How Can You Habituate to HIGH FREQUENCY Tinnitus?

[Poseidon65]

How are you doing with this?

I decided I like the hearing aids better, so I switched back to those.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

I decided I like the hearing aids better, so I switched back to those.

Is your high frequency tinnitus improving? I have such high frequency that it sometimes buzzes my head, it's not super loud most times. I can mask it with cicadas.

 

[Poseidon65]

Is your high frequency tinnitus improving? I have such high frequency that it sometimes buzzes my head, it's not super loud most times. I can mask it with cicadas.

It's hard to tell whether I'm seeing actual improvement or getting used to it more. But I do think I'm doing better overall now than a few months ago (I'm 18 months in).

 

[Wrfortiscue]

It's hard to tell whether I'm seeing actual improvement or getting used to it more. But I do think I'm doing better overall now than a few months ago (I'm 18 months in).

That's good to hear

 

[Saswata]

I found this video yesterday. It has sooo many positive testimonials in the comments, unlike most of the videos I've seen. I listened to it several hours yesterday, and when I went to bed, I could still hear it as hallucinations in my head. When I woke up today, I could not believe my ears -the high pitched tinnitus that was driving me nuts was not there!

Interestingly, this actually gave me the most anxious day, as I was fearing the noise would come back any second. I had about 6 silent hours, now it's creeping back in. I just put the video playing again.

I'm going to be testing this for sometime, maybe I'll make a new thread just for this if it really is a miracle cure & this was not just a coincidence.

Let me know if it works for you. This is the video:

 

[Forever hopeful]

I have exactly the same. Every 4-5 days I get a high pitched circular saw spinning at ~14 kHz inside my head. I can mask it with pink noise (the Android app is called "Relief" from ReSound and is free). Funny thing is, when I mask it for 4-5 hours and remove the headphones, it is COMPLETELY GONE for like 1 hour. But then it ALWAYS comes back with FULL FORCE, hitting harder than a truck.

I am absolutely sure that you cannot habituate to that sound. I have had it for 13 months now, yeah I know it's not that long but it's also quite some time. Everytime I get one of "those" days, I tell myself "okay you can do this, it's just a sound, just don't listen to it" but I fail everytime. I can "ignore" it for like 2 hours but it is so goddamn intrusive, it's basically a saw cutting through your brain and after 2 hours, it's cracked through the hull.

Those days are very dark and I usually can only endure it with masking.

I can recommend the Samsung Galaxy Buds +, they have a very good battery lifetime of 10-12 hours, which is quite long.

Mine turned into what you are experiencing. Every few days I get this high pitched screech that lasts a day or a few. I can't mask it at all, except for running water. Hot running water for a sound machine doesn't work. Violet and pink noise irritate me. I have tried crickets and cicadas. I don't think they help much. Birds help a little.
They still think it's related to TMJ as my hearing has been stable, but I can't find anyone to treat my TMJ.

I try to tell myself it won't hurt me no big deal just ignore it. Yeah easier said than done. Sometimes I wish I was in my 80s. Then I would only have a few years left to deal with this.

 

[Forever hopeful]

Resurrecting this thread. Wondering how those who suffer from high frequency tinnitus are doing out there. I have to confess, I'm having a hard time. The worst part is not being able to mask at all. I just can't find anything that is high frequency enough that doesn't irritate the crap out of me.

 

[PebblesForNow]

Is it possible to just listen to the tinnitus and habituate? Mine gets mad with noise.

This is what I ultimately did with my original high frequency, intrusive, reactive tinnitus. I had to come to a place where I just stopped running away from it. I started sitting in the quiet and just reading, etc I know that isn't the typical advice, and on the worst days I still tried to mask occasionally (although it seemed to only make things worse). But ultimately I think your brain has to both heed the sound and not be scared of it anymore to start to learn to tune it out.

