Is Complete Silence Possible for a Tinnitus Sufferer?

[Samir]

Hey everyone!

My tinnitus took a turn for the worse recently, although one very pleasant experience in the early morning today is that all my tinnitus sounds went a way! Just for a second! But it felt like an eternity. I wasn't sure if I was just dreaming, but I know I have reported about this type of episodes of complete silence before. This has happened to me more than once in the early beginning of my tinnitus two years ago, where it would last for up to five seconds. It would seem like it only happens in the transition between deep sleep and wake state.

But I'm wondering if any of you have experienced this? By searching the forum I can see that there have been other such reports by other members. So I would say this is very much real. Silence is possible! Please share your thoughts on this and your own experience.

Just to clarify the polling question:
We are talking about complete absence of tinnitus while staying in a very quite room, like a bedroom or a library (20 to 30 dB (A) background noise).

 

[Mister Muso]

Occasionally I've thought I was hearing complete silence. But it was actually just the temporary absence (lasting a few seconds to a few minutes) of my most troublesome tones, e.g. the high frequency ones, whilst the lower frequencies were still there when I concentrated on them.

Or the high ones had just changed from a whistling around my ears, to a ringing inside my head, and I was still looking for the previous sound.

I'd say best to try not to focus on them, but just to carry on living your life if you can. I realise this is easy to say when your tinnitus is not severe, but going from your question I guess your symptoms are currently in the mild-to-moderate range, as mine are?

I voted Yes by the way, but the emphasis being on the "experience" of silence, rather than something objectively to be measured.

 

[Deniseh]

Over the last couple of weeks there have been times when I've woken to pure silence, one time I lay for nearly an hour and a half In bed enjoying it but always as soon as I start walking around it comes back

Funnily enough it's always happened in the morning.

There's also been times when I can hear my tinnitus (drone sound) and when I turn in bed, stretch my neck and lower my tense shoulders it goes, unfortunately it doesn't happen all the time but I do savour it when it does

 

[Samir]

Over the last couple of weeks there have been times when I've woken to pure silence, one time I lay for nearly an hour and a half In bed enjoying it but always as soon as I start walking around it comes back

Thanks for chiming in! Wow! Complete silence that lasts 1.5 hours! That is amazing! I did see one other member reporting about complete silence that lasted nearly one hour. His joy also stopped once he moved. I don't know why movement spoils it. But I'm guessing you have to be in a very relaxed state.

Funnily enough it's always happened in the morning.

I think sleep and sleep quality is influencing it. I usually become aware of my silence as I'm coming back from sleep. I don't always hear silence when I'm coming back from sleep, but when it happens it's always in the transition from sleep (REM) to awaken state.

 

[all to gain]

Over the last couple of weeks there have been times when I've woken to pure silence, one time I lay for nearly an hour and a half In bed enjoying it but always as soon as I start walking around it comes back

I would never leave my bed!

 

[Samir]

Occasionally I've thought I was hearing complete silence. But it was actually just the temporary absence (lasting a few seconds to a few minutes) of my most troublesome tones, e.g. the high frequency ones, whilst the lower frequencies were still there when I concentrated on them.

Or the high ones had just changed from a whistling around my ears, to a ringing inside my head, and I was still looking for the previous sound.

I think I can relate to this. This has happened to me as well, on occasion. But it's not what I'm referring to with the poll question.

I'd say best to try not to focus on them, but just to carry on living your life if you can. I realise this is easy to say when your tinnitus is not severe, but going from your question I guess your symptoms are currently in the mild-to-moderate range, as mine are?

I agree. I would say so, yes. You never know how bad tinnitus can get until it gets worse. I'd say mine was mild originally, but when it got worse recently, I thought of it as moderate to severe. It's not just the level of it that's disturbing, it's also the number of sounds you hear. I went from 1 sound to 5 sounds (excluding the objective clicks which science refuses to acknowledge as being an objective sound).

I voted Yes by the way, but the emphasis being on the "experience" of silence, rather than something objectively to be measured.

I think that still counts. Broadly speaking, the problem of identifying presence of tinnitus is that it is still immeasurable. But when you experience true silence, you just know it, you don't need any fancy equipment to tell you that.

 

[Mister Muso]

Ahh, true silence... the last time I experienced it truly was in 2004, on a holiday to Mull in the Western Isles of Scotland. We were in a little shack in the middle of nowhere, my wife and me, with barely a living soul for miles around except sheep. I remember walking outside, looking up at the stars and just hearing... nothing. I'm glad I got to experience that!

 

[Deniseh]

Sleep quality absolutely has an effect on tinnitus. The last couple of days my sleep has been erratic with no quality REM and my tinnitus has been more intrusive (or maybe my perception of it has) whereas last night I had nearly a full night and today my tinnitus is lower.

 

[Samir]

Below, I have pulled out some interesting facts on REM sleep from Wikipedia.

"Rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep or REMS) is a unique phase of sleep in mammals and birds, distinguishable by random/rapid movement of the eyes, accompanied with low muscle tone throughout the body, and the propensity of the sleeper to dream vividly.

The REM phase is also known as paradoxical sleep (PS) and sometimes desynchronized sleep because of physiological similarities to waking states, including rapid, low-voltage desynchronized brain waves. Electrical and chemical activity regulating this phase seems to originate in the brain stem and is characterized most notably by an abundance of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, combined with a nearly complete absence of monoamine neurotransmitters histamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine.

REM sleep is physiologically different from the other phases of sleep, which are collectively referred to as non-REM sleep (NREM sleep, NREMS, synchronized sleep). REM and non-REM sleep alternate within one sleep cycle, which lasts about 90 minutes in adult humans. As sleep cycles continue, they shift towards a higher proportion of REM sleep. The transition to REM sleep brings marked physical changes, beginning with electrical bursts called PGO waves originating in the brain stem. Organisms in REM sleep suspend central homeostasis, allowing large fluctuations in respiration, thermoregulation, and circulation which do not occur in any other modes of sleeping or waking. The body abruptly loses muscle tone, a state known as REM atonia."

I assume that it's during these brief moments of awakening that I have experienced absolute absence of tinnitus.

 

[BobDigi]

Nope. Never experienced silence for 6 years now. Never will till the day I die I doubt!

 

[Samir]

I hope more of you will answer the polling question. So far only 16 of you have answers the question, and more than 33% of you have said that you have experienced this phenomenon. It's interesting to see that complete silence is really possible, even for a brief moment. I didn't expect to see this kind of response, I didn't think it's so common.

 

[friend74]

I have experienced complete silence for a few seconds when waking up. But even that isn't happening anymore. Maybe because of bad sleep. The bad sleep may be because of depression settling down the last months.

 

[DidIWin]

Yeah mine started off crazy scary but vanished after a few months. I'm in My room and it's silent.

silence itself isn't anything special as I would prefer background noise. It's just that T is absolutely hellish. I hope everyone else's goes away too.

 

[Samir]

Yeah mine started off crazy scary but vanished after a few months. I'm in My room and it's silent.

silence itself isn't anything special as I would prefer background noise. It's just that T is absolutely hellish. I hope everyone else's goes away too.

I have to disagree. Silence is very special. People don't know that until they lose it. As someone who has been afflicted with tinnitus and then went back to silence after one month, I would think you know that. Tinnitus is the one that's not special. If you're not happy with silence, you and I can make a trade, my tinnitus for your silence.

 

[Samir]

By now 23 of you have answered the question, and surprisingly many of you have reported experiencing episodes of complete silence since you got tinnitus, up to 40% of you. Apparently some of you have reached a stage of everlasting silence or absence of tinnitus. I'm happy for you! I hope you stay that way.

But those of you who have had only brief moments of silence, under what circumstances did this happen? Were you in the transitioning state between REM and awaken state like me? Were you taking any medication?

For the record, I have never taken any medication for sleep or for my tinnitus, nor did I take any medication or drugs when I experienced these brief moments of silence.

I'm not familiar with what research has already been done on this topic, but I think this calls for sleep studies in the tinnitus population.

 

[Lurius]

Both times it happened to me I was lying in bed, trying to sleep. The first time it lasted for about 30-45 seconds, the second time it was extremely brief, like 5 seconds tops. I was completely shellshocked when it happened and was crossing my fingers for a permanent change. But, to no avail.

 

[Kriszti]

I experienced complete silence for like half an hour or a bit more when I accidentally and badly cracked my neck, but it came back unfortunately.
Also, in the transitioning state my tinnitus is the quietest.
I don't know whether it counts, but before fleeting tinnitus, my normal tinnitus always goes to complete silence and creeps back gradually when the fleeting sound ceases.

 

[JohnK]

I sometimes get a minute of silence (proper, plug my ears and check silence) after sex.

 

[Bartoli]

I sometimes get a minute of silence (proper, plug my ears and check silence) after sex.

Double score!

 

[friend74]

Were you in the transitioning state between REM and awaken state like me?

Yes.

 

[JohnFox]

We were in a little shack in the middle of nowhere

I would have found a way to purchase and move into that little shack!

 

[MRItechssuck]

I sometimes get a minute of silence (proper, plug my ears and check silence) after sex.

And you only used 6 minutes of your spare time! (Kidding, kidding)

I had silence for 15 years after mild tinnitus... now... zero.

 

[JohnFox]

Like others here, my best time of day is when I wake up. Not complete silence but T is way down in intensity to point where it is very tolerable. I often just lie there for awhile basking in the "relative" quiet. As soon as I get up the Tinnitus engine comes back to life. With my "reactive" Tinnitus, I think it's more the noise of every day life that ramps up the T, rather than "movement."

