Sleep Deprivation — How to Mask High Pitched Electrical/Static Tinnitus?

[wagen]

Friends,

I need to sleep or I will go crazy. I'm unable to mask my high-pitched electrical, metallic-like sound with anything. It makes sleeping impossible.

Please, any suggestions? I went through hundreds of YouTube sounds, an app on my phone. It's just impossible.

It feels like this sound is making a hole in my head.

I got tinnitus from Amitriptyline and I don't want to go back to drugs. But without them I only sleep 3 hours a night.

Please, I need to find a way to mask this so that I give my brain a rest. I'm totally desperate.

 

[boliston]

I tried all sorts of sounds when I first got tinnitus but I do not think they worked for me - after many months I did start to sleep again normally but it took a good 6 months at least - I'm not sure there are really any 'short cuts' unfortunately.

 

[GeorgeLG]

Try a high quality Magnesium in the Citrate or Glycinate form.

Eliminate salt, caffeine and sugar.

If you have a B12 deficiency, correct it.

Try NAC and if that doesn't work, then B2, Alpha-Lipoic Acid slowly over time.

Try Melatonin.

Some report relief with Ginkgo Biloba.

Try a relaxation technique like yoga, tai chi, meditation, etc.

Get as many breaks during the day as possible doing activities with just the right amount of background noise to forget about it for a while each day. When it's back, then "oh there you are, whatever".

As hard as it is to do, start looking at your tinnitus not as an enemy or to be feared but as a simple affliction that you will deal with like a pulled muscle. Assume that it will get better or go away. My brother was successful and calls it his old friend. Do not focus on why or changes and spikes or be angry or fearful about it.

Consider the possibility the the mind body connection may be limiting improvement. There are some video and book resources if your interested.

On all of the above listen to your body and let it guide you.

All the best,
George

 

[Gee82]

I use Bose Sleepbuds at low volume at night. It's the only tool that masks my tinnitus; white noise from external speakers don't work for me. If you are in a similar situation I recommend giving it a try.

 

[Oabmarcus]

In the beginning take Ambien to get to sleep. Use a sound machine, don't try to mask over the tinnitus. When you try to fall asleep, instead focus on the noise that the sound machine is making. Right now you're paying 100% attention to your tinnitus, you need to somehow train yourself to not focus on it so much. This is not going to happen in a few days either, it takes time, and just have faith that it will get better.

 

[Oabmarcus]

Try a high quality Magnesium in the citrate or Glycinate form.

Eliminate salt, caffeine and sugar.

If you have a B12 deficiency, correct it.

Try NAC and if that doesn't work, then B2, Alpha-Lipoic Acid slowly over time.

Try Melatonin.

Some report relief with Ginkgo Biloba.

Try a relaxation technique like yoga, tai chi, meditation, etc.

Get as many breaks during the day as possible doing activities with just the right amount of background noise to forget about it for a while each day. When it's back, then "oh there you are, whatever".

As hard as it is to do, start looking at your tinnitus not as an enemy or to be feared but as a simple affliction that you will deal with like a pulled muscle. Assume that it will get better or go away. My brother was successful and calls it his old friend. Do not focus on why or changes and spikes or be angry or fearful about it.

Consider the possibility the the mind body connection may be limiting improvement. There are some video and book resources if your interested.

On all of the above listen to your body and let it guide you.

All the best,
George

While these are sound suggestions, his symptoms are very acute right now, so I think Ambien CR is probably a better short-term solution. Once he is beyond the acute stage he can employ more relaxation techniques.

 

[GeorgeLG]

While these are sound suggestions, his symptoms are very acute right now, so I think Ambien CR is probably a better short-term solution. Once he is beyond the acute stage he can employ more relaxation techniques.

Fair enough. However, please do not ignore the Magnesium suggestion because if you are deficient this can have a substantial calming effect for many people.

George

 

[Leila]

One of my tinnitus noises is similar to the one you're describing and, unfortunately, it has always been the one impossible to mask. Whenever I tried it only seemed to make things worse and it used to drive me crazy for a good long time when I first got it. As @boliston has said, however, your brain will adapt in the end and it will get easier to fall asleep.

What works for me is focusing on the aurora borealis like light-show that pops up whenever I'm sleepy and close my eyes and just let myself to be pulled along. But since this is something that doesn't really come up in everyday conversation, I'm not sure if these kinds of effects is a me thing or the same for everybody else.

Rituals seemed to help a little, too. At first, I tried a glass of red wine but that really set off my hyperacusis, so now I'm having a cup of disgustingly sweet hibiscus tea at night.