 

[PebblesForNow]

[QUOTE="Forever hopeful, post: 623441, member: 11105"try to tell myself it won't hurt me no big deal just ignore it. Yeah easier said than done. Sometimes I wish I was in my 80s. Then I would only have a few years left to deal with this.[/QUOTE]
Hi Forever hopeful. I just said this same thing to my husband tonight. The thought of living 40 more years with the 24/7 musical tinnitus I just developed seems unfathomable. But I also felt that way a decade ago with my original unmaskable high pitch tinnitus. I still have that, but it subsided considerably with time. So I am hanging on to hope that the same can happen for the musical tinnitus, although I understand it to be caused by issues in a different area of the brain/auditory system than regular tinnitus, so who knows. In any event, I am sorry you are going through this, and I wish you quieter days ahead.

You know what they say, "if you are walking through hell, don't stop"!

 

[Forever hopeful]

You know what they say, "if you are walking through hell, don't stop"!

Thanks. I am hopeful that I can get to a place where I can habituate to this. It's hard because it does indeed fluctuate. There are times I almost feel normal again. But they don't last.

I am so sorry to hear about your musical tinnitus. I do hope that perhaps that will resolve. I have read that it can.

 

[Cory_]

If I was rich I would build a house under (behind?) a waterfall.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both had huge fountains installed in their homes after getting tinnitus.

 

[Forever hopeful]

For me, low running water does not mask my tinnitus as my tinnitus is very high frequency, and the running water sound is a much lower frequency. Hardly any day to day sounds mask my tinnitus, only certain high frequency sounds that I play on my laptop (cricket sound, violet noise, etc.). Even though my tinnitus is loud, I don't pay attention to when I'm involved in a certain activities like shopping, watching a show, talking with people, playing with the cat, etc. The tinnitus is still bothersome when I'm in a quiet environment (primarily sleep and at my quiet work space). I'm planning to get maskers for work.

Have your new maskers/hearing aids helped with the high frequency sound?

How long did it take you to get to the level of habituation? I am going crazy.

 

[Forever hopeful]

No idea how to habituate. The sound is so far outside the spectrum of our normal hearing it isn't funny.

Me either. Except taking Clonazepam. Guess I will be an addict and get dementia because no one can be with this.

 

[kingsfan]

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy both had huge fountains installed in their homes after getting tinnitus.

I don't think either of them really had it that bad. Shatner described his as static in one ear and hasn't seemed to have gotten any worse, despite being on loud sets and never wearing earplugs.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

This 24/7 high frequency tinnitus does suck. And I agree it seems ridiculous that we could ever truly habituate to it. But we have to try. Remind yourselves of the good times and do everything in your power to distract when you feel yourself spiraling.

I managed to actually have a really good day yesterday despite this hell.

And now today it's doing its best to beat me down again. All I can do it try and relax. Breathe and move through the day with the hope I'll feel better in an hour or two. Or tomorrow. Something good has to come after all this anguish. I have to believe that.

Here's hoping to better days ahead.

 

[TrevorSanders]

I have no idea how to habituate to my high frequency tinnitus (~15000 Hz). It's been over 2 years and it's only gotten worse. Only specific YouTube videos come close to masking it.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

I have no idea how to habituate to my high frequency tinnitus (~15000 Hz). It's been over 2 years and it's only gotten worse. Only specific YouTube videos come close to masking it.

I'm very much in your sandbox brother. 2 years this month. One odd YouTube video and a loud shower head are the only brief everyday maskers I have as well. Only other option is being extremely distracted which is seldom. I still have hope we will catch a break though. Hang in there!

 

[Michael Leigh]

I have no idea how to habituate to my high frequency tinnitus (~15000 Hz). It's been over 2 years and it's only gotten worse. Only specific YouTube videos come close to masking it.

Hi @TrevorSanders.

I am sorry to know of the difficulties that you are going through with tinnitus at the moment. I have a few suggestions that might be helpful. I have taken a brief look at some of your post history and note, that you haven't mentioned whether you have had tests at ENT or been referred to an audiologist for tinnitus and hyperacusis treatment in the two years you have had tinnitus. It would be helpful to supply this information.

