Achieving a Calm Mind with Tinnitus

[Shera]

Before tinnitus I was a super calm mind. Could zone out and when it first came on I still kept it pretty calm. Though when it got worse and I went through panic attacks, anxiety and depression my calm mind fled. I'm working on relaxing my body and not focusing on the T all the time. Which I have been doing. I'm starting to have moments when I don't focus so much on it. I have a hard time with this as it spikes at night so relaxing by watching TV and stuff is hard.

My question is for those who have had T a longer time and have habituated. Does your mind have to think and be active 24/7 to ignore the T? Or once you've quit fearing/fighting it can you just relax?

My mom has had T for years and she talks about how her mind is just going constantly. Not sure if that's her personality or something she developed to cop with the T.

(I have been looking into Mindfulness and positive thinking. Even praying more which has helped to calm my mind at night.)

 

[Michael Leigh]

My question is for those who have had T a longer time and have habituated. Does your mind have to think and be active 24/7 to ignore the T? Or once you've quit fearing/fighting it can you just relax?

Hi @Shera
You raise and interesting question and hope that you find the post below helpful. If you are finding habituation difficult a referral to a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in tinnitus management is something to consider.

The habituation process.

Habituation is frequently talked about in tinnitus forums and probably comes in at second place to the popular question: when will a cure be found? It seems some people have become quite taken with this word and believe it is the most important thing to strive for when dealing with this condition. Everyone wants to habituate as soon as possible and carry on living their life doing everything that they want to and putting tinnitus firmly behind them.

I can honestly say that I see nothing wrong with that, but wanting something in the speed that we would like it isn't always achievable, especially with something like tinnitus. A few people that have had tinnitus for a while, have contacted me to discuss just that. They have concerns about the length of time it's taking to habituate. Similarly, I have heard from those new to this condition that want the habitation process to start as quickly as possible. Both groups tell me they are doing all the right things but it seems patience is giving way to despondency and despair and some are starting to believe habituation might never happen for them.

It is of little comfort to these people when they hear family and friends say, tinnitus is just a minor irritant and something that can easily be ignored. Occasionally, it might be intrusive but this is never more than temporary and they are still able to carry on with their life unperturbed. I often sense the frustration a person is under when they are relaying this to me. Whether I'm talking to them on the telephone, private messenger or answering an email. It is then that I'm often asked: why is it that the habituation process doesn't seem to be happening for them?

Answering such a question isn't easy because there is no single answer that I can provide but I will say this. Tinnitus is a common condition that comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. It can be very troublesome especially in the early stages of onset, but gradually this gives way and the condition settles down and in time many manage to cope with it when it's mild or moderate. Sometimes this may involve treatment via a hearing therapist or a person achieves this naturally without being referred to a clinic.

It should be noted that tinnitus can be a complex condition, depending on how loud and intrusive it is for the individual? So what I've just outlined won't apply to everyone. There are other factors that also come into play. A person's make-up or rather their outlook on life. Whether they are positive or negative thinking can help or delay the habitation process. In addition to this, stress and anxiety are often associated with tinnitus and a person might be taking medication such as an antidepressant to help cope with it. There are a myriad of scenarios that I could relay to you on how tinnitus can affect someone's quality of life, their well-being and the habituation process. For now I will say this:

When a person habituates to tinnitus it means they are able cope with it but this doesn't mean they will never hear it. Although some people habituate to a level where the tinnitus is rarely heard or stays at a very low level. Whether the tinnitus is silent for periods of time or remains low, mild, moderate or is occasionally intrusive, it doesn't really matter, because it all means the same thing. When habituation is reached a person will know, because whatever the level it will not bother you. However, like everything there are exceptions and tinnitus is no different. I believe there are some limitations to habituation. As I have previously said the condition comes in many forms and intensities. Some people have variable tinnitus that can fluctuate from silent, mild, moderate and severe. When it is loud and intrusive (severe) and this level is sustained for long periods it can become very debilitating and a person might have to take medication to cope with it, which is usually supplied by their doctor. This level of sustained intrusiveness shouldn't be confused with a tinnitus spike, which usually returns to baseline within a short period of time.

