradually lessen.
02
Spikes can contribute to prolonging the habituation process. As fear is such a natural response, and since fear triggers tinnitus perception, it’s a situation we should learn to manage. The foremost aspect to recognise is that a spike WILL return to the normal tinnitus level (baseline) – it’s not there to stay!
03
In most cases it’s clear what triggers the spikes but sometimes they seem to be unprovoked. When accumulated tension or disturbance to the auditory system finally tips over the edge, the impact is often sudden (the straw that broke the camel’s back) – but the escalation can be gradual as well.
04
Common triggers are: loud noises, stress, lack of sleep, ear infections, certain medications, earwax removal, etc. Shielding oneself from loud noises is something that comes naturally and finding ways to avoid stress and improving sleep are an essential part of the habituation process – but other triggers can be harder to anticipate or understand. Regardless of this, the neutralising effect of the habituation process will automatically take the edge of the spikes and we gradually learn to understand that this is not the tinnitus getting worse – it WILL return to baseline.
05
Learning to understand and manage spikes is something I can help with. The strategies and thought processes I offer will become a natural part of your tinnitus tool-box.
Important aspects
Below are three important aspects of tinnitus management: habituation, acceptance and dealing with spikes. I will help you put these into context, applying them to your daily life.
Habituation
The process where the brain learns to filter out intrusive tinnitus, lowering the perception of the sound
Acceptance
About accepting the fact of having tinnitus and allowing the habituation process to proceed.
Spikes
How to deal with the sudden onslaught of increased tinnitus and getting accustomed to it.
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