Confused About Masking

[Jaybeee]

Hi guys. I'm new to all this. Only started a couple of weeks ago. I'm confused about masking. Should I avoid sound that is louder than my T? Is masking just playing tv, music, app noises? I am very anxious so anytime I hear my T (seems to vary in loudness daily, today is good so far) my stomach does flip.

Should I try and mask completely at first? Thanks for your help

 

[racerfish]

Masking your T is anything that you use to lessen its intensity by effectively cancelling out the sound. However, most people suggest then when you mask it it should be below the volume of your T and shouldn't mask it completely.

 

[glynis]

Hi @Jaybeee,
Through the day play anything that you like to listen to that can relax you so no deep bass etc and would keep away from headphones and earphones for a while but if you do use them set them on the lowest setting ( for some people earphones and headphones can irritate your tinnitus more )
At night keep natural sounds set below your tinnitus and play through pillow speakers or a free standing unit ....lots of love glynis

 

[LadyDi]

Hi, @racerfish: As others have said, you should keep your masking volume right below your tinnitus level, and softer at night. I know, you are thinking: how can masking help my T if I can still hear it? But it does, through distraction. I find masking calms me down. I use it, on and off, all the time - and I have had tinnitus for almost four years, and basically am habituated. Even just a fan running on low in your room, or at your desk, counts as masking.

I personally mask using headphones and never have had a problem, although others disagree with this method. The main thing is to keep the volume very low. An inner ear doctor with severe tinnitus told me one of the best masking sounds is very light classical musics -- no vocals, no full orchestras. I have a "Chilled Classics" collection that is mostly piano, violin. The idea, whatever route you take, is to use sound that is not intrusive so your brain isn't concentrating on listening. That's why the doctor told me music with vocals wasn't good -- you are subconsciously listening to the words.

I also recommend getting a sound app for your smart phone (if you have one). I love mine, which comes from TMSoft, but there are others. There are more than 30 sounds and you can mix and match, to find what works for you. I find some sounds work better for me, but we all are different. With this app and a pair of high quality ear buds, which I carry with me everywhere, I can mask whenever the need arises.
https://www.tmsoft.com/white-noise/
There also are downloadable tracks here at TT. And our own @SteveH is very helpful and knowledgeable.

Good luck, I hope you find masking helpful.

 

[Michael Leigh]

I'm confused about masking.

@Jaybeee

Hi Jaybeee,
There has been a lot of advice on this thread and all of them good. Please read a post below that I wrote some time ago about tinnitus masking that you might find useful. As you are new to tinnitus, you might find an article that I wrote also helpful. Please click on the link below.
All the best
Michael

Should I Mask My Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a complex condition and if hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound) is present it is even more. Many newbies have difficulty coping with tinnitus and understandably, getting rid of this constant intruder, that has suddenly invaded their life becomes paramount on their mind. In an attempt to do this, they will usually try every means possible to distract themselves from the tinnitus which will include masking it completely with another sound so that it can't be heard.

However, tinnitus is quite resilient, any attempts to mask it completely are usually unsuccessful. As soon as the masking sound is removed or stopped temporarily, the brain will immediately focus back on it and often, it appears to be louder and more intrusive. This causes stress especially for someone new to tinnitus. For anyone that doesn't know, the more stressed we are the tinnitus becomes more intrusive, and the louder the tinnitus is the more stressed we are. It can become a vicious circle.

Anyone that is seasoned to tinnitus and has habituated, knows that trying to mask it completely so that it can't be heard is not achievable. A much better way and preferred method that Hearing Therapists advise tinnitus patients, is to use sound enrichment. One can use music or nature sounds from a sound machine and set the volume slightly below the tinnitus. By doing this, the brain over time will learn to no longer see the tinnitus as a threat and gradually push the noise further into the background giving it less importance, which is called habituation.

In-ear or BTE (behind the ear) white noise generators can also be used as part of TRT. They do a similar thing. By setting the volume slightly below the tinnitus, over time the brain habituates to the white noise and gradually pushes the tinnitus further into the background.

Michael

PS: in my opinion, anyone that has tinnitus, especially when it was caused by loud noise exposure, it is not a good idea to use headphones, even at low volume to play music or white noise for sound enrichment.

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/

 

[mcaulder]

Using ear buds playing rain sounds during the day and night is the only way I can cope with my T. Sometimes, its so loud, it gives me a headache and makes me nauseous. I hate Tinnitus. Its a curse!

 

[JRchief]

I will listen to the sound of rain or pink noise while at work. I find it can help in times when I am not busy or thinking about much. I've thought about listening to some jazz music in the background at a low volume as well.



When my T first began, I started to wear protective headphones (i.e. the yard working kind) simply to cancel out external sounds for short time periods. When I do this, my T disappears in the 90%+ range to completely gone. I also used the rain youtube videos.

I don't use the headphones any more unless I want to remember what it was like to have a minute of silence. Your ears need to hear and I've managed the T a little better. This forum helps. Reading about Frequency Therapeutics gives me hope since I am confident my T is related to hearing loss at 8,000+ hertz. I still have excellent hearing unless I am listening to dog whistles.