I want to say that I believe habituation is achievable for most people with time. In some instances a person might need the professional help of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist, as there are a variety of treatment options available to help one in the habituation process. One should also try to be realistic. There are some people that will accept nothing less than a complete cure from their tinnitus and this is unfortunate, because they could waste a lot of time being miserable.

I have corresponded with people that have said, their tinnitus is very low and is only heard occasionally or in a quiet room, at night for instance. Yet these people are not satisfied because they want a complete cure and will deliberately seek out quiet surroundings to monitor their tinnitus, checking to see if it has increased or not. It's as if they have become obsessed with this condition and to the point where is starts to affect their relationship with those that are close to them, and I don't think this is healthy.

In summing up I want to say one last thing. Those that are having treatment with a Hearing Therapist, Audiologist, or finding that their tinnitus is becoming less intrusive and they are in the habituation process. Try not to read negative posts or associate with negative thinking people who are not in the same place that you are, as their beliefs can prevent your advancement, if you are not careful.

I wish you well
Michael

PS: further reading on habituation:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/answers-to-hyperacusis-and-habituation.12058/

 

[Shera]

If I think about it I usually am positive, but can get bouts of negativity. That's how I didn't freak when it first came on, that and it was quiet enough for the most part that the winter noises like the furnace kept it low and I could sleep. Though now it is higher.

Thanks for the info. I fear my issue is I lack money to go see anyone. Even after the accident I couldn't afford to get checked out. Pay for the insurance, but it covers nothing. I've been trading a message therapist and chiropractor/acupuncture guy for treatments. And used the local college's free hearing check up/clinic.

I also put my life on hold to take care of my sick parents and now I'm relying on them, and the stress of income is piling up.

Thanks for the links I'll check them out.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Shera In the first link you will see my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. I suggest you read it in full and try not to skim through it. There are treatment and coping methods listed and a document on how to be more "positive with tinnitus". Positivity will help make the tinnitus less intrusive. Try not to sleep in a quiet room at night by using a sound machine by your bedside. More about this is covered in the article.
Best of luck and hope you start to feel better soon.
Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

I went to see a neuro therapist for habituation after my first onset of tinnitus. He said you can throw all the handbooks on habituation away. It's all about not drawing quick conclusions based on peer associations. Those who have strong opinions and draw quick conclusions based just on peer association will not be able to habituate to tinnitus, but you can retrain your emotional response system very quickly.

An example that was included for study for those who will not habituate to tinnitus.

I belong to a certain political party so everything this candidate says I will agree with. It a political candidate from a party that you don't associate with, said the same thing instead of your party political candidate, you would disagree on what this candidate said concerning the same subject matter.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Michael: "Try not to sleep in a silent room at night by using a sound machine by your bedside" Do you mean white or pure amplitude pure tones with carrier frequencies?

My mention use of headphone to spend a few minutes with the vacuum or lawn mover are noise deduction headphones.

 

[Faizaan A.]

Hi @Shera I began to notice my tinnitus a month and a half ago after being blasted by sirens coming from an ambulance that passed by me on an enclosed city street. The noise was VERY loud, and for the first two weeks, I had a few panic attacks and became so constantly worried I had to relocate to my aunt's house in the suburbs (I live in a city apartment). My aunt and uncle are also quite old so their house was very quiet.

My time there was super peaceful. Before I decided to go stay with them, I thought that it would actually be more difficult to habituate since I would be in a much quieter setting, but the peace and quiet definitely helped me calm down from the stress and anxiety that my newfound awareness of my tinnitus brought about. I must admit that within 3 weeks, my tinnitus was at a very bearable level and I was actually very relaxed even with the noise.

I don't think I am habituated as it's been such a short time since it began for me compared to other stories I have read on TT, but I do feel like I am able to cope with my baseline level of tinnitus much better now (after I had relaxed at my aunt's house for that initial period). I returned to my apartment a couple of weeks ago, and I feel like the added stress of city life made my tinnitus slightly louder, bringing back some distress. At least for my tinnitus, I feel like the best therapy has been to remain calm and relaxed (and the occasional support sessions of reading others stories on TT). However, I must say that being distracted by doing something else has also helped me forget about my tinnitus, albeit for short periods at a time.


