Concentration Training — Experiences

[streeter1985]

Before I had tinnitus, I always tried to find concentration exercises that could make me more efficient for doing things in work or private. So just to be faster for more free time...well perfection...leads to tinnitus I know now

And I remember I came up with white noise that distracts you from your environment so when you study you just put your headphones on and listen to white noise and you cant hear your environment to be more concentrated. Babies sleep better etc etc.

So we all have tinnitus which is already a 24/7 noise and we want to distract us from the tinnitus away to the environment. My question here is if someone had experiences with concentration exercises to reach that level.

For example people in a subway: reading, correcting homework, studying, sleeping,...
For someone who is not used to subways...I don't have one in my city...it seems hard to do this...and a subway doesn't have a constant sound. I think there are humans that changed their concentration level somehow we sure don't have the same.

I kind of have problems to read books since I have tinnitus. I used to read a lot at university too and I had no problem reading 100 pages of boring technical math at once and I also read it to keep things in my mind - to actually learn it so it was no newspaper style reading etc. That completely changed.... there is nothing that really helps me to distract from the tinnitus (like it doesn't exist) without things that need a natural very high level of concentration - like a climbing park for example.

So maybe someone tried such exercises to focus on environment or to lower concentration. I dont know if there are any... In Germany there is a tinnitus breath therapy which insurances also pay! So its accepted and also recommended by the German Tinnitus League. I'm not from Germany so I did not try the courses they offer. I bought the book its a combination between mediation and body movement - to change to a positive mindset. Exercises you should do everyday. I don't wanna make advertisement because I was a little bit lazy doing the exercises yet. I will try them again soon I bought it 2 months after my hearing loss and I had no time for that

So do you have any experiences with such concentration exercises?

 

[coffee_girl]

What distracts me from T is watching a show or a movie, or even ebooks...they help me a lot. Sometimes I listen to podcasts in the house while i walk around...i am deeply invested in politics at the moment so political science is turning out to be a passion of mine. Things that move you or keep you tuned in closely to the subject will distract your brain from focusing on T. I love also to have friends over and host wine tasting parties or have read alouds...that's always distracting. Going outside and laying on the beach at night and hearing the waves crash are very peaceful too...and perfect masking technique!

 

[streeter1985]

I would love to read a book again but I put it in my hand and can only read like 20 pages and I have to stop. Do you read in silence? quiet room? Maybe you are someone that can concentrate easier on books I dont know I always thought thats pretty interesting. I even bought myself a reading chair short before I got T damn.

Yes I also think that are hobbies you actually like as individual but like the climbing park I was at with my young cousin I am normally not too much into sports but it distract me a lot. Maybe it was fear I dont know...or just fun.

Do you think its possible to concentrate on things that dont move you? Do you think you can learn it? I dont like everything that I do in work for example but there are methods to concentrate more also to things you dont like. Since I am out of university I havent read that much so maybe I just need to force myself to do it and after that I get used to it again.

It would be great if I would be able to learn to concentrate on things doesnt matter what it is if I like it or not...because I always do something. Some say if you have Tinnitus try to listen to your breath. I cant hear my breath or I cant concentrate on it because its a natural thing my brain doesnt notice anymore all the time. There are lots of sounds from your body the brain filters.

 

[Red]

How long have you had tinnitus?
Do you use white noise?

 

[BLane]

If I attempt to concentrate or listen to my breath it brings me deeper within myself which I've noticed consistently heightens my tinnitus and momentarily switches on my hyperacusis. I do it anyway because those things are important to me. I also notice that if I get caught up in something outside myself the tinnitus will diminish and the hyperacusis is non-existent. If it's spiking then none of this matters during that time....but the spikes can diminsh over time I believe through the following: I think anything that gets us outside ourselves, it could be work, hobbies, interests, conversations, etc, so long as we have a positive feeling toward it can and does alleviate tinnitus to a degree. The key to it is not focusing on self. For example, instead of attempting to figure out how to get out of oneself, just go live life and it happens on its own.

 

[streeter1985]

How long have you had tinnitus?
Do you use white noise?

Hey there! I have T around one year now from a strong hearing loss at high frequencies - nearly deaf there - at least everything distorted at 80db.

I have tried white noise before and after my hearing loss. Before I had hearing loss I tried to use it for concentration (work/study) after my hearing loss I used it a few weeks for sleeping but I completely stopped using it after that weeks. I would use it today with headphones but I kind of dont like them anymore as when I skype a lot for work like 1,5 hours my ears ring like crazy.

If I attempt to concentrate or listen to my breath it brings me deeper within myself which I've noticed consistently heightens my tinnitus and momentarily switches on my hyperacusis. I do it anyway because those things are important to me....

Thats also my opinion, to listen to your breath means to listen to your body and your body actually is screaming loud. I dont have any hyperacusis I remember I had troubles after the hearing loss with aluminium foil or extractor in the kitchen that reached the damaged area. Thats gone now. What was interesting was the sleeping at the beginning I had the feeling I was falling into the T into the noise of the T that feeling is gone now I tried with "mind force" not to fall into it as I thought it means chronical at the time to give up.

OK so we definitely can sum up that we need things like interests, hobbies, work to distract us but thats of course very individual. Work hopefully someday was or still is also some kind of positive interest!

Do you think its possible to train concentration that you also can distract yourself at things that maybe are not positive or make you nervous/stress or do you think you can train to be not so nervous and the side effect is less T or dont take life so serious to avoid stress etc. so eliminate/reduce those things one by one.

 

[Red]

Hey there! I have T around one year now from a strong hearing loss at high frequencies - nearly deaf there - at least everything distorted at 80db.

