Habituated?

[Marie79]

Maybe I am speaking too soon. It's only been like 6 hours. I can go into complete silence and MAAAAYBE if I listen really really really hard I can hear a slight really super soft ring.

Is this habituation or is it getting better? Has anyone here habituated? What is it like?

I know the real test is time and I will see what happens tonight.

 

[Sebastians]

I feel your pain, a super slight ringing that you *maybe* hear in a completely silent room..

 

[JasonP]

Maybe I am speaking too soon. It's only been like 6 hours. I can go into complete silence and MAAAAYBE if I listen really really really hard I can hear a slight really super soft ring.

Is this habituation or is it getting better? Has anyone here habituated? What is it like?

I know the real test is time and I will see what happens tonight.

You might be! Amazingly I was at the store today and was shopping and thinking about all kinds of things for like 15 minutes and then I thought, "Hey what about my tinnitus, I forgot all about it!?!?" I had to listen for it! I hope this keeps up because this is really cool.

 

[Marie79]

I feel your pain, a super slight ringing that you *maybe* hear in a completely silent room..

Don't worry it's back. That was what I meant by what it sounded like when I thought I had habituated.

 

[fishbone]

Maybe I am speaking too soon. It's only been like 6 hours. I can go into complete silence and MAAAAYBE if I listen really really really hard I can hear a slight really super soft ring.

Is this habituation or is it getting better? Has anyone here habituated? What is it like?

I know the real test is time and I will see what happens tonight.

That must be nice

 

[daniel1111]

if I listen really really really hard

Stop that and it'll be even better

 

[glynis]

Don't worry,
You are doing well and don't listen for it .
At least you know you will get some better days and make the most of them and pust to enjoy the not so good days...lots of love glynis

 

[Alue]

Sounds like it's getting better and probably would if you stop looking for it.

Wish mine was like that.

 

[Jamie m]

I agree with @Alue ! I hope it gets better!!

 

[Sailboardman]

I could walk into a room full of clanging bells and hear my T....

 

[Ears Hurt]

So to clarify is habituation, being able to hear it and not have a reaction to it or is it that you are so used to it that you don't hear it unless you focus on it? I thought habituation was just not reacting to it. Can one seriously be in silence and not hear it once in habituation? If so, I am in need of habituation!

 

[Philip83]

So to clarify is habituation, being able to hear it and not have a reaction to it or is it that you are so used to it that you don't hear it unless you focus on it? I thought habituation was just not reacting to it. Can one seriously be in silence and not hear it once in habituation? If so, I am in need of habituation!

I guess there is kind of a blurry line here which is hard to define. Where does one draw the line of conscious and unconscious? I've had times when I can "focus" myself into not hearing the tic-tac of a clock in a room I'm in, which I guess would mean that I can make myself consciously not listen to something with my willpower.. not sure where to put an experience like that on the scale for ex

I'd say if the noise is very low to begin with, I'm sure a brain can "physically" habituate to a sound to the point where the subject wouldn't hear the sound anymore, even if they would look for it. Although, the general explanation most would use for the term habituate is what you are stating; that your emotional reaction diminishes about something that you actually hear.

 

[Ears Hurt]

Thank you. I guess it really depends on the "loudness" of a persons T. Its easier for a person with mild T to habituate to the sound that they don't hear it anymore even looking for it, but an individual with severe T would be changing their emotional reaction to the sound but still always be able to hear it. So, does that mean moderate T, can be mixed in both types of habituation?

 

[Marie79]

So to clarify is habituation, being able to hear it and not have a reaction to it or is it that you are so used to it that you don't hear it unless you focus on it? I thought habituation was just not reacting to it. Can one seriously be in silence and not hear it once in habituation? If so, I am in need of habituation!

I think it's supposed to be that you know it's there like if you try to feel for your elbow or a part of your body..of course it's there but you just don't notice it. The ring is supposed to just be a part of you. I at times can say for me it feels like it's melting to the back of my head. I know that sounds really odd. It did come back last night though.

 

[Ears Hurt]

@Marie79 I've never gotten there I try and try not to ignore it, but it always seems to fight to be in the forefront. I guess it just takes time. It certainly isn't easy getting used to something that doesn't belong. It's like that pebble in your shoe or a grains of sand in your bathing suit.

 

[gary]

I think it's supposed to be that you know it's there like if you try to feel for your elbow or a part of your body..of course it's there but you just don't notice it. The ring is supposed to just be a part of you. I at times can say for me it feels like it's melting to the back of my head. I know that sounds really odd. It did come back last night though.