Also, @Michael Leigh , thank you so much for your article: Tinnitus - A Personal View. I previously read it when my tinnitus started last month, and it really helped me cope with the initial distress. I'm truly hoping that I can adopt a variety of calming techniques to keep the level of my tinnitus at bay. It's been so variable nowadays; the worst was when it spiked after I attended someone's graduation ceremony a few days ago (I wore earplugs, but kept taking them off to talk to people around me). Currently, it's still fluctuating in loudness but I do hope that it goes back to baseline. The clapping that day was just so loud and painful.

 

[Shera]

@Greg Sacramento I see your point. At first I didn't look up anything about T when it hit and I stayed calm. I suppose now that I'm saying this is how others handled and stuff doesn't help. I need to find my own way to cope.

@Faizaan A. I'm glad you're coping well. I can't have sound in every room so when I'm working I do end up in silence a lot. If I don't focus on it it's not bad. (In fact when I'm relaxing watching TV is the worst). I do believe my anxiety and stress is part of the problem now. I'm on edge now all the time.

Adding noises to help me sleep actually made me more anxious. Silence seems to be better for me for sleep.

 

[Shera]

@Shera In the first link you will see my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. I suggest you read it in full and try not to skim through it. There are treatment and coping methods listed and a document on how to be more "positive with tinnitus". Positivity will help make the tinnitus less intrusive. Try not to sleep in a quiet room at night by using a sound machine by your bedside. More about this is covered in the article.
Best of luck and hope you start to feel better soon.
Michael

Thanks that was very helpful.

I have to ask about the sound machine for night. How important is that? I didn't care for it and found that I slept less and would wake up panicking.

Though when I sleep with silence the T seems louder, but now I can fall asleep pretty fast and for the most part stay asleep. I even find my T super quiet upon waking until I role out of bed.

Thanks for all the hard work in writing that, it definitely helped reading many of those things.

 

[Tinker Bell]

Adding noises to help me sleep actually made me more anxious. Silence seems to be better for me for sleep.

I have the same problem. Using a sound machine -- just under my tinnitus with either pink noise or nature sounds -- always seems to make it worse. It sets off even louder ringing and even beeping that seems to bounce around my head. Plus, I would wake up in the middle of the night, hear the sound machine, and be annoyed that I even have to use it.

So I switched to using a ceiling fan at night. We often use a ceiling fan at night in summer, so I feel like the sound doesn't subconsciously bother me.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I have to ask about the sound machine for night. How important is that?

@Shera
A sound machine is very important for someone that has intrusive tinnitus. Sleeping in a quiet room will make the brain focus more on the tinnitus and will make it louder and more intrusive during waking hours. A sound machine takes time to get used to. People can use whatever "sound enrichment" they feel comfortable using although music isn't usually the best choice as it draws attention to itself.


The sound machine and tinnitus

Sound Oasis makes the best sound machines in my opinion and they are specifically designed for people with tinnitus although anyone will benefit using one. The quality of their digital sounds will be far superior to any homemade sounds that you compile if your intention is to use them for sound enrichment. A sound machine can be used night and day but do their magic best when we are in deep sleep. It supplies the brain and auditory system with sound enrichment. Over time, the tinnitus is pushed further into the background making it less intrusive and will make the path to habituation easier. It helps to desensitize the auditory system and reducing hypersensitivity that many know as hyperacusis.

The Oasis S-650 is very popular and the one I usually recommend people buy. It comes with a variety of sounds on two sound cards. Additional cards can be purchased. The S-850 Travel, is small and compact and more expensive. It has 18 on-board digital sounds and doesn't use cards. Some people might be bothered by the clock's blue backlight at night-time. It dims but cannot be turned completely off; the S-650 backlight can be set to switch off automatically. The S-5000 is the top model and is larger and more sophisticated than the others and can only be mains operated. It uses a three-speaker system, that has a subwoofer for increased depth and definition to the sound. According to Oasis, over 140 on-board sound combinations are possible. It also has an FM/AM radio and an external sound source can be selected via the auxiliary input. There are a host of other features.