 

[Mister Muso]

Sometimes it's relatively quiet in the mornings till I'm crunching my breakfast cereal, and that can be enough to set it off.

 

[exguitar]

Yes, this happens to me as well. Briefly & early in the morning laying in bed... as soon as my brain thinks at all it comes back.

 

[Cape crusader]

Like @JohnFox, most mornings are quiet to silent for a very short period. As soon as I get moving and especially driving to work, the tinnitus machine starts up and "that she blows" for the rest of the day. Never reduces in volume, only increases.

 

[Samir]

As soon as I get moving and especially driving to work, the tinnitus machine starts up and "that she blows" for the rest of the day.

Now that you mention driving, I have to tell about this funny observation. When I first got tinnitus, it was hardly noticeable unless I was in a very quite room for extended period of time (a few minutes would do the trick). It would kind of creep up on me gradually. But whenever I took off in my car, it would seem as if the traffic noise was provoking my tinnitus so I would start to notice it again. Over time, I realized that this was only true for as long as I was sitting in the car, and at a stop light. As soon as I started driving again it would start to fade out to the point where I did not notice it even though I was paying attention and listening for it, it just wasn't there. Just think about it! Drive, no tinnitus... stop, tinnitus... drive, no tinnitus... stop, tinnitus... on repeat! It's as if someone was playing a bad prank on me.

So I have come to the conclusion that, as long as I have gas in my car and I keep on driving, I would be free of tinnitus. It was similar with walking actually, so that was another great escape for me. Somehow my mind was occupied with processing information and what not, so it could not register the tinnitus. (It's not that the sounds around me were masking it. If that was true, I would not have heard it over all the traffic whilst sitting in my car at a stop light, would I now?) I have recently learned the hard way that this only works when your tinnitus is in the mild category, without the reactive component to it.

But it's interesting how movement vs. rest can influence it. I recall reading a very interesting study about two years ago where they seemed to suggest that there is a correlation between movement and tinnitus. I'm not sure if I would be able to pull up that study again, I think it was a study done in the US, and if memory serves me well they did these tests on mice. Maybe someone else will recall what study I'm referring to?

 

[Pink Noise]

Hey everyone!

My tinnitus took a turn for the worse recently, although one very pleasant experience in the early morning today is that all my tinnitus sounds went a way! Just for a second! But it felt like an eternity. I wasn't sure if I was just dreaming, but I know I have reported about this type of episodes of complete silence before. This has happened to me more than once in the early beginning of my tinnitus two years ago, where it would last for up to five seconds. It would seem like it only happens in the transition between deep sleep and wake state.

But I'm wondering if any of you have experienced this? By searching the forum I can see that there have been other such reports by other members. So I would say this is very much real. Silence is possible! Please share your thoughts on this and your own experience.

Just to clarify the polling question:
We are talking about complete absence of tinnitus while staying in a very quite room, like a bedroom or a library (20 to 30 dB (A) background noise).

I have this too - between deep sleep and wake. Its bliss.

 

[Samir]

This is a relatively recent sleep study done by university of Brasilia consisting of 25 tinnitus patients and 25 controls.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30296843

This demonstrates that patients with tinnitus remained longer in shallow sleep and spent less time in deep sleep (stage 3) and REM sleep.
[...]
This study shows that patients with tinnitus have significant alterations in REM sleep latency as well as the REM sleep phase.

 

[Samir]

I also recall Fatima Husain of University of Illinois having conducted some very interesting MRI studies. She has been doing auditory brain imaging studies for over a decade, and I think the earliest paper she published on tinnitus specifically was this one, in 2007:
Neural network models of tinnitus
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17956777

But the more recent study I was thinking of is this: Connectivity of precuneus to the default mode and dorsal attention networks:
A possible invariant marker of long-term tinnitus.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28794980

The background story on this study can be found here:
https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/547435

"Tinnitus is invisible. It cannot be measured by any device we have, the way we can measure diabetes or hypertension," said study leader Fatima Husain, a professor of speech and hearing science at the University of Illinois.
[...]
"We have been so swamped by variability that finding anything that is consistent, that gives us one objective metric for tinnitus, is very exciting," said Husain, who also is affiliated with the neuroscience program and the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at Illinois.
[...]
"When the default mode network is on, the dorsal attention network is off, and vice versa. We found that the precuneus in tinnitus patients seems to be playing a role in that relationship," said Sara Schmidt, a graduate student in the neuroscience program and the first author of the paper.
[...]
"For patients, this is validating. Here is something related to tinnitus which is objective and invariant," Husain said. "It also implies that tinnitus patients are not truly at rest, even when resting. This could explain why many report being tired more often. Additionally, their attention may be engaged more with their tinnitus than necessary, and that may lessen their attention to other things. If you have bothersome tinnitus, this may be why you have concentration issues."

"It also implies that tinnitus patients are not truly at rest, even when resting." I can relate to that.