Noise-induced tinnitus usually improves with time but yours has gotten worse. The usual reason for this is further exposure to noise that can be caused by many things that irritate the auditory system which you may not be aware of. In some of your posts you mention regularly playing video games and doing weightlifting. If you have been using a headset when playing video games this is one of the likely reasons your tinnitus has increased even when used at low volume.

If you have been listening to music through headphones, earbuds, AirPods, noise-cancelling or bone conduction headphones, this is another cause for concern. Unfortunately, people that have noise induced tinnitus, risk making it worse listening to audio through any type of headphones even at low volume.

Whilst it's good to exercise and keep fit, please keep in mind that some workouts can steadily increase tinnitus that one may not be aware of. I have corresponded with people that have noise-induced tinnitus and who had to stop lifting weights and doing certain aerobic exercises due to impact under foot, which travels up through the feet, legs and upper body into the head. It is one of the reasons I use an elliptical/crosstrainer machine as my feet don't make contact with the floor.

I have corresponded with many people over the years that have noise-induced tinnitus. Once an underlying medical reason has been ruled out as not causing the tinnitus to increase and it's not related to stress, the usual reason is exposure to loud sound, headphones use or doing certain workouts that irritate the auditory system. Try to see an ENT for tests and get a referral to an audiologist that specialises in tinnitus and hyperacusis management.

Tinnitus should not be masked. If you are using a sound to try and mask or cover up your tinnitus so it can't be heard, then you risk making it worse. Please click on the links below and read my posts. Go to started threads and read: Will My Tinnitus Get Worse? Hyperacusis, As I See It, Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus? The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus.

All the best,
Michael

New to Tinnitus, What to Do? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
Tinnitus, A Personal View | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

[Forever hopeful]

Habituating to piercing high frequency tinnitus? Time, patience, luck and (if you're me) a slightly alarming medication stack

If you read hard enough you'll find people who are much more bothered by their low frequency tinnitus because it's "so bassy", or people who are more bothered by mid-frequencies because "it cuts right through everything including speech".

High frequency seems to be the most annoying (and I say this with a constant 14.5 kHz klaxon in my head, which is just one part of the silly cacophony of noises I hear if I stop to think about it) -- but this doesn't matter, because your tinnitus is the only one you have, and therefore the only one you have to deal with, and whether it is "easier" or "harder" to deal with than some other person's is about as important as the question of "does my neighbor's car go faster than mine?" when I'm about to take my own car out on a shopping trip.

I read on a similar thread you have habituated to high frequency tinnitus. I am really struggling with that right now. 3 weeks after noise trauma and it seems to be worsening. I was hoping for improvement. I can't seem to mask it. I have tried rain, crickets etc. They only make it louder or are just not high pitched enough. I've had tinnitus on and off for years. I've always been able to mask it and both times it eventually went away as my hearing improved. This is definitely a whole other animal though, as this is elevated to a completely different level. I had intermittent high frequency tinnitus before but this is nothing like what I'm experiencing now. Higher pitched and louder. Combo of a jet engine and hissing.

So desperate that I am googling TRT providers - I can't really afford that. Still waiting on a hearing test.

Can you tell my how you managed?

I take:

• NAC
• Magnesium
• Soundbites
• Ginkgo Biloba
  
• Clonazepam

Thanks so much.

 

[Forever hopeful]

Yes I habituated to high frequency tinnitus.

Did anybody habituate to freaking loud medium frequency hums?

How did you habituated to high frequency tinnitus? Could you mask it? I can't mask mine. Crickets work sometimes but they only work for a while. Then my tinnitus ups the ante. Water sounds don't work. I tried shower/babbling brook. Nothing. I am so desperate.

 

[10Kcd]

If you have been listening to music through headphones, earbuds, AirPods, noise-cancelling or bone conduction headphones, this is another cause for concern. Unfortunately, people that have noise induced tinnitus, risk making it worse listening to audio through any type of headphones even at low volume.