The purpose of using a sound machine is to have it playing in the background without drawing attention to itself unlike a radio. For this reason, music mustn't be used at night for sound enrichment, as it will draw the Brain's attention and delay habituation. I believe sound enrichment should be used particularly at night by anyone that has intrusive tinnitus. I would say that it's imperative to do so if you want to help yourself. Over time you will get used to having sound around you both during the day and night. I find it strange to be in a very quiet room now having used a sound machine for so long. The Sound Oasis website: http://www.soundoasis.com/products/

Michael

PS: Many people have contacted me after they have habituated to their tinnitus and stopped using sound enrichment at night, only to find their tinnitus becoming intrusive again. The rule of thumb: avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night by using a sound machine.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I went to see a neuro therapist for habituation after my first onset of tinnitus. He said you can throw all the handbooks on habituation away.

@Greg Sacramento
Of course your neuro therapist is going to tell you to throw out all the books on habituation, and will probably advise you not to visit tinnitus forums and listen to people that are not medically qualified. There is one reason you have been told this. The person that you are seeing knows very little about tinnitus and has probably never experienced it, just like many ENT doctors.

Michael

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Faizaan A. Thank you for your kind comments about my article and I'm pleased that you have found it helpful. Try not to use earplugs too often. I recommend that you use earplugs that have built-in filters. Only use Foam earplugs when around noisy equipment such garden machinery or power tools.

You are in the early stages of tinnitus and it will fluctuate a lot so give it time. Always talk to your doctor if you are feeling stressed by tinnitus.

All the best
Michael

 

[Shera]

I find it strange to be in a very quiet room now having used a sound machine for so long.

PS: Many people have contacted me after they have habituated to their tinnitus and stopped using sound enrichment at night, only to find their tinnitus becoming intrusive again. The rule of thumb: avoid quiet rooms and surroundings especially at night by using a sound machine

That makes me nervous. We do get power outages and I know I wont always be able to have sound. So if I become too dependent I might have tough nights though I do see a battery option. (Especially for a week long outage.) Right now I keep sound going from my computer in my bedroom and the breezeway a radio where I do chores. The kitchen has clocks. I understand the sound theory because when the house had tons of noises going all winter, and the sump was running and I slept next to it.

I don't want to add more noise to the living room because my parents are in there. Though my T spikes while watching TV at night and it would help to have fan noise or something to it. I don't think I have hyperacusis because it tends to spike at nigh period with or without TV and it doesn't spike with TV during the day. Though I don't use head phones anymore after the T changed.

Right now I've been in silence all morning and doing rather well as my chores take me outside and inside the whole house. (This is probably the quietest it's been even though I had a rough night.)

I don't want to be dependent on having to have sound on in every room, though it does help keep me calmer.

(Though I will confess my T was mild after I initially got it when I hit my head and it was settled to quite mild until the first of March when I did a ton of stupid things to cure what I thought was the last of an earache. Now it's louder and a lot more noises. Though some have died down.)

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Shera
Try not to worry about becoming dependent on "sound enrichment" for sleep because that isn't the way it works. When we are in deep sleep we are unaware of what's going on. If you have a power outage that won't be a problem just carry on as you have previously done. If you have been using headphones regularly before the onset of your tinnitus, then headphones could have been the cause of it. I advise you not to use headphones even at low volume.
Best of luck
Michael

 

[Shera]

@Michael Leigh Okay. I'll have to see if I still can't comfortably sleep I might try it again. Can it work with my computer across my bedroom? Or does it have to be near me? (Before I invest.)

I got it when I hit my head, but then in March I did stupid things and I'm not sure if my head phones made it worse then. I haven't been using them. Only once in a great while. Because I've got static noise now I don't care to use the head phones. Plus, I can still hear my rings.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Shera For best results it is best to have the "sound enrichment" near where you sleep. Having the computer on all night isn't a good idea as the fan and hard drive will be running all night. Remember using "sound enrichment" at night takes time to get used to. It must not draw attention to itself so set the volume just below your tinnitus, or at a level that you can comfortably ignore it.

