Phantom Crickets 24/7 After Watching Cricket Video

[CrazyMike]

Watched a cricket video to mask my tinnitus. When I took headphones off, I could still hear an exact replica of the video. Still hearing it 3 days later. Was on a walk today at 2pm and heard crickets.

I have no idea why this happens, but when I hear a high pitch at a moderate volume for long enough, my brain burns a perfect clone of that sound into my ears which manifests as tinnitus. I have roughly 15-16 sounds that are etched into my ears. The irony is that these phantom crickets mask some of my other sounds. The downside is that I'm not habituating towards the phantom crickets.

Quality of life is abysmal at the moment b/c of this. I don't know much more I can handle before I'll need to live in a mental hospital.

 

[Raphael7713]

Earworms. It'll go away I've had those also. I literally imagined a spike/tinnitus because I was listening to a sound for to long and it didn't leave my head, so where ever I went the sound was there. You got nothing to worry about mate.

 

[CrazyMike]

This isn't an earworm, unfortunately. Earworms cannot be masked by tinnitus maskers, but these sounds can. Trust me, I've heard my fair share of earworms and its nothing like what I'm experiencing. Raphael, I want you to imagine your favorite song. Play it in your head as loud as you want. You'll find that it is a completely different experience from tuning into your own tinnitus. I do have legitimate tinnitus on top of these sounds and they are of an identical sensation. There are sounds in my head that I heard 9 months ago and they all come from the same situation. 1. A high pitched sound is introduced 2. It is imprinted into my ears if its any longer than 20 seconds.

Its maddening.

Like, you know how if you put over-the-ear headphones on how it amplifies your tinnitus? With me it sounds like someone put a cricket in my headphones. It very much sounds somewhat external, to such a degree that if I'm outside when crickets are chirping, I can't tell which ones are real or not.

 

[Raphael7713]

This isn't an earworm, unfortunately. Earworms cannot be masked by tinnitus maskers, but these sounds can. Trust me, I've heard my fair share of earworms and its nothing like what I'm experiencing. Raphael, I want you to imagine your favorite song. Play it in your head as loud as you want. You'll find that it is a completely different experience from tuning into your own tinnitus. I do have legitimate tinnitus on top of these sounds and they are of an identical sensation. There are sounds in my head that I heard 9 months ago and they all come from the same situation. 1. A high pitched sound is introduced 2. It is imprinted into my ears if its any longer than 20 seconds.

Its maddening.

Like, you know how if you put over-the-ear headphones on how it amplifies your tinnitus? With me it sounds like someone put a cricket in my headphones. It very much sounds somewhat external, to such a degree that if I'm outside when crickets are chirping, I can't tell which ones are real or not.

"
Watched a cricket vid to mask my tinnitus. When I took headphones off, I could still hear an exact replica of the video. Still hearing it 3 days later. Was on a walk today at 2pm and heard crickets."

That sounds 100% like earworms to me. I'm guessing your stress and anxiety are making matters worse also, try relaxing since I was in a pretty bad spot some days ago. It's all about reducing the stress, give it time.

 

[CrazyMike]

I misled you a bit, my bad. I don't hear it in my head, I hear it in my ears.

1. I only started experiencing my ability to create tinnitus that sounds like sounds I've already heard, two years ago. I've had 27 years of experience when it comes to earworms.

2. I also started Lamictal for BP disorder around that time. Suspecting that this is a factor

3. There is a common factor. Only high pitched sounds at a moderate volume ever manifest as tinnitus and it can be as quick as within 10 seconds of exposure.

4. They can be masked by tinnitus masks.

5. Like tinnitus, it manifests in my ears, NOT my thoughts. I can imagine crickets in my head and also hear the burned crickets in my ears at the same time with ease because they do not share the same source.

6. These sounds are long term. Some have been with me for over a year now. Earworms on the other hand fade rather quickly.

7. If I imagine a song while looking at a radio that's turned off, I can tell the radio isn't playing the song. If the radio played a cricket SFX track, I couldn't tell the difference between reality and this sound. Same with other sounds such as a light scale on the piano. If you played a piano in harmony w/ the scale it would sound as though two irl pianos were playing together.

Just think about how your T feels in comparison to how it feels for you to have an earworm. The difference is as obvious to you as it is to me, my friend. As much as I wish you were right, its not an earworm.