Marie, for me and a lot here we have those loud periods where we never think the T will never get low, then in a week, in my case I can go 5-6 days with very low T. Sometime even 2 good day then 2 bad days. You just never know...

 

[Telis]

what is there to get used to if your T is that quiet? why would you even have to habituate to this level of tinnitus? Can't you just put the TV on?

 

[daniel1111]

what is there to get used to if your T is that quiet? why would you even have to habituate to this level of tinnitus? Can't you just put the TV on?

That's not how tinnitus works at all. The quietest T can still be extremely intrusive and ruin your life.

Also, before I habituated, that quiet tinnitus always managed to creep up above the TV no matter which volume it was put on.

 

[Zora]

Doesnt sound like habituation to me. But simply super quiet T. Be happy that its that low. You might not be habituated yet, but with T that quiet, you could be soon

 

[Lorac]

Habituation =decreases in responses to repeated presentation of a stimulus.
We don't have to worry about the "repeated presentation" part. It's always there!
After three years of hearing and feeling constant tinnitus, I really have no expectation of it going away. I am no longer afraid of it though. It doesn't make me cry like it used to. I don't think about suicide now. I guess that is some degree of habituation.

 

[KyushuKris]

Habituation doesn't mean it isn't present but rather your reaction to it is so little that your brain essentially stops seeing it as a threat and filters it out.
It sounds to me like you have the same as me, mild T.
You'll be good for years and then one day you'll have a spike and think the world is crumbling again, then you'll habituate once more, ad nauseum.
The good news is that you've only just got it- and it seems like the neuroscientists are well and truly getting close to curing this nasty bugger, so hang in there for a a few years and chances are you'll be rid of it.
Honestly the best thing for you to do now is to keep yourself busy, exercise every day to make sure you're nice and exhausted before bed, whack on the fan or something to cover the ringing, and do your best not to focus on it because that IS what makes it louder.
I think some of the folks on here seem to have it much worse than you or I- so think yourself lucky

 

[Telis]

That's not how tinnitus works at all. The quietest T can still be extremely intrusive and ruin your life.

Also, before I habituated, that quiet tinnitus always managed to creep up above the TV no matter which volume it was put on.

Yeah it does work that way in a lot of instances. I had normal tonal T for a while that didn't fluctuate at all. I could just put a fan on, go outside, listen to music, anything would mask it. I know a lot of people that have T like this!! In fact most of the T population is like this. I can't tell you how many people I talk to that have minor T and ask me why I don't just put a fan on! I have to explain that my T doesn't work that way and they seem puzzled.

So all I'm saying to the poster, is the same thing, throw a fan or some background music and you don't have to deal with it at all. If its whisper quiet like she describes, this could be a feasible solution. Better than obsessing about, stressing to MAYBE hear it in quiet rooms and worrying non stop.

 

[Marie79]

what is there to get used to if your T is that quiet? why would you even have to habituate to this level of tinnitus? Can't you just put the TV on?

It is very difficult to explain. It is quiet to the point that I do not hear it in the car or outside or in a restaurant or just walking outside on a quiet day. Many times I do not hear it if I am busy around the house. For some reason in the house or especially at night it will cut through the TV, air conditioning, white noise machine and the only thing that really cuts it out is ALL OF THAT with pink noise in headphones. I think it's because it is high pitch ..not the loudness.

 

[Telis]

It is very difficult to explain. It is quiet to the point that I do not hear it in the car or outside or in a restaurant or just walking outside on a quiet day. Many times I do not hear it if I am busy around the house. For some reason in the house or especially at night it will cut through the TV, air conditioning, white noise machine and the only thing that really cuts it out is ALL OF THAT with pink noise in headphones. I think it's because it is high pitch ..not the loudness.

I see. Strange that pink noise masks it (being that your T is high pitched) and white noise doesn't? You get more output in the higher frequencies with white noise than you do with pink.

 

[Marie79]

I see. Strange that pink noise masks it (being that your T is high pitched) and white noise doesn't? You get more output in the higher frequencies with white noise than you do with pink.

I didn't know that? Maybe I have a bit of reactive T I don't know. Whatever it is that seems to help at night. Things have been better this week but I don't want to celebrate just yet.

 

[Rob Hammer]

I'm almost 4 months into a loud tinnitus. It has been an emotional trip the first few months and still is at times. I pray for habituation or hopefully that the t resolves. I have some hearing loss in the high frequencies, and gained the t from ear trauma , painful syringing.
I'm better able to cope now, but it can be trying when the t is spiking, like it is now.
I also have times where the t seems to have gone, several days and it feels so good. Then, it returns and I try to gauge my emotions, try not to react, and maintain hope. I wish everyone here peace and serenity. I know it's hard at times.