By Not Listening to My Tinnitus, Am I Not Facing the Problem Head On and Delaying Habituation?

[Twisted_ether]

Hello folks. I am writing here with a sincere hope that someone can point me to possible methods of treatment in case my tinnitus (possibly somatic) is new. I am giving my background followed by few bullet questions. I would sincerely appreciate your feedback:

I am not sure how long I have had tinnitus. But I understood that high frequency noise was in fact tinnitus, one month ago when the intensity started increasing in nights and when I woke up. It gets subdued when I am out in nature or there are enough external noises like walking on a busy street in day time. It seems to be in my right ear although I could swore just a couple of weeks ago it felt like it was in both ears.

My hearing tests came out normal. No wax. No ear drum damage. My tinnitus varies pitch through jaw movement, and times of day. Which leads me to believe that it is somatic in nature.

As a side note, three things happened before I discovered I had tinnitus. First, I did carry lot of emotional and personal and work stress in the last few months. My neck, shoulders and back were aching a lot. Life had become overwhelming. Second, I used a whole body vibration plate machine just around the time before tinnitus (I doubt the second could be the reason but you never know). Third, I started going to chiropractor to relieve my stiff back and neck. And he moved my neck in all sorts of ways.

I am an overall healthy male in my early 40s.

So here are my questions.

1) If I don't actively listen to T, would I never get habituated?
2) Related to (1), should I substantially limit soothing sounds or being outside and regularly sit with my T every day or for limited time at least? For example, when I wake up in the middle of night, T is loud and should I then just sit with it?
3) Is there any chance for somatic T to be treated as in almost go away or go away?
4) I read through following treatments: TMJ, Neuromonics, Qi-gong exercises, treating the SCM muscles causing pain in neck and surrounding areas, cranosacral therapy. Are any of these therapies worth exploring for my kind of T?
4) After I wake up in the middle of night, it is pretty tough falling back asleep. Any suggestions?
5) Whenever I swallow I hear a click in my right ear (kind of like when you pop ears). My ENT doc said it is okay and not to be worried about. Is that okay?

I also suffer from pure O (OCD but in mind as in thoughts, and mental rituals). As you can guess, the combo doesn't help.

I have tried the BTS method - used to really help psychologically. I am really grateful to @back_to_silence for his solid contribution on these forums. I use it sometimes. That said, I would love to still try exploring the options mentioned above.

I want to make life fulfilling some way or other, although it is a bit challenging to envision that for now. But I want to give it a go! So your thoughts, candid feedback along with your encouragement would be highly appreciated

K

 

[Twisted_ether]

Hi folks, new to T here and any help or insight would be greatly appreciated! It would be great if you can answer even one of the 5 questions I have posed in the above post. Looking forward to your responses
K

 

[Natalie Roberts]

I'm new here too-- been dealing with this for just over 2 weeks now. I don't have the answers to your questions but what I have found helpful is focusing on mindful meditation (Something I'm working on with a therapist for anxiety) when I get really panicky about the ringing noise (I can send you the instructions if you want). Also, reading the success stories helps me a lot. I have been trying not to focus on the noise and how bad it freaks me out but instead (As other members suggested) saying to yourself "I hear the ringing, and it makes me feel (insert feeling here)". Instead of measuring the sound or intensity of it. Obviously, this is not easy but sometimes I find it helpful. The biggest thing for me though is just staying busy and trying to not listen for it (so so hard). Telling myself, it WILL get better at some point and I want my mind to be in the best place possible to accept that when its time.. Anyway, I know these weren't your questions but just wanted you to know you aren't alone.

 

[Natalie Roberts]

O

Hello folks. I am writing here with a sincere hope that someone can point me to possible methods of treatment in case my tinnitus (possibly somatic) is new. I am giving my background followed by few bullet questions. I would sincerely appreciate your feedback:

I am not sure how long I have had tinnitus. But I understood that high frequency noise was in fact tinnitus, one month ago when the intensity started increasing in nights and when I woke up. It gets subdued when I am out in nature or there are enough external noises like walking on a busy street in day time. It seems to be in my right ear although I could swore just a couple of weeks ago it felt like it was in both ears.

My hearing tests came out normal. No wax. No ear drum damage. My tinnitus varies pitch through jaw movement, and times of day. Which leads me to believe that it is somatic in nature.

As a side note, three things happened before I discovered I had tinnitus. First, I did carry lot of emotional and personal and work stress in the last few months. My neck, shoulders and back were aching a lot. Life had become overwhelming. Second, I used a whole body vibration plate machine just around the time before tinnitus (I doubt the second could be the reason but you never know). Third, I started going to chiropractor to relieve my stiff back and neck. And he moved my neck in all sorts of ways.

I am an overall healthy male in my early 40s.

So here are my questions.

1) If I don't actively listen to T, would I never get habituated?
2) Related to (1), should I substantially limit soothing sounds or being outside and regularly sit with my T every day or for limited time at least? For example, when I wake up in the middle of night, T is loud and should I then just sit with it?
3) Is there any chance for somatic T to be treated as in almost go away or go away?
4) I read through following treatments: TMJ, Neuromonics, Qi-gong exercises, treating the SCM muscles causing pain in neck and surrounding areas, cranosacral therapy. Are any of these therapies worth exploring for my kind of T?
4) After I wake up in the middle of night, it is pretty tough falling back asleep. Any suggestions?
5) Whenever I swallow I hear a click in my right ear (kind of like when you pop ears). My ENT doc said it is okay and not to be worried about. Is that okay?

