Poll: Can Your Tinnitus Be Masked By a Ceiling Fan?

[JasonP]

Turned on, of course.

 

[glynis]

Yes it can but if have it on fast can keep you awake and cause headaches.
A moveable fan is good as can move it around the home if you need too....lots of love glynis

 

[Dave AUS]

For me my ceiling fan isn't loud enough nor near to my high frequency T whine

 

[Fangen]

I don't have one but I think so?

 

[Sailboardman]

My T could easily mask my ceiling fan, even on high! I sleep with a nature sound machine on my bed, right next to my head and sometimes, even that can't mask my T. My head is a noise factory, out of control.

 

[Marie79]

During the day yes. At night when I'm trying to sleep no

 

[linearb]

masking my T isn't a matter of volume, but of pitch. So, a fan, even at 90 db, will not mask it. On the other hand, running water at 35db can mask it completely. Anything audio signal that has convincing 10-16 kHz coverage at ~5db over my hearing threshold in those frequencies will do so.

 

[Rosie_Rose]

Only if I put my head between the fan blades......

 

[jdjd09]

I'm beginning to further realize how not loud many people's t is on here. How a ceiling fan could mask this is telling.

 

[JasonP]

masking my T isn't a matter of volume, but of pitch. So, a fan, even at 90 db, will not mask it. On the other hand, running water at 35db can mask it completely. Anything audio signal that has convincing 10-16 kHz coverage at ~5db over my hearing threshold in those frequencies will do so.

Sounds like an extended frequency range hearing aid might help. I have heard about one that goes to 14 khz yet I don't know much about it. I am trying out one that is programmable out to 12 khz which is 4 khz beyond the standard 8 khz. aid. I don't know how much it will help though as might can be partially masked but usually not fully unless I am taking a shower. Sometimes though, it seems like I can get it to where it is only about 10% of what it would sound like without aids and medication.

 

[Telis]

No chance, not even close. I don't have hearing where my T is, I have a drop of 70-80db in that area . a fan makes mine go WAY louder, no idea why it's so reactive. I guess the hearing loss spots try to compensate to match exterior noise. Even if I mask the T with something really loud I feel it zapping around my ears and head. Mine is at the crippling level, hard to even think or listen to the TV and concentrate through the noise.

 

[Cillian]

No chance, not even close. I don't have hearing where my T is, I have a drop of 70-80db in that area . a fan makes mine go WAY louder, no idea why it's so reactive. I guess the hearing loss spots try to compensate to match exterior noise. Even if I mask the T with something really loud I feel it zapping around my ears and head. Mine is at the crippling level, hard to even think or listen to the TV and concentrate through the noise.

Have you tried anything to make T manageable?

 

[Telis]

Have you tried anything to make T manageable?

Yeah of course I have, this has ruined my life and my career, and not just some minor annoyance. Done the usual placebo treatments like acupuncture, neurofeedback, tried every type of masking and/or headphones around, notched music, ADs, shrink, all the supplements etc etc etc. all a total waste of time and money.

I'm going back to the ent here as soon as I can get in. The GP that I just saw thinks there could be some stuctual damage from the original pressure trauma (ear bones) that could possibly be repaired. My hearing, pain in ears and H keeps getting worse so no one really has a clue and doctors are awesome at guessing. At least they try I guess.

 

[Cillian]

Ya I'm only 3 months in and it's fairly mild but still drives me up to walls when will all our nightmares end

 

[billie48]

No chance for a fan to mask my T. Too high pitch for that. I could hear mine over the raging rapids in the salmon rivers I fished and above the jet noise in the last few flights. Perhaps squeaky faucet noise and continuous cicadas can do a better job.

 

[Cillian]

@billie48 @Telis ye are an inspiration to new guys and gals who have it mild and are still struggling

 

[Telis]

@billie48 @Telis ye are an inspiration to new guys and gals who have it mild and are still struggling

Thanks but I think billy is a better mentor, I haven't done well with mine but I'm trying. If you have it minor, I wouldn't worry. I just got another dose of T, shows up as a sizable dip on my last audiogram in my right ear, it shocked me at first and was really loud but I ignored it from the start, now it's barely audible weeks later. I still feel the new gap in my hearing but next no no T in that spot now.

