My name is Paul, and I am a Deaf BSL user. Many people assume that because I am Deaf, I experience complete silence, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I have tinnitus – a constant sound in my head that never goes away. For me, tinnitus is the only sound I hear, and it can be overwhelming. I have had Tinnitus for 4 years
The Impact on Sleep and Wellbeing
Tinnitus affects every part of my life, but the worst part is trying to sleep. When the world around me is quiet, my tinnitus is loud. It can be a high-pitched ringing, a buzzing, or even a pulsing sound that never stops. Some nights, it’s impossible to fall asleep, and I end up exhausted the next day. Lack of sleep affects my concentration, my mood, and my overall wellbeing.
There is a mental toll too. Imagine being stuck in a room with an alarm going off 24/7 – you can’t turn it off, you can’t escape it. That’s what tinnitus feels like. It causes stress, anxiety, and sometimes even feelings of hopelessness. People don’t realise how draining it is to live with constant noise that no one else can hear.
The Impact on Work
At work, tinnitus makes focusing difficult. The sound competes with my thoughts, making it harder to concentrate on tasks. If I’m using video calls for meetings, I have to concentrate even harder on lipreading or watching the interpreter while my tinnitus distracts me. It’s exhausting.
Stress makes tinnitus worse, so work deadlines and pressure can make the noise in my head even louder. Some days, it’s so bad that I struggle to communicate properly because my brain feels overloaded.
The Barriers to Awareness
One of the biggest challenges I face is the lack of awareness that Deaf people can have tinnitus too. Many hearing people assume that tinnitus only affects those who have hearing loss but still hear some sounds. They don’t realise that for some Deaf people, tinnitus is the only sound they ever experience.
Even within the Deaf community, tinnitus is not widely talked about. Support services are often designed for hearing people with tinnitus, focusing on sound therapies or hearing aids – neither of which help me. There is a lack of accessible information in BSL, and that means many Deaf people with tinnitus struggle in silence.
What Needs to Change
More awareness is needed. Deaf people need access to information about tinnitus in BSL, and professionals need to understand that tinnitus affects us too. Support should be inclusive, offering visual or mindfulness-based strategies rather than just sound-based therapies.
Tinnitus is not just a hearing condition – it’s a wellbeing condition. It affects mental health, sleep, and daily life, whether you are hearing or Deaf. It’s time for better recognition, support, and understanding for Deaf BSL users like me who live with this invisible but life-changing condition.
AdaptNI Provide both pre and in work support and training, - If we can support you, or someone you know. Get in touch info@adaptni.co.uk
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