Tinnitus for Christmas

[Joanna5]

Hi, I'm new to this community and wanted to see if there is any advice regarding management on tinnitus in the early days, I developed it in my right ear on Christmas day, it came and went at first but has been unremitting for the past 3 weeks, I have moderate hearing loss and have hearing aids, The main issue for me is sleep which has not really been happening since this onset without pills. I have a white noise machine but it seems to keep me alert rather than allow me to sleep. Any suggestion about sleeping with tinnitus without white noise would be much appreciated as well as how to deal with the feeling of being overwhelmed that this is the rest of my life now. Thanks

[doglover1973]

Hi Joanna5 Welcome to the forum. The early days are trying but things will get better - as you get used to the sound(s) . Sleep is tricky. There are no easy answers. If you don't like white noise (I don't either) you could try a natural sound box, CD's or apps. I find the sound of water (rain, rivers, waves) very soothing. The feeling that it's going to be like this for the rest of your life is a tough one. I remember it well but you do gradually learn to live with it. Don't give up hope .

[Happyrosie in reply to doglover1973]

Hello Joanna. Please do try to find surreyccfan's posts, they are very helpful. The website of the British Tinnitus Association has a lot of interesting information which gives you background, and a self-guided learning module called "Take on Tinnitus" to go through. I re-read this once a year in order to remember the best bits.

I am very lucky in that I have habituated even though I can hear the tinnitus above the noise of a car driving along the motorway - but it doesn't bother me.

[Graham-E in reply to doglover1973]

Hello and welcome and sorry that you have developed T.For my sleep I have an Oasis sound machine connected to a pillow with small speakers inside it.

This for me is different to a sound machine making white noise on a cabinet.

The machine plays a gentle rain (along with others sounds) and when you listen to the rain it’s kind of comforting as it’s a natural sounds rather than a filler noise.

This seems to work for me out of all the things I’ve tried for nighttime.

As I always say tiredness and stress are my worst things so try to reduce these if possible. Easier said than done I know.

Very best to you Graham

[surreycccfan]

Hi Joanna5, Welcome.

Sleep can be really tough at the start as we are in such a heightened emotional state.

As Doglover says, are you listening to a noise that is pleasant as this really helps, allowing your brain to hear 'through' your T and help you relax and your brain to focus on something else other than your T.

I have posted the plan I used to help me sleep well with my T, you should be able to find it if you click on my past posts, if not let me know and I will resend.

Stay safe

[Joanna5 in reply to surreycccfan]

Hi, could you please resend you plan ? thanks very much

[surreycccfan in reply to Joanna5]

Here you go:

I can totally empathise as I just couldn't sleep for months when I first had T. I can now say I can sleep well and in fact I am managing my T so well I am back to sleeping with ear plugs so the only sound I can hear is my T (I am at point in my management journey that my T no longer invokes a flight/flight emotional reaction, I habituate and can live well with my T).

• I used a sound generator app (I used ReSound Relief but plenty of others out there). I mixed sounds that (1) I found pleasant and (2) mapped well to my T. Audiologists tell us to map the volume of the sound to just below the volume of your T. As time went on and I felt more 'positive' towards my T I slowly reduced volume until I no longer needed the sound generator

• I tried to use positive reinforcement in relation to the sound from the generator app. The sound I had chosen was beach, waves, and rain, when I would go to sleep, I would listen to the sound and think of lovely holidays I have had walking on the beach. As T creates such a negative emotional reaction, these types of thoughts allowed me to calm down and think about something other than my T

• When I was lying in bed if I felt stressed and my mind was focused on my T I would follow a mindfulness body scan. I found this very calming and did take my mind off my T

• I used BTA support group to help me learn more about T and techniques to move towards living well with T. As I learnt more and managed to reduce the negative emotional reaction to my T I would even say 'hello' to my T when I first settled down to sleep. The reason I did this is I found when I was stressed by my T it was always at the forefront of my mind so I found that if I said hello to it then (1) I had acknowledged it and my mind could move on to something else (2) by saying hello I was reducing my fight/flight reaction to it and this helped me to 'normalise' it for me.

