Masking Multitone Tinnitus: What Is the Best Way?

[RudyL90]

TRT says that one should set the masking sound below the mixing point. My problem with this:
I have multiple tones in my head. The higher tones I am sort of used to by now, but I still react to the lower tones. The tones all have their own sound level, the high pitched ones being loudest. I found pink noise to be the best masking sound for all tones. When I mask below the high pitched tones, I cannot hear the lower tones anymore. I could decrease the volume, but then the high pitched tones become too annoying!

My plan: mask until I get used to the higher tones and gradually decrease the masking volume until I come to a point where the high pitched tones no longer bother me. Then I can set the masking volume below the volume of the lower tones so I can habituate to these tones too.

Is that a good plan or is there a better way?

I find it very weird: when I remove masking, I suddenly hear so many more tones (which are not audible with even the smallest sound level of masking) and these tones then seem to become louder and annoy me very much. The brain is such a weird thing.

 

[glynis]

Set the masker below your high pitch when you wake up and don't alter it all day till go bed for a few months and then give it a try lowering it.
Use sound enrichment through the night set below your tinnitus to take over from makers and use a free standing unit or pillow speakers.

TRY can take up to 12 months or more so don't try rush things for now and go with masking high pitch under the TRT counselling and advice .
TRT is gold standard treatment and hard to get on the NHS and costly privately...lots of love glynis

 

[Jason C]

This is a hard question.
From reading these forums everyone experiences something different. For me, in silence I struggle to hear tinnitus yet with everyday sounds it's very clear especially with music or light wind. Mine was caused by noise trauma.
I hear pinging noises and a constant tone at times. When leaving the gym it's a loud hissing light ringing noise, same with driving sometimes, what is clear though is that I cannot mask it with sounds as it just rides on top of the sound, I dont believe the volume of tinnitus is turned up but rather interfearance in my hearing and therefore in silence nothing is stimulating the damaged nerves which means less or no tinnitus.

 

[danieluk]

I have multitone, 7 years and ive never habituated to the tinnitus, probably because it changes and gets progressively worse. So now i just mask it using as low a volume as i can. I have a small fan heater on too mask mid tones, and for bass I use a surround sound system with a recording of dishwasher and waterfall humming away. This is how i live until I kill myself, which i think is inevitable unless it stops progressing. I wish you well and hope you manage to cope better than i do!

Oh one thing ive noticed, a low salt diet seems to have all but eliminated my ear pain, since starting it tqo weeks ago. If you have ear pain or suspect cochlea hydrops you may want to try reduce sodium.

 

[RudyL90]

@gylnis I think I will go for that. But not altering is pretty hard as the loudness (or my perception) seems to increase during the day. In the morning I can set the masking very low, but in the evening the masking needs to be louder... I don't how to do this otherwise.

 

[RudyL90]

@danieluk I am so sorry to hear that you feel that way. Have you considered finding psychiatric help? All what helps for me is finding a lot of distraction. I think I am kind of lucky to know that tinnitus is just a neutral signal very early in the proces. I no longer feel anxious, my remaining reaction is extreme annoyance.....
I really hope that you will feel better soon. Make sure to visit the Positivity Tread.

 

[RudyL90]

Perhaps someone else with multitone tinnitus can tell how they mask? I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[glynis]

All I can say is work with your TRT professional and they might adjust treatment but maskers need to be set below your tinnitus or mixing point and progress gets seen when you go through the day without noticing them going from minutes to hours as your brain adjusts and learns to filter out tinnitus.
That leads to habituation when cope with the sound and emotionally stable too as you learn about tinnitus with TRT....lots of love glynis