I have tried white noise before and after my hearing loss. Before I had hearing loss I tried to use it for concentration (work/study) after my hearing loss I used it a few weeks for sleeping but I completely stopped using it after that weeks. I would use it today with headphones but I kind of dont like them anymore as when I skype a
a lot for work like 1,5 hours my ears ring like crazy.

Do you only ever use headphones for white noise?
Do you not use speakers or a sound machine?
Why did you stop using white noise?

Honestly I get not wanting to use headphones but could you not use speakers while at home? The answer to concentration lies with white noise, in my opinion.

 

[streeter1985]

Do you only ever use headphones for white noise?
Do you not use speakers or a sound machine?
Why did you stop using white noise?

Honestly I get not wanting to use headphones but could you not use speakers while at home? The answer to concentration lies with white noise, in my opinion.

I just hear my PC fans right now nothing else.

I used white noise on the university on headphones and also at work but at home I had some rain or forrest sounds but I kind of stopped it. I dont know maybe I should try them now a year after my hearing loss. I even thought at the beginning to use multiroom speakers so that my complete apartment is a rain forrest. You know that there is no spot even on the toilet that you dont hear the same sound to completely distract you from the T.

I kind of felt that when I used sound (any sound, music, white noise etc.) I hear the T much louder when I turn it off. So what I was looking for is a way of training the concentration as much that you dont need a medium like noise to distract you from the T. I cant go out with white noise all the time on my headphones etc. so that would be my ultimate goal right now to have that strong mind that can distract you by concentration.

Yeah I have a sound machine near my bed but I dont turn it on I really had no trouble to sleep with my T. I am that person 1-5 minutes and I am away no matter where I am

As my T might be in the area of damage at 4khz with 80db I also have a lot of trouble distracting from it with sound as I cant fire 80db+ on my ears. Some people say they just turn on some music an it works. Doesnt work for me thats sad.

 

[Red]

I may be misunderstanding.
I am sorry to hear you have lost most of your upper range hearing. I am not sure how it prevents you from listening to white noise and music under 80db though.

White noise shouldn't spike your tinnitus if it is at a reasonable volume. (Using speakers, not headphones) But if you have hyperacusis then it can get in the way of listening to white noise sometimes.

 

[streeter1985]

Sorry that I didnt explain that earlier in detail with my hearing loss.

I hear things at 4khz a little bit distorted and everything around 80db at 4khz and above very distorted. So the damage was between 4khz and 5khz and all other higher frequencies. I cant do anything with hearing aids they only give me "schhhhhh" sounds in that area...my personal opinion is that I am deaf around 4khz and up. The 80db just throws some additional sounds because they are so loud that I might hear something but its not that pure tone you would expect in the audiogram test.

So I would be a CI patient to get those frequencies back but I hear normal until 4khz so it would be completely sick to go for a surgery in my opinion.

I had no T the first 1-2 months I cant remember exactly so what I think is that my T came from the reason that I just dont have any input/no sound at 4khz and above.

Yeah for me I think it just works to switch focus and work on concentration and relax and stuff like that you know I cant avoid everything but I at least try to work on me now to reduce some of my personal problems concerning stress levels etc. I am a very busy person I run 3 companies, landlord and have 2 university degrees I am someone that puts a lot of pressure on myself to keep things running and I am also not in the position to press the exit button easily because things are so interlaced and they are connected to a lot of other people where I feel myself responsible too.

 

[Red]

@streeter1985
Most people around here will think you are crazy to have tinnitus and not use any white noise whatsoever. I know there are also pink and brown noise you could try which use different frequencies if you are experiencing distortion.

You could also try meditation if you don't already if you are looking for exercises.

 

[streeter1985]

Most people around here will think you are crazy to have tinnitus and not use any white noise whatsoever. I know there are also pink and brown noise you could try which use different frequencies if you are experiencing distortion.

You could also try meditation if you don't already if you are looking for exercises.

Thanks for your input! I didnt know that many people use white noise for T. Is it really that common? I thought to stay away from any noise since I have noticeable hearing loss I really had luck not to lose my left ear completly. I am sure that there is damage to the still available frequencies too but I dont know how much :/

At the beginning I had fear that all frequencies/hair cells have trouble and they kind of die within the next months so I tried to be in silence. Its such a crazy combination Tinnitus and hearing loss one says distract yourself with different noise the other disease says dont use noise. So whatever you do is wrong but I will try now white noise.

I tried also mediation CD Jacobsen and I was sleeping within minutes. I was so bored sorry haha or do you mean a different mediation? Have you tried?

 

[Red]

Thanks for your input! I didnt know that many people use white noise for T. Is it really that common? I thought to stay away from any noise since I have noticeable hearing loss I really had luck not to lose my left ear completly. I am sure that there is damage to the still available frequencies too but I dont know how much :/

At the beginning I had fear that all frequencies/hair cells have trouble and they kind of die within the next months so I tried to be in silence. Its such a crazy combination Tinnitus and hearing loss one says distract yourself with different noise the other disease says dont use noise. So whatever you do is wrong but I will try now white noise.

I tried also mediation CD Jacobsen and I was sleeping within minutes. I was so bored sorry haha or do you mean a different mediation? Have you tried?

Just don't listen to white noise in your headphones. Use speakers. And don't try to completely cover it if it's loud. Noise won't make it worse but stay away from loud stuff. Vacuum cleaners,blenders, hair dryers...

 

[streeter1985]

Just don't listen to white noise in your headphones. Use speakers. And don't try to completely cover it if it's loud. Noise won't make it worse but stay away from loud stuff. Vacuum cleaners,blenders, hair dryers...

I had that hyperbaric oxygen therapy...looked like a submarine. It was so loud that after the therapy I felt like my head will explode.

Yeah I know I had to cut the lawn today...terrible...