Some people new to "sound enrichment" at night are not patient and quickly say they find the sound annoying. They forget, most of their life they have been going to sleep in a quiet room. It takes time to adjust to a new sleeping arrangement, this isn't achieved in a few nights.

Many things can cause tinnitus including a knock on the head. If you return to using headphones at some time try to keep the volume low. However, my advice is to never use them again but it is your choice.

Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Michael Leigh
I used Sound Oasis the first time that I received subjective T & H. I placed it about 10 feet from my bed with volume low. Now with somatic high pitch, how far from my bed should it be? and what volume level should I use?

I also had used white noise - rain, a CD that had some static the first time with subjective T as well. I was never sure how loud the sound level should be.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since this thread is a combination of both sound treatment and habituation - I was totally able to habituate with subjective tinnitus - a loud buzzing from noise exposure. The neuro therapist was a frontal lobe brain surgeon where his surgery was for head trauma and not for tinnitus. Now I have very high pitch somatic T &H from a dental experience, so habituation will be more of a challenge.

This frontal lobe surgeon and therapist said that the frontal lobe is the center that control emotions, focus and other attitudes. Many researchers of tinnitus and dementia are now focusing their research on the frontal lobe.

The frontal lobe specialist said in order to habituate from subjective tinnitus is to focus your mind on a continuing project or hobby where you can make continued improvements. They use this treatment in psych centers for those with brain injury.

I don't care about baseball anymore, but I did like baseball as a kid. So my hobby was to place together a 1975 baseball set of cards using ebay. I bought one or a few cards at a time in the best condition that I could find for the best price. These cards were professionally graded cards. So no disappointment on condition of the cards after receiving them in the mail. I believe that this was responsible for at least part of my habituation.

Markku, has had taken on a continuous project where some of his focus is on the improvement of this site. He is probably better off for this continuous thought process.

I should note that this surgeon and therapist has practiced at the hospital where I worked, so I was able to receive some good attention. He has 35 years of practice experience.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Greg Sacramento
In my opinion, having the sound machine 10 feet away is not the best way to supply your brain and auditory system with "sound enrichment" throughout the night until morning. My sound machine is around 20inches from my head. Some people attach a pillow speaker to their Oasis sound machine, which is an alternative and this will suffice. Try to keep the volume of the sound machine slightly below your tinnitus. The idea is to set the volume at a level the sounds are not drawing your brain's attention. You should be able to comfortably ignore the sounds and drift off to sleep. Please read my post above to @Shera.

I have no doubt your neuro therapist/frontal lobe brain surgeon is a highly qualified physician and therefore, it not my intention to undermine his or her skills. However, when it comes to tinnitus, I believe S/he doesn't know much about it or the habituation process. If you want the best therapy and counselling for tinnitus the right person to see is a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist that specialises in the treatment and management of tinnitus.

As I've mentioned many times, these people often have tinnitus. They were either born with it or acquired it at some time in their life. Your neuro therapist may well be right when talking about the frontal lobe being the centre that controls our emotions. According to Professor Pawel Jasterboff, developer of TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy) the tinnitus signal lives in the limbic system, which is the part of the brain that controls our emotions: love, hate, fear etc. Please read the text below which has been taken from my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. It explains the role a Hearing Therapist when giving counselling to someone with tinnitus.

Tinnitus can become a problem when the patient starts to believe nothing can be done about the condition. If one isn't careful anxiety and depression can start to take hold. Through regular counseling sessions with a Hearing Therapist the patient learns not to look at their tinnitus life threatening and not to be constantly afraid of it and to be monitoring every little change in its perception. At first the therapist discusses with the patient how the tinnitus makes them feel and how it has impacted on their life. Often people say they have lost interest in the things they once liked doing, which is perfectly understandable. The main goal here is to gradually help them look at life differently and with a more positive outlook. Over time the negative thinking that is often associated with tinnitus and hyperacusis is gradually dispelled and demystified.