• I tried to follow a good sleep hygiene pattern (maintain a regular sleep routine, avoid daytime naps, don't watch TV or use the computer in bed, no caffeine after 18:00 and as I am a clock watcher I put the alarm clock out of sight so I wasn’t constantly looking at it.

• Exercise was also important as this allowed me to be physically tired

It took me quite a while to get into a better sleep pattern but as I said I can now sleep with my new sound of silence. The BTA has some excellent resources on sleep tinnitus.org.uk/tinnitus-an... and has good links to products such as sound pillows, headbands, etc. In the above link the vicious cycle graphic really highlights how the fight/flight reaction to our T inhibits our sleep. I found by practicing other distraction and behavioural techniques in the day I slowly shifted how I thought about my T (I saw it as less of a threat which took its power away) and in combination with the things I did at night I slowly got back to normal sleep patterns.

I hope the above may help in some small way. Take care

[Joanna5 in reply to surreycccfan]

Thanks so much. This is very helpful and I appreciate it

[Philip6]

There are lots of sound Apps available you should be able to find one that helps to mask the T. I have three sound generators in the bedroom so that I can sleep, I have severe T unfortunately. The early days are hard.

[Spurdog1]

Hello Joanna. The early days can be so miserable, but the keys are "stress and anxiety". You need to live with T as it lives with you. Exercise is good, wear yourself down. I would suggest relaxation before sleep, mainly meditation. I also take a couple of paracetamol before bedtime, when needed. You will not win this by fighting tinnitus, but by working with it. Slow breathing exercises, perhaps hourly, as you drink your tea at work? You seem calm but there will be days. Other people on here know i search for T quiet zones, for example background music, but not overpowering (no AC/DC), and you shouldn't use headphones.Make fun of T, find the places where it can be hidden "in plain sight". I regularly go to football matches, when you are cheering along...

I have suffered 18 years, but I manage it well now.

[silkysuda]

Sorry to hear this...its never good news to have it....but as a tinnitus sufferer since 2013 , I have been through every stage of disbelief, despair, anger, pity, head banging, throwing things at walls..... but now over the last few years I am quite comfortable with it. I'm a total perfectionist and control freak so I found it very hared to accept

I personally found all the noise machines and Apps unhelpful ...either annoying or making me more alert, or the waterfall sounds making me want to go to the loo......and music made me just wait for the next track all the time. Its a very personal thing.

So I've ended up finding that monotony helps .....we quietly have radio 4 on all night...its only speaking so no music and it definitely helps me to sleep....and it doesn't disturb my husband.

I just try to have it on as background noise and not get involved in what they are talking about.....that would be too interesting.

Also once I understood that it was with me for good, I use management techniques like yoga, hypnotherapy and acupuncture. If I'm calm then I manage better....if I'm stressed then the tinnitus gets higher and more intrusive.

Hope this helps ..

There are SO many of us out there ...and nobody can really understand what its like.

There is a lot of research going on and I have helped assess some of the research papers and grants are beginning to be given.

This forum and The British Tinnitus Association are really helpful

Susan

[Joanna5]

Thanks everybody for your supportive words and suggestions.It certainly helps to know that there are people out there that understand what is happening and have found ways to live with tinnitus. Another question I have is whether anyone has found that alcohol makes tinnitus worse for them? I have found in these early days it seems to make it worse but I think this might be because it heightens the underlying anxiety. Would be good to hear other thoughts?

[silkysuda in reply to Joanna5]

For me, alcohol definitely makes it worse. I feel less calm. more excitable and everything speeds up.....so my Tinnitus reflects that.The first drink maybe makes it feel better...but that feeling soon goes and I feel worse.

I pretty much don't drink at all now.

[doglover1973 in reply to Joanna5]

I don't drink very much .. Just a little drop when I'm feeling anxious . I think on balance the healthier you can be the better 🙂