Hi
Can anyone advise on how important Sound Therapy is to habituation . I can’t say I really enjoy listening to white music but if I though it was helping my brain to adjust to my Tinnitus I would bear with it . Thanks In advance . I was reading that William Shatner listened to sound therapy for 12 months & it helped him habituate.
Hi , I myself don’t particularly choose sound therapy but I do have my radio on at a certain level constantly . TV at a lowish level . Any back ground low noise helps me . I think that it’s best to try and carry on your life, if possible , as normally as you can and the trick is not to analyse anything too much . Just try and carry on as if the DAM T. ( which we all know it is) is not there !!!! If I feel myself getting stressed , I have a little lay down till the stress passes or go out fir a walk. Nothing nicer than the trees and birds. And doggies of course , which you all know by now my noisy bouncy poodles 🐩 🐩. Wishing you well with your coping
From Penny. 😊
Best to go for something that incorporates white noise, like nature sounds.There are lots out there in apps and on YouTube.
Yoga maybe I am wrong but I do not believe listening to something you do not like is going to help.
I am at the suggestion of my Audiologist trying to teach my brain a sleep pattern, last night again I went to bed after midnight, my Tinnitus was horrendous but once asleep apart from turning over I slept until 5am.
I accept there will be set backs but so far so good.
Take Care
Mike
Thanks MikeYes your right I didn’t sleep well in the beginning but I do now , a sleep pattern is important I drink camomile tea before bed . Good luck with your sleep & try deep breathing to relax .
Nice work Mike 🙂
Hi
I use a variety of sounds to help with my tinnitus. I am back to using natural sound at night to help with sleep (plus window open) - have always used audio books - but am needing other sounds too at the moment due to adapting to additional tinnitus sounds. I use natural sounds - rain/waves/lake/wind etc. I don’t like just white noise - find it irritating. I actually prefer pink noise but again not on own. Mixture of sounds can work well for me. I am adding more sound during day too at moment - music generally - instrumental and relaxing as I did when tinnitus first started. Am generally ok at work as busy. I had got to point where I was quite comfortable with no additional sounds or music. But tinnitus has been more intrusive recently as have been stressed and anxious over variety of things plus adapting to the arrival of additional sounds.
I think feeling comfortable with the sound being used would be key otherwise it would mimic your reaction to tinnitus?
Hi, Yogachamp,
I use a sound generator to help me sleep (white noise). I set it for an hour and am usually asleep within that time. It took a while to get used to but it does help. Staying asleep or going back to sleep after waking up is more of a problem for me but, thankfully, not every night.
My best advice would be to try different sounds and aim for something pleasant or, at least, tolerable.
Respectfully submitted,
Keoni
Hi YC. As everyone says - sound therapy can be any sound you want it to be. I like natural sounds - especially any form of water or quiet instrumental music. Whether it helps you habituate I don't know but if it helps you relax and takes your mind off the T it's good news .
Thanks Doglover Yes I like the running water one too.
As long as you can stay relaxed seems to be the key , but not always easy as we all know .
Sound therapy definitely helps. 20-30 minutes each day... or when the ringing causes high stress. Retraining the brain is the key. Over time you will see a difference .
Thank you RuggedmanI will give this a go then , anything is worth a try .
Retraining the brain appears to be the line Drs and audiologists use albeit with good intentions. But after 5 years having suffered 24/7 I've tried everything and nothing has worked.
Peoples T is at different levels of volume and frequency and for some, have dual + sounds going on. As i said to my Doc, try strapping a radio to your head for a month and I'll come back and see you and tell me how well your brain functioned after.
😀He declined my suggestion. 🙄
Good luck to everyone in the land of T who is battling this wretched hell.
Thanks JTCOh no how on earth do you cope
Been very difficult. I like to think of myself as a very placid person but this has really tested me to my limits. Even as i type this i can hear that stupid droning sound around me as though its above my head to the left. Drives me nuts!! Background noise does help sometimes, crashing waves on repeat or i just tune into a talk radio station until i am so exhausted i eventually nod off. Drs have offered sleeping tabs and anti-D's but really not for me.
Yes sounds like mine continuous droning drives me nuts too. Like you I don’t want antiDepressants
Do you find your T is worse depending on why side you sleep on if you do sleep on your side?
Before T I always slept on my side , but now I try sleeping on my back which I hate , but If I do en
I use sound therapy during spikes in my T. The sound of crickets helps me best and distracts me. At the moment I seem to have habituated so am not relying on sound therapy but knowing it is effective if I do get another spike reduces my anxiety as I have a means to mitigate the annoying noises.
Thanks BarnabasI will try this , as for some reason when I first wake up the ringing is so loud , but not everyday which is weird . I’m thinking it’s to do with lying flat although I do use 2 pillows . How long did it take you to habituate ? .
I seem to habituate after about two to three months but then experience a spike and am back to square one. I think I am beginning to accept the T at long last and not get so anxious when it spikes. I accept that habituation is a long process with ups and downs, spikes and setbacks but now feel happier about life in general. T has certainly challenged by perfectionism and my tendency toward all or nothing thinking.
Thank youYes I guess it’s different for everyone , I get a couple of days where it seems to quieten & then suddenly it’s back again . You are right in the way that you react to it can make it worse but it’s difficult when it’s loud . I shall try continue with my CBT. & hope it helps .
