Are These the 3 Basic Principles of Dealing with Tinnitus?

[Tom71]

1. Stay calm, don't let it panic you even when loud

2. Don't focus on it, if possible

3. Continue on with your life

Fair summary?

It's what I've been trying to do, though not focusing is sometimes difficult. I am continuing on with my life and it doesn't cause much anxiety anymore

 

[dingaling]

In a nutshell - yes

But there are a lot of variables in how people think/deal with tinnitus

 

[Tinniger]

Fair summary?

Yes.
In special cases, e.g. clearly pulsatile tinnitus at one ear, a carotid dissection by means of angio-MRI should be excluded.

 

[Tinker Bell]

If there is hearing loss then a hearing aid may be an option.

But otherwise, yes that is a fair summary.

 

[threefirefour]

1) Wait for a treatment

2) Hope

3) Hope some more

 

[Hazel]

@threefirefour , you never give up, do you?

 

[threefirefour]

@threefirefour , you never give up, do you?

You make it sound like that's bad or something.

 

[Hazel]

You make it sound like that's bad or something.

It just gets a bit tiresome, that's all. Just saying.

 

[threefirefour]

It just gets a bit tiresome, that's all. Just saying.

The occasional disagreement must be so tiresome.

 

[emmalee]

The occasional disagreement must be so tiresome.

Better be careful someone may drop a house on you........just saying.

 

[threefirefour]

Better be careful someone may drop a house on you........just saying.

Okay step up

 

[Ahat]

Better be careful someone may drop a house on you........just saying.

Lighten up. Damn.

 

[glynis]

Please don't clog up the author's thread.
@Tom71 is new the forum and trying to make sense of dealing with tinnitus.
Love glynis

 

[emmalee]

Please don't clog up the author's thread.
@Tom71 is new the forum and trying to make sense of dealing with tinnitus.
Love glynis

I am sorry, glynis. I also apologize to you Tom 71
Not my most shining moment.

 

[New Guy]

Tom that's very fair. I'd like to add try to find time to do what you enjoy and always carry ear plugs or muffs with you in case of an emergency. The final thing is forgive yourself if you have a moment where you slip.

 

[Ping43]

I love this!! It took me 7 weeks to even acknowledge these guidelines! And for the most part i am having a pretty great week! keep truckin. It'll get easier.

 

[housemzk]

I agree with @New Guy 100%. You're spot on Tom, but the reality is that our ears are compromised and it's not worth the risk of NOT having ear protection handy. And it's so easy to carry plugs on your key chain and doesn't take up much more space on the chain either. Helped my anxiety a bit at the beginning too.

 

[MBH]

Yes, but it has in betweens like anxiety can show up, it may change tunes, and when you what advice look no further than hear.

 

[Jazzer]

1. Stay calm, don't let it panic you even when loud

2. Don't focus on it, if possible

3. Continue on with your life

Fair summary?

It's what I've been trying to do, though not focusing is sometimes difficult. I am continuing on with my life and it doesn't cause much anxiety anymore

I have to say Tom - I've just looked at your photo, and you don't look a day older than 70 !

CONGRATULATIONS !!

(.......sorry - he snivelled )

I'd say you've got it right buddy.
All those years of acquired wisdom. xx

 

[Hazel]

@Tom71 , apologies, I did not mean to mess up your thread.

It seems you're on the right track, and that's quite impressive after such a short period of time. Anxiety is the enemy, in my opinion, not tinnitus. the fact that you've got the anxiety under control for the most part is a big victory.

Best of luck!

 

[Tom71]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments

Mostly the anxiety is under control, just need to get the sleep under control, if I could get the insomnia resolved it woul help a lot

Curious as to why to carry ear plugs....protection from loud noises?

 

[Hazel]

just need to get the sleep under control, if I could get the insomnia resolved it woul help a lot

It took me a good 4-5 months to get over tinnitus-related insomnia. [Now, I just suffer from general insomnia, LOL.] Trust me, it will very likely resolve over time. The ignoring your tinnitus advice is all good and well during the day time, when you have other things to focus on, but of course at night time there are no distractions and that's when you hear it most.