This points something I've been wondering about: has anyone found a safe way to listen to podcasts while jogging? Doing so was one of my consistent pleasures before my acoustic trauma, and I'm both terrified to cause further damage and also searching for some way to accompany myself on my long runs.

 

[BrOKeN_1]

Noise-induced tinnitus usually improves with time but yours has gotten worse.

Pardon me @Michael Leigh, if I may ask. I understand your own tinnitus was or is noise induced and you are currently habituated after many years of hard lessons and learned practices. If I may, and it's not necessary to go into detail if you wish, what would you consider being fully habituated and does your current state support that theory?

I ask only because I've made numerous errors in my road to habituation and have had more than one setback.

 

[Michael Leigh]

If I may, and it's not necessary to go into detail if you wish, what would you consider being fully habituated and does your current state support that theory?

Hi @BrOKeN_1, thank you for your inquiry.

I regard myself as fully habituated to tinnitus and have explained the process of habituation and how to habituate in the links below. I believe this applies to most people that have tinnitus. Please print the posts as you will absorb and retrain the information better rather than reading them on your phone or computer screen.

Tinnitus is a complex condition and when hyperacusis is present more so, and this is one of the reasons I said most people are able to habituate but this doesn't apply to everyone. More about this is explained in the links below. Please go to my started threads and read: Can I Habituate to Variable Tinnitus, My Experience with Tinnitus.

All the best,
Michael

The Habituation Process | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum
How to Habituate to Tinnitus | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum

 

[Michael Leigh]

This points something I've been wondering about: has anyone found a safe way to listen to podcasts while jogging? Doing so was one of my consistent pleasures before my acoustic trauma, and I'm both terrified to cause further damage and also searching for some way to accompany myself on my long runs.

I have lived with noise-induced tinnitus for many years and corresponded with a lot of people that have this condition. Many of them find listening to any type of audio through headphones, earbuds, AirPods, noise cancelling, and bone conduction headphones make their tinnitus worse, but this doesn't apply to everyone that has noise-induced tinnitus. If you decide to use these devices to listen to audio, my advice is to be careful.

I have previously mentioned that some aerobic exercises make tinnitus worse for some people due to impact underfoot. I have corresponded with people that have stopped running on a treadmill and hard ground, because their tinnitus not only spiked but permanently increased. Some people have also told me their tinnitus isn't affected by running, therefore it's a matter of seeing what works for you. Just be careful.

Take care,
Michael

 

[Forever hopeful]

It's been 17 months for me, so honestly I'm not counting on more improvement. I'll take it if it comes though.

How are you doing? Any improvements.

 

[Forever hopeful]

I don't think either of them really had it that bad. Shatner described his as static in one ear and hasn't seemed to have gotten any worse, despite being on loud sets and never wearing earplugs.

I think I would totally prefer static over this. At least from what I've heard, a lot of people can mask their static.

 

[kingsfan]

I think I would totally prefer static over this. At least from what I've heard, a lot of people can mask their static.

I have only static in my right ear. It still does cause me anxiety decently regularly, but it is much more pleasant that everything else I have experienced so far. I'd love to only have that, even if it was in both ears.

 

[CW Dragon]

I don't think either of them really had it that bad. Shatner described his as static in one ear and hasn't seemed to have gotten any worse, despite being on loud sets and never wearing earplugs.

So lucky him. I had static for a few moments and felt in heaven. Maybe my limbic system was actually functioning normally then.

 

[Poseidon65]

How are you doing? Any improvements.

I'm mostly doing better these days, as of ~1 year ago I stopped using my hearing aids (which played white noise). I do still mask in quiet spaces (e.g., I have air purifiers in every room of my house, which are only there for ambient noise rather than for air cleaning purposes). I also play bedside white noise when sleeping.

 

[Forever hopeful]

I'm mostly doing better these days, as of ~1 year ago I stopped using my hearing aids (which played white noise). I do still mask in quiet spaces (e.g., I have air purifiers in every room of my house, which are only there for ambient noise rather than for air cleaning purposes). I also play bedside white noise when sleeping.

So glad to hear!