What I've also come to learn pretty quickly is that trying to force sleep isn't the way to go for me because it agitates me to the point I'm unable to go back to sleep at all. I just get up and do things I'd usually do during the day (my neighbours probably think I'm crazy when they catch me cleaning windows or doing the laundry at 4 a.m.) so that I have windows here and there in the afternoon where I can take a nap without having to worry about things not getting done.

Wishing you all the best and keeping my fingers crossed that one of the suggestions people made might make life / sleep easier for you.

Leila

 

[Oabmarcus]

A lot of people try to use sleep aids during the most acute phase of the tinnitus onset, that is a mistake. Sleeping aids are for mild insomnia, and will not work if you have lasers blasting in your head. You have to use pharmaceuticals to get to sleep to calm everything down. Not sleeping is a huge mistake and you will pay for it.

 

[Digital Doc]

Melatonin worked when it was really severe for me. Also, foam earplugs at nights, along with green tea.

Hang in there, it does get better, but it take months.

 

[Marcuso22]

There are a lot of things at local health store that sell things for insomnia. My tinnitus is very loud & reactive and I can't sleep without Benzos at the moment.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

In the beginning take Ambien to get to sleep. Use a sound machine, don't try to mask over the tinnitus. When you try to fall asleep, instead focus on the noise that the sound machine is making. Right now you're paying 100% attention to your tinnitus, you need to somehow train yourself to not focus on it so much. This is not going to happen in a few days either, it takes time, and just have faith that it will get better.

What if noise makes the tinnitus beep? Lol.

 

[Lilah]

I use the SoundPillow which helps me with sleep.

Make sure your vitamin levels are normal. Deficiencies in certain vitamins (Vitamin D, Vitamin B, etc.) may add to sleep issues.

 

[Óscar PP]

I need to sleep or I will go crazy.

What worked for me was Mirtazapine at 30 mg at night. Some people prefer lower doses, as little as 7.5 mg is reported to be useful for sleep.

During the first 5 months after onset I relied solely on benzos to help me sleep, which in hindsight was a bad decision because they are not only addictive and horrible to come off from, but they also hinder neuroplasticity.

Mirtazapine has helped me a lot with sleep, so I will keep on using it for a while even though there are some horror stories on the internet about it, but I guess you only hear about the worst cases on internet forums.

 

[Oabmarcus]

What if noise makes the tinnitus beep? Lol.

I think sound machine comes with plenty of sounds to choose from. Try every one of them and find one that doesn't make your tinnitus sound worse.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

I think sound machine comes with plenty of sounds to choose from. Try every one of them and find one that doesn't make your tinnitus sound worse.

So if I have tinnitus that competes with sounds, should I still do sound enrichment anyways?

 

[Stacken77]

So if I have tinnitus that competes with sounds, should I still do sound enrichment anyways?

I'd be very careful with sound enrichment if one has reactive tinnitus, or tinnitus that spikes easily. It would be a nightmare to sleep and wake up to a potential permanent increase. If sensitivity is the culprit, which it probably is with reactive tinnitus, then sound enrichment could maybe help us to improve it. I'd start off with some really basic stuff and work my way up, e.g. having a wall clock ticking, and moving it incrementally closer to the bed and see how it works. I haven't tried it yet, but it may work.

Just my 2 cents.

Stacken

 

[kingsfan]

Friends,

I need to sleep or I will go crazy. I'm unable to mask my high-pitched electrical, metallic-like sound with anything. It makes sleeping impossible.

Please, any suggestions? I went through hundreds of YouTube sounds, an app on my phone. It's just impossible.

It feels like this sound is making a hole in my head.

I got tinnitus from Amitriptyline and I don't want to go back to drugs. But without them I only sleep 3 hours a night.

Please, I need to find a way to mask this so that I give my brain a rest. I'm totally desperate.

Cricket sounds on a high quality speaker and 1-3mg Melatonin.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

I'd be very careful with sound enrichment if one has reactive tinnitus, or tinnitus that spikes easily. It would be a nightmare to sleep and wake up to a potential permanent increase. If sensitivity is the culprit, which it probably is with reactive tinnitus, then sound enrichment could maybe help us to improve it. I'd start off with some really basic stuff and work my way up, e.g. having a wall clock ticking, and moving it incrementally closer to the bed and see how it works. I haven't tried it yet, but it may work.

Just my 2 cents.

Stacken

It's annoying man. A box fan in another room will immediately make it start ringing louder.

 

[Stacken77]

It's annoying man. A box fan in another room will immediately make it start ringing louder.

Aw man, you seem to almost have it as bad as me. I'd not recommend a box fan. If you can, I think it would be best to sleep with earplugs, but boy, when my right ear turns into a wood saw on spiked days, sleeping with ear plugs is hard.