You could try masking (e.g. rain sounds, other natural sounds, or soft music). Personally, I've never found it very useful, since I couldn't find masking sounds that really mask very well. Plus, the masking sounds themselves would keep me awake or aggravate me.

In addition, I suppose I didn't want to create a dependency on any external tools for sleeping and see whether I could improve my sleep through other means, which I did in the end. I use gentle yoga, breathing exercises, and other relaxation techniques to help me sleep.

Curious as to why to carry ear plugs....protection from loud noises?

Yes, this is what many of us do. I have custom made "musician's ear plugs", the type which filter out only the harmfully loud noises; very useful for instance in a crowded restaurant. I did get more sensitive to noise in general (which is very common with tinnitus) and also wary of further damaging my ears (since my tinnitus is hearing loss related).

At the same time, you want to be careful with over-protecting your ears, as this could actually cause (additional) noise sensitivity and possibly noise-related anxiety. Find the right balance for you.

 

[Tom71]

It took me a good 4-5 months to get over tinnitus-related insomnia. [Now, I just suffer from general insomnia, LOL.] Trust me, it will very likely resolve over time. The ignoring your tinnitus advice is all good and well during the day time, when you have other things to focus on, but of course at night time there are no distractions and that's when you hear it most.

You could try masking (e.g. rain sounds, other natural sounds, or soft music). Personally, I've never found it very useful, since I couldn't find masking sounds that really mask very well. Plus, the masking sounds themselves would keep me awake or aggravate me.

In addition, I suppose I didn't want to create a dependency on any external tools for sleeping and see whether I could improve my sleep through other means, which I did in the end. I use gentle yoga, breathing exercises, and other relaxation techniques to help me sleep.



Yes, this is what many of us do. I have custom made "musician's ear plugs", the type which filter out only the harmfully loud noises; very useful for instance in a crowded restaurant. I did get more sensitive to noise in general (which is very common with tinnitus) and also wary of further damaging my ears (since my tinnitus is hearing loss related).

At the same time, you want to be careful with over-protecting your ears, as this could actually cause (additional) noise sensitivity and possibly noise-related anxiety. Find the right balance for you.

I sleep with some white noise but the masking is incomplete. Perhaps I need a different sound. Agree that masking sounds can themselves cause sleeplessness too, if too loud or not a good fit

Hope it doesn't take 4-5 months, I'm pretty damn tired and it's only been a week and a half

 

[Hazel]

Hope it doesn't take 4-5 months, I'm pretty damn tired and it's only been a week and a half

Well, perhaps it puts your mind at ease to know that I didn't have broken nights for that entire period. It kind of went up and down for quite a while until finally I settled back down to my pre-tinnitus sleeping patterns. So it's quite normal for things to get better and then have a setback again. The most important thing is the overall trend, and since you're only 1.5w in, it's too soon to assess that.

And in any case, your experience might turn out totally differently, and you could be fine again in a week or two! It's a very personal journey, this tinnitus thing, different for everyone.

For now, just try to take it one day at a time, and do what you can to make things easier for yourself.

 

[Tom71]

Well, perhaps it puts your mind at ease to know that I didn't have broken nights for that entire period. It kind of went up and down for quite a while until finally I settled back down to my pre-tinnitus sleeping patterns. So it's quite normal for things to get better and then have a setback again. The most important thing is the overall trend, and since you're only 1.5w in, it's too soon to assess that.

And in any case, your experience might turn out totally differently, and you could be fine again in a week or two! It's a very personal journey, this tinnitus thing, different for everyone.

For now, just try to take it one day at a time, and do what you can to make things easier for yourself.

Good point

I guess my concern is that I stay functional, and not get too tired because of insomnia. Am going to discuss this with the doc when I see him tomorrow. Tbh if the insomnia or the fatigue associated with the insomnia could resolve it would solve the majority of the problems I have