Hi. I too dislike white/pink/violet/brown noise on their own! I tend to add in bird song (to the brown sound) - which is lovely! I use a free app ReSound, and have that on all night! During the day, there’s no need, lots of noise around and I wear my hearing aids all waking hours. Good luck!
Thanks SirlamI don’t need it at night usually I am lucky I sleep Ok but when I first wake the noise Is often really loud . In the day I too wear hearing aids but still hear the noise , maybe I could try playing this on my Alexa in the day when I need to relax . Take care .
Hi Yogachamp, personally I find listening to music for Meditation more useful than white noise, I think listening to something specific and interesting is of great help. I do not actually do the meditation, also I enjoy Chanting Sounds as the repetitive words and music seems to lower my tinnitus.
Thank you That’s helpful I will try that , I would probably do the meditation too as that can help . I know we have to hope our brain eventually will block it out completely . I just wish it would hurry up.
I have read many of the articles Mr Shatner has given during the course of his lifetime regarding his experience with T, and a few years ago I decided to give the white noises ago. I was advised to go for a minimum of 6 hours per day for the first couple of months, but I stopped at the end of approx 5-6 weeks, if I remember correctly, as after the first month at the end of each session I did not notice any difference with my T. and it was incredibly time consuming. Perhaps I gave the experiment up too early? Nowadays I find that the white noise app on my HA seems to aggregate the T, and I wonder if I'm causing further problems, but I once relied heavily on it. So, all in all, I hope that I have given you, from my side at least, something that you can ponder with. I wish you well.
HiThank you so much , yes it’s a difficult one & what works for some people won’t work for others. I can’t imagine listening to it for 6 hours as you say it’s so time consuming . It sounds like you
Have had T for quite some time . I was hoping to get it to a manageable level within months not years. Optimistic of me I know. I find it strange how one day I cope with it then next morning it’s blaring as if to say hey I am still here 🙄. Good luck on your journey & thank s again for your reply .
You're welcome. I have had T for 7 years but since lockdown has been lifted in April its gone off the Richter scale! It is now so bothersome that it has totally interfered with my lifestyle and I am beginning to wonder if I can ever get back to something 'semi' normal. Yes, mine also blares every morning, if you want to call waking up at 4am 'morning'! How long have you suffered from T?
HiOh I know mine is the same it’s taken over my life & sapped all the fun out of men, it’s like I’m living a nightmare . Mine started in May this year same time I was diagnosed with cancer so call that a double whammy. I’m handling my treatment ok but not the T . I hold on the hope that people say you will habituate & get used to it . Just praying that is true .
Gee whizz! Certainly some double whammy! If there is any possible consolation for you, you are now enduring, in most sufferers opinions, the worst stage of the torture that this horrible thing brings.
I know . It’s not easy at all. How long did you take to habituate last time , & wander what made it spike up again. Mine started after my 2nd Vaccine . Hope yours settles again soon , how do you manage it?
I have never habituated. The only thing that I have learnt from Day 1 until now is that I don't get angry with myself anymore. This can hardly be described as habituation. By far the best method for me to manage sleep is Clonazepam, but I am currently at loggerheads with ENT doc on this. I have tried most other things, though not (yet) hypnotherapy. But since April it's become unbearably loud, and during the day I don't have any choice but to struggle with it as best I can - which is no longer acceptable. A couple of people I know have had T problems since their vaccination.
I had a brain scan recently MRI soI will be getting results shortly , & like you just struggle through the days . I guess I’m lucky if you can call it that but I do
Sleep , I have camomile tea no tablets & do deep breathing to relax me , some mornings I wake & it feels quiet but I know as soon as I move it’s there. But then days like today when it’s blaring out loud as soon as I wake . I know there are lots of people who believe the vaccine caused it but no real proof .
Well I wish you all the best for the results. I have recently started meditation again - I'm giving everything a bleeding go! Excuse my language. I don't seem to have any lulls in the T; it's just full on 24/7, but I have not had it this loud and crazy before. Noises on top of noises. I could barely hear what people were saying to me today. I have never tried camomile tea, I'll give it a whirl, but drink lots of green tea.
Thanks & good luck too, how long was it last time you had it before you learned to just accept it & get on with your life. Camomile relaxes you & you get used to the taste . I meditate every day usually too . Amazes me how they can put a man on the moon but can’t cure or even have a pill to help with the suffering of Tinnitus .
Approx 5 years. But its never been easy. I agree with you totally on there not being any definitive remedy for it. I mean, Beethoven suffered miserably of it hundreds of years ago and here we all are, still in the same way! More or less. Right, its been fabulous chatting with you and thanks for your time. It is now my bathtime. I am always around if you feel a bit down. Goodnight and sweet dreams!
Hi Yogachamp! I have just discovered that the latest software update for iPhone (IOS 15) now includes tinnitus support in the form of background sounds. Go to control centre then select the little ear icon then choose the sound you prefer from the list.
Background Sounds
sound distortion
Tinnitus changed in sound / intensity and more unbearable
Does anyone else have like a MID tone/ frequency T sound ( buzzing, or solid sound)
Popping sounds in my head.
