Tinnitus Loudness vs Bother: What to Record
Distinguish the sound you perceive from its impact on your day, with a fictional example and clear limits for personal ratings and existing TFI scores.
By OtoNote product team, Borealbit Technology Limited
Published · Updated
Product guidance, not medical advice. Not independently reviewed by a clinician.
In this diary, loudness means how strong the sound seems to you; bother means how disruptive or distressing you found it. These are separate personal observations. A 0–10 entry is not a hearing measurement, a diagnosis, or a validated clinical assessment.
Two entries can tell different stories
Fictional example:
- Monday: loudness 4/10, bother 7/10; struggled to concentrate on a task.
- Tuesday: loudness 4/10, bother 3/10; completed usual activities.
The sound rating stayed the same while the recorded impact differed. A sentence about daily life makes the difference clearer than a chart alone. This pair of entries does not explain why the impact differed.
Keep your own scale consistent
If numbers help, choose simple personal anchors for each field and use them consistently. You can write “noticeable but able to work” instead. Do not compare your 4/10 with someone else's 4/10, or repeatedly check the sound to obtain a supposedly exact number. Leave a rating blank when you did not record it.
The free worksheet has separate lines for loudness, bother, and daily impact. It is an organizing template, not a validated questionnaire.
How an existing TFI score differs
The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) is an established questionnaire with its own scoring instructions. Its total is on a 0–100 scale. A personal bother rating of 7/10 is not a TFI score of 70, and diary entries cannot reconstruct a TFI score.
OtoNote records a total and optional domain scores you already obtained from an authorized worksheet or clinician. It does not include the copyrighted questionnaire text. Use the authorized source and its scoring instructions; do not invent answers to backfill a score. The OHSU source below provides the questionnaire's context and access information.
Bring observations, not a verdict
A clinician can help assess the symptom and its impact. If tracking adds distress, simplify or pause it and discuss that with your care professional. There is no need to complete a rating series before seeking care.
Sources and responsibility
Primary sources checked October 10, 2026. They support the clinical context, not an endorsement of OtoNote or validation of our worksheet. Fictional examples and organization suggestions are our own.
- NIDCD: Tinnitus — evaluation and clinical context
- OHSU: Tinnitus Functional Index — questionnaire access and scoring