I also suffer from pure O (OCD but in mind as in thoughts, and mental rituals). As you can guess, the combo doesn't help.

I have tried the BTS method - used to really help psychologically. I am really grateful to @back_to_silence for his solid contribution on these forums. I use it sometimes. That said, I would love to still try exploring the options mentioned above.

I want to make life fulfilling some way or other, although it is a bit challenging to envision that for now. But I want to give it a go! So your thoughts, candid feedback along with your encouragement would be highly appreciated

K

OH.. And i forgot to mention I also suffer from OCD. I've had this for most of my life now and been on and off medications. I'm currently OFF because I am pregnant and my OCD symptoms coupled with anxiety can be almost crippling at times so I get it. Trust me. I also feel that with having obsessing/intrusive thoughts it makes it harder to deal with the anxiety that comes from the ringing since our minds are pre-dispositioned to focus on that sound and then obsess with the never-ending "what if's".. Right? So I understand where you're coming from. Just know you're not alone! If you ever want to chat, I'm here.

 

[Karen]

1) If I don't actively listen to T, would I never get habituated?
2) Related to (1), should I substantially limit soothing sounds or being outside and regularly sit with my T every day or for limited time at least? For example, when I wake up in the middle of night, T is loud and should I then just sit with it?
3) Is there any chance for somatic T to be treated as in almost go away or go away?
4) I read through following treatments: TMJ, Neuromonics, Qi-gong exercises, treating the SCM muscles causing pain in neck and surrounding areas, cranosacral therapy. Are any of these therapies worth exploring for my kind of T?
4) After I wake up in the middle of night, it is pretty tough falling back asleep. Any suggestions?
5) Whenever I swallow I hear a click in my right ear (kind of like when you pop ears). My ENT doc said it is okay and not to be worried about. Is that okay?

Hi, @Twisted_ether

I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but I'll do my best to respond:
1) I know it's hard, but if you don't actively listen for your T, you will begin to habituate much faster. It's not easy to do right at first; the best suggestion I can offer is to distract yourself with something that occupies your mind, such as a puzzle or game, whatever will work for you.
2) Soothing sounds are fine, and so is being outside. When my T was new, going outside really saved me a number of times. I don't think you should sit and listen quietly to your T; instead, I'd try to find something to occupy myself. At night, try to use some sort of masking sounds to fall asleep. To stay asleep, try a prescription sleep aid or natural sleep aid, such as melatonin or (in my case) magnesium.
3) I don't know much about somatic tinnitus, but I think you can at least habituate to it. Maybe others with somatic T can comment on this question.
4) To fall back asleep, I'd try masking sounds or sleep aids. Some people use a sound pillow that seems to be effective.
5) That clicking sound isn't unusual; I had clicking, too, when mine first started. But now, five years later, it has long since gone away. Yours may go away, too, in time. Tinnitus comes with a lot of crazy sounds, and it is not unusual. Please don't worry about it!

I hope these answers have helped. Maybe others would like to comment on how to deal with somatic tinnitus.

We're here to help and support one another. I'm glad you've joined us!

Best wishes and hugs,
Karen

 

[Cheza]

@Twisted_ether Don't listen for your T, don't seek it out, don't give it any attention at all if you can possibly manage that. By listening for it, you're telling your brain, "This sound is important, please amplify it so that I can determine what the danger is."

The best thing you can do is keep yourself distracted from your T by focusing on things that make you feel good about yourself and your life. That gives you the best chance of habituation.

When I wake up in the middle of the night, I practice deep breathing techniques and imagine scenes in my mind with dialogue and a little bit of action. As I focus on that, the noise tends to drift away and I fall asleep again, as long as it's not too close to my normal waking time. I think it has something to do with the brain waves of tinnitus not matching our brain waves when we're focused on creating something in our minds, as long as we're not totally conscious and alert. When we're alert, our brain waves are compatible with those where tinnitus resides, so to speak. Just do a Google search for brain waves and tinnitus, you'll find some interesting theories.

 

[John G]

O



OH.. And i forgot to mention I also suffer from OCD. I've had this for most of my life now and been on and off medications. I'm currently OFF because I am pregnant and my OCD symptoms coupled with anxiety can be almost crippling at times so I get it. Trust me. I also feel that with having obsessing/intrusive thoughts it makes it harder to deal with the anxiety that comes from the ringing since our minds are pre-dispositioned to focus on that sound and then obsess with the never-ending "what if's".. Right? So I understand where you're coming from. Just know you're not alone! If you ever want to chat, I'm here.

Hi Natalie

Have you ever tried magnesium supllements?. I have ocd also with T. 2 weeks ago I started taking magnesium supplements and I have noticed I am calmer and it seemed to help me with my ocd. Try googling "magnesium and OCD " and " magnesium defficiency"

It may help

 

[Natalie Roberts]

Hi Natalie

Have you ever tried magnesium supllements?. I have ocd also with T. 2 weeks ago I started taking magnesium supplements and I have noticed I am calmer and it seemed to help me with my ocd. Try googling "magnesium and OCD " and " magnesium defficiency"

It may help

I've never tried any supplements. Being pregnant now I'm not really sure what I can take and what I can't I feel I'm in a difficult area since I can't really take anything