Cured from Noise-Induced Tinnitus After 6 Years

[Antijenkki]

I do not exactly know how it works but my tinnitus slowly stopped after I stopped to mask it. Basically I started to sleep in a quiet room and in a few days I saw a massive relief from tinnitus induced anxiety and slowly I stopped noticing it at all.

Before it I was seriously depressed and obsessed about the sound. I would go insane if I ever heard it because I used to mask it almost 24/7. I think tinnitus is mostly psychological. If there's a clock ticking in your room, you never hear it because the voice is not important.

So a few months ago I did for the first time sleep in a quiet room and had a HORRIBLE ANXIETY and the tinnitus felt like a fire alarm was on. But the more I listened to it, the less it bothered me and it slowly started to go lower on volume. I very quickly found out that all this was mostly psychological. Masking tinnitus makes the problem worse; you are escaping your tinnitus and developing a phobia towards it.

So the only thing that seemed to work for me was to accept the tinnitus, not to escape it. So my brain suddenly started to understand that it's not a dangerous or important voice and tune it out so that I could never heard it unless I purposely stopped and listened to it and it no longer induces any negative emotions.

 

[Alvise]

ye, masking it is the worse thing to do many times.
you could try to sleep with low volume noise (lower than tinnitus) from radio, so your brain will not "record" the tinnitus, and maybe in few months it will disappear.

 

[Antijenkki]

Yeah but think it like that: the problem with tinnitus is the emotion and fear. For all phobias, the treatment is exposure therapy. Imagine a doctor telling a guy with a bad social anxiety to just stay inside your house and there will be no problem.

It is exactly the opposite you should do. The same is with tinnitus masking therapy. You become dependent of masking and you will develop an ultimate fear towards silent rooms.

Your brain completely stops the tinnitus after enough exposure because it sees absolutely no point in focusing on it ever anymore. So the real habituation happens when you exposure, not when you mask it.

This is a good article: http://www.tinnitusretrain.com/exposure-and-mindfulness-the-ultimate-tinnitus-treatment/

 

[Joe J]

So did it go away or are you saying it doesn't bother you anymore?

Also how long did it take?

 

[hans799]

Agreed - not only do I not mask, I actually sleep with earplugs, so the only thing I hear is my tinnitus. The baseline T is like a good old friend now, we really had time to get to know each other. I'm so comfortable with it that it's literally a good feeling to hear the baseline noise - because it means that everything is still in order (no spikes, no noise damage, no weird brain activity etc).

I got a spike a few days ago (probably caused by smoking weed - I was a very occasional user and I now quit for good) and I'm continuing to sleep without masking to hasten habituation. Hope it's temporary tho.

 

[Houstontx]

I find it true . That if you don't mask it . Your brain tends to actually put it in the background noise that you don't actually hear it anymore. Unless u get to a echoey place or a quiet surrounding. I used to try everything when I barely got it . Vitamins, no alcohol or weed . No salts or no sweets. But I realized that literally has no effect on your T. It's just your fear that makes it unlivable
. Once your past the fear and start being the old you without concerns (of course protect your hearing in loud pace ) but just get back to your regular routine.youre gonna see a change . That you won't notice it I promise. You're probably gonna hear a buzzing sound every now and then but stay positive. It will eventually go in its own time. I drink almost everyday lol smoke a lil but of weed ( not too much because my anxiety goes thru the roof if I do) but that's because of the chronic. Lol
I know this because before T I had bad anxiety sometime when I used to blaze. I have hope that one day it will go completely. But till then I will keep fighting to stay and be happy for me and my family. Just hitting the 7 month mark since onset . But I do notice a change . Everything in life has it's own time frame . Nothing is forever. Be happy people never give up

 

[Tony Phylactou]

I do not exactly know how it works but my tinnitus slowly stopped after I stopped to mask it. Basically I started to sleep in a quiet room and in a few days I saw a massive relief from tinnitus induced anxiety and slowly I stopped noticing it at all.

Before it I was seriously depressed and obsessed about the sound. I would go insane if I ever heard it because I used to mask it almost 24/7. I think tinnitus is mostly psychological. If there's a clock ticking in your room, you never hear it because the voice is not important.

So a few months ago I did for the first time sleep in a quiet room and had a HORRIBLE ANXIETY and the tinnitus felt like a fire alarm was on. But the more I listened to it, the less it bothered me and it slowly started to go lower on volume. I very quickly found out that all this was mostly psychological. Masking tinnitus makes the problem worse; you are escaping your tinnitus and developing a phobia towards it.

So the only thing that seemed to work for me was to accept the tinnitus, not to escape it. So my brain suddenly started to understand that it's not a dangerous or important voice and tune it out so that I could never heard it unless I purposely stopped and listened to it and it no longer induces any negative emotions.

I am going to try this I hope you are right.The problem is I also have H and I was told not to stay too long in silent places.But I imagine sleeping for 7-8 hours in silence will probably be OK.

 

[Houstontx]

I am going to try this I hope you are right.The problem is I also have H and I was told not to stay too long in silent places.But I imagine sleeping for 7-8 hours in silence will probably be OK.

I have mild H . Which make certain high frequency sounds seem like a broken speaker but it has gotten better gradually. Don't listen too much to people no one has the answers to any of this . So believe in yourself . All I can say is if u stay positive and keep your head up everything will work in your favor . There's no time frame .

 

[danieluk]

Unfortunately it wont work for everyone. I glad it does for some though. Hopefully others will try it and have success.

 

[SCORPION]

My ears ring off the hook 24-7 . It took me a long time to get used to it . It's when I go to bed is when I hear it the loudest. I quit coffee, weed , sugar , ECT and no relief . The anxiety was horrible at first , but I just keep pushing forward and live my life how I want to been 23 yrs now and this is the 1st time in a long time that I've opened up about it , and thanks feels good to know I have brother's and sisters fighting this with me . Best thing I can pass on from my experience from this stay positive ! I sleep with the fan on that's my white noise ...