The Hearing Therapist does this in a controlled and precise manner so that the patient feels relaxed and not pressured. Therefore, it must be stressed and understood, this treatment takes time. The duration of each counseling session is left to the discretion of the Hearing Therapist. Typically, these can last up to one hour or more. The amount of appointments required will be different for each patient, but it is quality rather than the quantity of the counseling that really matters.

Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Michael Leigh Thank you for replies and they are appreciated. I went to an experienced audiologist who had 28 years of experience. She did limited audio testing on my first visit and wanted to wait 2 months before a full audio exam. She was a very nice person who spent over a hour with me for each visit.

She told me never to wear noise deduction headphones. As I mentioned recently in a previous thread, when I was walking thru the parking lot of this ENT center to her audio office a loud train blew the whistles. I placed my noise blocking headphones on within seconds when the train was blowing whistles. I still had the noise blocking headphones on when I walked into her office. She told me to never wear noise blocking headphones, but she was interrupted by an associate, so I never did explain the reason why I was wearing the noise blocking headphones.

She said that the best advice for me was too use Widex Zen ear aides that plays random, chime-like tones. These hearing aides were very expensive. She had the sound already adjusted for me. They sounded loud and did mast my tinnitus. She told me to wear them all day, except when sleeping. I wore them for three months and felt that my tinnitus was getting worse.

I will buy the new Sound Oasis - as mine is now seven years old. I will follow your advice with it's use.
Thank you so much for your help.

 

[Michael Leigh]

@Greg Sacramento
If your tinnitus was getting worse when wearing widex zen ear aids then this is what I believe: They were not the correct devices for you and secondly: Wearing widex ear-aids or white noise generators alone will not help you. As I've mentioned in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View. The patient needs to be having tinnitus counselling as well if, they are wearing devices like Widex zen or white noise generators. Furthermore, if the devices you were given did not allow you to adjust the volume then they were set too loud. The volume must be set so the sound does not "mask" the tinnitus. The sound must always be set below the tinnitus or it could make the tinnitus worse.

Please read the text below on how to use white noise generators correctly this also applies to the Widex Zen ear aids that were given to you. Although your Audiologist had 28 years experience. This means absolutely nothing unless the treatment she gave you was correct and I don't believe it was. Just giving you the Widex Zen ear-aids and telling you to get along with it, isn't proper treatment and not giving you regular counselling sessions. This treatment is known as TRT.

White noise generators closely resemble a hearing aid and fits around the back of the ear, from which a small tube is attached that rests in the entrance to the ear canal. The white noise is adjusted via a small rocker switch, There is another type of white noise generator that serves the same purpose but is smaller and more discreet which some people might prefer. The device is inserted into the ear canal and has a small volume control to adjust the white noise. The second part of the treatment involves counselling. It is necessary for the patient to have regular outpatients appointments, with their Hearing Therapist who is trained in the field of tinnitus and the perception of it otherwise the patient is not likely to gain benefit wearing the WNG alone. Some patients are also affected with Hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound). If it is present at the same time as having tinnitus then the white noise generators will also treat it.

White noise generators are first put on in the morning and the white noise set to just below the tinnitus, and then left alone. It can be tempting to turn up the volume when out on the street as traffic noise can make it difficult to hear them. Please don't do this. Constantly adjusting wngs volume will delay the habituation process. Over time the brain habituates to the white noise generator and pushes the tinnitus further into the background where it becomes less noticeable. This cannot be successfully achieved if the wngs is repeatedly adjusted throughout the day.

Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Michael Leigh - Last question

Would using the Sound Oasis be OK for now, instead of using noise generators?

My hyperacusis is about the same as it was 7 years ago. Really bad. It disappeared after using NAC and B12 in two weeks after having H for 1.5 years the first time. I really doubt that the NAC and B12 had anything to do it, but it did go away almost in a flash, not gradually.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Would using the Sound Oasis be OK for now, instead of using noise generators?