I think when you are new just move on and it won't get so trapped in your brain. I didn't deal with my original T very well at onset and think that I made it way worse. If I could go back and just crash out and forget about it, honestly I don't think I would be stuck with it the way I have it. The ear damage would be the same but somehow I think I added to making my T permanently loud and insane with how a dealt with it in the first few months. I also went out into noisy bars and took tons of drugs in a attempt to forget about it, don't do that.

Also if you don't have H and hearing loss it makes things way easier.

 

[Cillian]

Ya I've no H and hearing loss

 

[undecided]

Not even close.

 

[bill 112]

Yeah of course I have, this has ruined my life and my career, and not just some minor annoyance. Done the usual placebo treatments like acupuncture, neurofeedback, tried every type of masking and/or headphones around, notched music, ADs, shrink, all the supplements etc etc etc. all a total waste of time and money.

I'm going back to the ent here as soon as I can get in. The GP that I just saw thinks there could be some stuctual damage from the original pressure trauma (ear bones) that could possibly be repaired. My hearing, pain in ears and H keeps getting worse so no one really has a clue and doctors are awesome at guessing. At least they try I guess.

I hope something good comes of it Telis I really do,your a nice guy and deserve better than this shit.

 

[Alue]

No, I wish it could. Very few things actually mask my T, the shower does, that's the only thing that constantly does mask it.

I've been waiting to see if things get better, but it seems most of the success stories are from people that have maskable T or T that they can only hear at night or in quiet environments.

 

[Alue]

I think when you are new just move on and it won't get so trapped in your brain. I didn't deal with my original T very well at onset and think that I made it way worse. If I could go back and just crash out and forget about it, honestly I don't think I would be stuck with it the way I have it. The ear damage would be the same but somehow I think I added to making my T permanently loud and insane with how a dealt with it in the first few months. I also went out into noisy bars and took tons of drugs in a attempt to forget about it, don't do that.

Also if you don't have H and hearing loss it makes things way easier.

I have wondered about this too, in fact I wondered about it less than 1 month in to my T. But I couldn't stop thinking about it for too long, it was just too intrusive. The way in which I got T, dealing with all the frustration and ongoing BS with that just added insult to injury.

 

[bill 112]

Not necessarily,my uncle has loud T,so loud in fact he sleeps with a portable radio under his pillow to block it out.

He's the most habituated person I have ever met,it literally doesn't bother him at all @Alue

How loud is it you ask?According to him he hears it over everything,the only thing that masks it is sleepSo don't give up just yet

 

[Jason_Cohen]

masking my T isn't a matter of volume, but of pitch. So, a fan, even at 90 db, will not mask it. On the other hand, running water at 35db can mask it completely. Anything audio signal that has convincing 10-16 kHz coverage at ~5db over my hearing threshold in those frequencies will do so.

I think I'm dealing with something similar. I have 3 different sounds, and with my fan on at about 55db, two of the sounds are easily masked, but the third sound with the highest pitch sort of blends in with the sound of my fan and it is incredibly irritating.

 

[JasonP]

I have wondered about this too, in fact I wondered about it less than 1 month in to my T. But I couldn't stop thinking about it for too long, it was just too intrusive. The way in which I got T, dealing with all the frustration and ongoing BS with that just added insult to injury.

Do you have hearing loss? I do have some unmaskable T but some of the T that isn't can be "silenced" from wearing hearing aids.

 

[Alue]

Do you have hearing loss? I do have some unmaskable T but some of the T that isn't can be "silenced" from wearing hearing aids.

Nope.

I almost wish I did. Although I think some of my ultra high frequency hearing was damaged with my acoustic trauma, but hearing aids don't help with that.