 

[MiaX]

Aren't you too focused on it? If I hear a ambulance and I want it to hear it forever, I think I could, but I just forget about it and when I hear it in my head, I think: ''ooh, it's just inside my head'' and forget about it.

Although, when I think about it, I am not sure if I will be able to hear it for 3 days. However, try not to listen to it and forget it. I really think that it is possbile that that would help.

 

[Raphael7713]

Mine also lasted for some days and it would become a vicious circle since I couldn't get my mind of it, so the sounds would keep on repeating inside my head. Eventually you settle down, think on something else and keeping busy with other things and the sound fades away. Fear, stress and anxiety will always make things worse whatever it is you are fighting against. Easier said than done I know, but stay composed and try getting your mind off of things.

 

[CrazyMike]

With all due respect, can you not tell the difference between your own tinnitus and an earworm? Certainly you can agree with me that the experiences of both are so unmistakably different that its impossible to confuse the two. I doubt anyone here would define their tinnitus as an earworm because it is experienced in a different way that does not include the definition of an earworm. The sounds I am hearing are absolutely tinnitus.

 

[CrazyMike]

This is the following definition of an earworm. An earworm, sometimes known as a brainworm,[1] sticky music, or stuck song syndrome,[2] is a catchy piece of music that continually repeats through a person's mind after it is no longer playing.[3] Phrases used to describe an earworm include "musical imagery repetition", "involuntary musical imagery", and "stuck song syndrome"

The following is the definition of tinnitus.

- a sensation of noise (such as a ringing or roaring) that is typically caused by a bodily condition (such as a disturbance of the auditory nerve or wax in the ear) and usually is of the subjective form which can only be heard by the one affected.

Looking at these definitions, it is obvious that the two of these things function completely differently from one another. You acquire and experience Tinnitus through damage in the audiotory nerve. The sound you hear is a BYPRODUCT of the damaged audiotory nerve.

If I listen to a tinnitus mask, the phantom crickets vanish while its on. You acquire and experience an earworm through an intrusive thought forming in your mind. You wouldn't tell someone who has an earworm to fix it by listening to a tinnitus mask. Why not? Because an earworm is pure thought and is unaffected by it. A damaged audiotory nerve on the other hand does respond to these sounds and its why its an effective method of coping with tinnitus for some. Likewise, if you listen to a mask for too long, when you remove it, suddenly your tinnitus is louder b/c your brain has to readjust to being without a mask.

The fact that these sensations are completely muted my tinnitus masks is proof to me that it is Tinnitus. You wouldn't tell someone who has an earworm to fix it by listening to a tinnitus mask. Why not? Because an earworm is pure thought and is unaffected by it. A damaged audiotory nerve on the other hand does respond to these sounds and its why its an effective method of coping with tinnitus for some.

 

[CrazyMike]

Gah, darn it sorry for the repetition in the final paragraph. Unintentional posting error. Its 3am over here haha. I appreciate you trying to help and I can understand why its rough to consider. There is little to no data about a phenomenon where sounds you hear IRL manifest as tinnitus. But its very real, and I have it. Sucks. </3

 

[Elfin]

Gah, darn it sorry for the repetition in the final paragraph. Unintentional posting error. Its 3am over here haha. I appreciate you trying to help and I can understand why its rough to consider. There is little to no data about a phenomenon where sounds you hear IRL manifest as tinnitus. But its very real, and I have it. Sucks. </3

I am experiencing exactly the same issues. Think it could be related to anxiety and monitoring and focusing!

 

[CrazyMike]

Would you mind sharing your experience? I'd like to emphasize that "phantom crickets" is NOT a personification of the standard extremely high pitches like the EEEEEEEEEEEEEE etc. This is a distinctly different sound and its so realistic to the point to where I can hear the lower pitched chirps that occasionally happen randomly w/o a pattern. I have both of these things actually.

 

[Raphael7713]

I know you've said a couple of times that it is not earworms, but let me put it this way:
You said you started to hear cricket sounds after listening to actuall cricket sounds. So if you didnt listen to the cricket sounds you would most likely not hear cricket sounds, am I right?
If the answer is yes then Im 100% sure it is earworm. Your probably stressed and focus on the sound to much which will make it very clear in your head and you only feed the sound with your attention.

 

[Raphael7713]

Like I said earlier, I've literally imagined a spike in 2 different situations when there really weren't anything. This also shows how insanely powerful the brain is. The brain is very complex, powerful and awesome. It has no limits and can pretty much do anything. When stress and anxiety is involved it can then go to different levels.