@Greg Sacramento

Firstly, you have to find out what has made your tinnitus become worse? The usual cause is "sound". If you have been using headphones or attending places where loud music has been played then this is the reason your tinnitus has become worse. If it isn't sound that is responsible then something else is . A sound machine is a good thing to use but you need to find out the reason for the increase in your tinnitus?

I don't advise you to wear white noise generators unless you are going to have tinnitus counselling as well as they will not work just wearing them alone. If you are finding the tinnitus difficult to cope with the best treatment is a referral to see a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist who is trained in Tinnitus management.

A person can do a lot to help themselves. As your neuro therapist said keeping occupied with something you like doing. That I believe is very good advice. Please remember, self help can only go so far. Tinnitus can be a very distressing condition when it is loud and intrusive and sometimes we need professional help and in your case, I believe that to be with a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist if you are finding the tinnitus difficult to cope with.

I don't mind you asking as many questions as you wish. I or someone else will try to answer them. I advise you to look through my "started threads" and read my posts.

Michael

 

[Shera]

@Michael Leigh Again thanks for all the info. I wonder if there's special stuff on T for head injuries and I just missed it in my initial search?

I know if I keep moving and active my T can be not as obtrusive. I'm getting to a point where I don't always need the wind outside to fully mask it. I do notice if I yawn, turn my neck a certain way, lay, lounge it gets noisier. Or now if I really piss my neck off. With the snow removal from this winter I can't believe I didn't have issues before March. My T was pretty basic then and didn't fluctuate. Probably considered very mild after a few weeks from the accident.

That's why I'm treating my bad neck and TMJ from the accident. Though the pressurization issue my ears now have is new since March when I slept with heat packs and took the advice of my doctor to plug my nose and gently blow. (Though I quit that and just kept sleeping with heat on my jaw and that's when I pushed my jaw over the edge and got T with a vengeance. I could kill my doctor for telling me the "lingering" T was a ear infection.) The preassurization issue has gotten better I don't feel them popping and adjusting when I stand, but I do notice them moving sometimes when I move my head and they still have a hard time with even the littlest elevation change. Which I'm told is because of my T and when the muscles relax this problem should keep getting better like it has been.

 

[Shera]

The frontal lobe specialist said in order to habituate from subjective tinnitus is to focus your mind on a continuing project or hobby where you can make continued improvements. They use this treatment in psych centers for those with brain injury.

Even though I feel restless and wan to not focus. I've been doing little projects constantly. My silkie chickens and they're well being keep me going and my garden. As I've already made changes, built a patio, new fire pit, and my current repaint them is bright yellow! Keeping focused at night is where I'm having a harder time. Though I keep trying. Even created a logo when my T was screaming through the TV noise.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Again thanks for all the info. I wonder if there's special stuff on T for head injuries and I just missed it in my initial search?

I am sorry I don't know of any information on head injuries and tinnitus. Remember, tinnitus must not be "masked" as the brain cannot habituate to the tinnitus unless it can hear it.
Michael

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@Shera
Medically I don't ready know, but I told not to use heat on my jaw. I was given some cold packs. It's seems that you are on your way with a good attitude.

 

[Shera]

Remember, tinnitus must not be "masked" as the brain cannot habituate to the tinnitus unless it can hear it.

Okay. When I'm in the house I'll try to keep everything just under the tinnitus. I can't do that everywhere, but I'll try.

 

[Michael Leigh]

Okay. When I'm in the house I'll try to keep everything just under the tinnitus. I can't do that everywhere, but I'll try.

@Shera, you don't have to make this a priority as you will become stressed over it. Just try not to deliberately mask your tinnitus and you'll be just fine.
Michael

 

[Shera]

@Shera, you don't have to make this a priority as you will become stressed over it. Just try not to deliberately mask your tinnitus and you'll be just fine.
Michael

Okay. Sounds good.

I did some research and it's all very mixed for head trauma induced T. Even some claiming to go away after a year or two. It's a nice thought. It's interesting seeing which symptoms are shared. Mine had been fading well until March. I'll keep hope, but won't stress out about it.

I know some of my sleep problems are also my muscles spasming on me now and then from the accident. They let up towards morning, which is when my T is the most quiet and almost nonexistent.