I actually had a high frequency hearing test done, and it was really strange; I could tell there was sound coming out at 14 and 16 kHz but it did not sound like a tone at all, it was almost an unidentifiable noise. I tried doing one of those ultra high frequency tests at home with various speakers and headphones and could not hear anything above 13kHz.

 

[JasonP]

Nope.

I almost wish I did. Although I think some of my ultra high frequency hearing was damaged with my acoustic trauma, but hearing aids don't help with that.

I actually had a high frequency hearing test done, and it was really strange; I could tell there was sound coming out at 14 and 16 kHz but it did not sound like a tone at all, it was almost an unidentifiable noise. I tried doing one of those ultra high frequency tests at home with various speakers and headphones and could not hear anything above 13kHz.

I feel really bad for you. I wish they made hearing aids that went up to 20 khz. The most I found was 14 khz. The hearing center I got my hearing aids at sells some that go up to 12 khz. Will broad spectrum white noise mask it? There is a free program somewhere on the internet you can download called Audacity. I downloaded it and was able to make full spectrum white noise.

I have never asked this before but did you ever try Potiga (Trobalt) for your tinnitus? I read some people on here have taken it and have really been helped. The potential side effects and cost of the medication has kept me from trying it. I am kind of scared of potential pigmentation of the retina and blue skin. The only reason I ask is because you seem to have it really bad. I have it bad mostly in my left ear which seemed to be going down only to go back up yesterday!

 

[Alue]

I feel really bad for you. I wish they made hearing aids that went up to 20 khz. The most I found was 14 khz. The hearing center I got my hearing aids at sells some that go up to 12 khz. Will broad spectrum white noise mask it? There is a free program somewhere on the internet you can download called Audacity. I downloaded it and was able to make full spectrum white noise.

I have never asked this before but did you ever try Potiga (Trobalt) for your tinnitus? I read some people on here have taken it and have really been helped. The potential side effects and cost of the medication has kept me from trying it. I am kind of scared of potential pigmentation of the retina and blue skin. The only reason I ask is because you seem to have it really bad. I have it bad mostly in my left ear which seemed to be going down only to go back up yesterday!

By "mask" do you mean you cannot hear it at all over the white noise? If that's the case, nothing I have found that plays out of speakers masks it, at least not at a comfortable volume, I'm sure if I cranked it up, but that's not a good solution. Rushing water does seem to mask it, like the shower. I can hear it in an airplane.

Somehow I thought a lot of people had tinnitus they could not mask, but even reading on these forums it seems somewhat rare, even people that say they have loud tinnitus are able to mask it. I know for sure mine isn't as bad as some here, I'd say I have moderate to loud T.

No I haven't tried trobalt. I'm in clinical trials so I'm unable to do so.

 

[JasonP]

By "mask" do you mean you cannot hear it at all over the white noise? If that's the case, nothing I have found that plays out of speakers masks it, at least not at a comfortable volume, I'm sure if I cranked it up, but that's not a good solution. Rushing water does seem to mask it, like the shower. I can hear it in an airplane.

Somehow I thought a lot of people had tinnitus they could not mask, but even reading on these forums it seems somewhat rare, even people that say they have loud tinnitus are able to mask it. I know for sure mine isn't as bad as some here, I'd say I have moderate to loud T.

No I haven't tried trobalt. I'm in clinical trials so I'm unable to do so.

I know what you mean. Sometimes I read these posts where tinnitus can masked by a ceiling fan and think..if only that were me! What is the clinical trial you are doing?

 

[Alue]

Not necessarily,my uncle has loud T,so loud in fact he sleeps with a portable radio under his pillow to block it out.

He's the most habituated person I have ever met,it literally doesn't bother him at all @Alue

How loud is it you ask?According to him he hears it over everything,the only thing that masks it is sleepSo don't give up just yet

Did he get it overnight from an acoustic trauma etc., or gradually with age related hearing loss? I have no data proving either way, but it seems to make a difference.