Q My tinnitus seems to get louder whenever I work a lot of overtime and am under heavy stress. Is there really a connection?
A Yes. Stress and lack of sleep tense the autonomic nervous system and make the auditory center hypersensitive, making them leading triggers that worsen tinnitus. As fatigue builds up, a vicious cycle of becoming more sensitive to tinnitus develops.
Detailed Answer
Psychological stress and lack of sleep raise cortisol (the stress hormone), reduce inner-ear blood flow, and make the auditory nervous system hypersensitive. As fatigue accumulates, you focus more on the tinnitus, and the sound feels louder, forming a vicious cycle. Irregular bedtimes, excessive work, and a stiff neck and shoulders from long hours at a monitor also restrict blood flow to the brain and make tinnitus more prominent.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Dongjedang views repeated overwork and stress as leading to a Kidney-Deficiency and Liver-Fire (sinheo, ganhwa) state, in which the essence of the Kidney (sin) becomes depleted and the heat of the Liver rises upward to irritate the ear. Among working tinnitus patients in their 30s and 40s near Dongincheon who frequently work overtime, many experience that after treatment to tonify qi and blood and clear rising heat, their tinnitus worsens less even after overtime. Managing sleep patterns and stress alongside treatment is important.
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