As for the sensitivity, I think we get enough sound enrichment in the daytime, if we just expose ourselves a bit to sound, then we can let the ears rest during the night.

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Aw man, you seem to almost have it as bad as me. I'd not recommend a box fan. If you can, I think it would be best to sleep with earplugs, but boy, when my right ear turns into a wood saw on spiked days, sleeping with ear plugs is hard.

As for the sensitivity, I think we get enough sound enrichment in the daytime, if we just expose ourselves a bit to sound, then we can let the ears rest during the night.

That sounds like a good plan. I don't have it as bad as you lol. I don't have buzzsaws. Just squeaking/beeping (those are the reactive tones, one in each ear) that I can only hear when my regular brain (?) tinnitus is not spiked. It's up and down all day, and goes down at night. Last night the squeaks became unbearable as they were just constant and nonstop lol.

 

[Oabmarcus]

So if I have tinnitus that competes with sounds, should I still do sound enrichment anyways?

Do you own a sound machine? Sound Oasis for example? Buy it and try it, it is not expensive.

 

[wagen]

Friends, thank you for your suggestions!

I have a question about sleep perception. When I manage to sleep, it feels like I'm still aware of one of my tinnitus sounds which is a heavy drilling like sensation in my head.

It feels like I'm always aware of this - does it mean that I don't sleep at all and this is not real sleep?

Can I sustain myself on this or do I have to drug myself until the end of my life?

I'm miserable, it's been more than 6 months of total sleep deprivation

I should add: my tinnitus was caused by Amitriptyline that was prescribed for insomnia even before I had tinnitus.

I tried Mirtazapine and it doesn't work for my sleep.

I also tried benzos, they do work but I cannot take them indefinitely because surely there is a tolerance wall.

Mirtazapine and Amitriptyline are the two most recommended drugs for sleep and none of them is an option for me.

The non drugs techniques also fail me.

I'm doomed.

 

[Gee82]

There are tons of drugs that are used for sleeping purpose, many of them off-label; finding the one that works for you and the right dose might require some trial-error.

Have you tried Quetiapine yet?

 

[Wrfortiscue]

Do you own a sound machine? Sound Oasis for example? Buy it and try it, it is not expensive.

Not yet. Trying the whole giving my ears a break at night. Without ambient noise it's actually not so bad, just light ringing with some squeaking.

 

[wagen]

@glynis, I read on one of your posts that your head tinnitus was caused by Amitriptyline. It happened to me too.

After it happened to you, did you consider staying away from it, hoping it could go away? I read that you started Nortriptyline after that.

I'm scared to death from the drugs after this, so I was trying to make it, but I don't know how long I can last with this sleep deprivation. And of course the sleep deprivation on its own can only make it worse and worse.

Thank you for your experience!

 

[Oabmarcus]

Not yet. Trying the whole giving my ears a break at night. Without ambient noise it's actually not so bad, just light ringing with some squeaking.

There are currently two schools of thought on this, some say you should sleep with noise and some say you should sleep with silence/your tinnitus. Lately I am more in favor of sleeping with sound, since I tried sleeping in silence/my tinnitus, and my tinnitus didn't get better because of it.

 

[Oabmarcus]

Friends, thank you for your suggestions!

I have a question about sleep perception. When I manage to sleep, it feels like I'm still aware of one of my tinnitus sounds which is a heavy drilling like sensation in my head.

It feels like I'm always aware of this - does it mean that I don't sleep at all and this is not real sleep?

Can I sustain myself on this or do I have to drug myself until the end of my life?

I'm miserable, it's been more than 6 months of total sleep deprivation

I should add: my tinnitus was caused by Amitriptyline that was prescribed for insomnia even before I had tinnitus.

I tried Mirtazapine and it doesn't work for my sleep.

I also tried benzos, they do work but I cannot take them indefinitely because surely there is a tolerance wall.

Mirtazapine and Amitriptyline are the two most recommended drugs for sleep and none of them is an option for me.

The non drugs techniques also fail me.

I'm doomed.

Ambien CR?

 

[Wrfortiscue]

There are currently two schools of thought on this, some say you should sleep with noise and some say you should sleep with silence/your tinnitus. Lately I am more in favor of sleeping with sound, since I tried sleeping in silence/my tinnitus, and my tinnitus didn't get better because of it.

You're probably correct but sometimes I feel my ears need a break since my 4 year old sings and screams loud lol.

 

[GeorgeLG]

As loud as my tinnitus is it usually does not prevent me from sleeping. I have always had a small air filter running in my bedroom, it sounds like pink or white noise. It has been suggested to turn it off to see if that changes anything but I'm sleeping so...

I always sleep better when it's raining, have you guys ever tried nature sounds like running water or rain (without the thunder of course)?

George