Successful Habituation to Tinnitus — It Is What It Is

[mikki_]

I have successfully habituated to tinnitus after almost 4 years. How do I know? The other day I was reading a newspaper, and the story mentioned tinnitus. I did not react to the word tinnitus in any way, and it took me almost 10 seconds to realize that I do have tinnitus as well.

Some notes that might be helpful:

- Process of habituation is not linear. My habituation will take a few steps back because I do this writing. But as I no longer give a shit about my tinnitus, it does not matter.

- I used to monitor my tinnitus constantly, trying to find reasons why my tinnitus is louder today. I had a tinnitus diary where I recorded the loudness of my tinnitus and tried to reason what I had eaten or done might have improved or worsened my tinnitus. Don't do that. It leads nowhere and slows habituation.

- My tinnitus fluctuates significantly, sometimes giving much nicer sounds than usual. This increased the time it takes to habituate as after two good days, you think you might get completely rid of it or that it would stay on a nicer level for good. This obviously has not happened. What is weird is that I no longer notice when my tinnitus is lower or higher.

- How loud is my tinnitus? I can hear it basically everywhere. It started as relatively low. But after 12 months, it had progressed to a level where I could hear it first in the shower. This freaked me out as the shower had been my safe place.

- Tinnitus loves attention. Do whatever works for you to divert your attention from tinnitus. I often listen to music or podcasts with just one headphone to limit my attention tinnitus. However, this one ear trick is so much part of my life that I do not pay attention to it.

- Surprising improvement in habituation happened when Russia invaded Ukraine. I live in Finland, and they might as well attack us, so it was easy to relate to the destruction and death that was going on there. I was in total shock for about a month. I did endless doom scrolling Twitter for new war material. I made plans what to do when they attack Finland. The realization of how insignificant worry tinnitus is in the face of much bigger worries of going to war gave a significant jump to my habituation.

- Tinnitus has altered my sound preferences. I used to be a person that did not like any extra noises and loved silence. I no longer care about different distracting sounds. If they are there, they do not bother me.

- Do I miss silence. Sure. But I also miss the fact that I can no longer snowboard because of my back. I also miss my father, that has died. I also miss being 20 years younger and the energy of youth. You get the message. Silence is no longer available, so what can I do? Accept the situation. I will have this condition forever. I no longer hope for or search for a cure. It is what it is.

 

[Jupiterman]

Congratulations and great notes to give everyone.

I had a tinnitus diary where I recorded the loudness of my tinnitus and tried to reason what I had eaten or done might have improved or worsened my tinnitus. Don't do that. It leads nowhere

Are you saying you learnt NOTHING about your tinnitus triggers in keeping this diary?

 

[Michael Leigh]

Many years ago I kept a tinnitus diary. All I learned was to focus on the tinnitus more. I felt much better when I stopped the daily logging. Instead I directed my thoughts and attention to other things.

 

[AnthonyMcDonald]

I am somewhat in a similar situation, albeit my tinnitus spikes significantly easier. I am able to do more and more without spiking though, like long car rides with double protection, going to supermarkets, etc.

It takes me 2-3 days to "rehabituate" to a new, always permanent, tinnitus spike and I only think of it maybe once or twice a day after adjusting, despite it being louder than voices.

My tones/volume used to change daily from noise as small as a small plastic object falling on the floor and doors closing (not even slamming). My strengthened stability absolutely had a large hand in my ability to manage my condition.

My good friend @DocTors_94 couldn't leave his house, spiking permanently, and has some of the worst tinnitus I have ever seen, but after about a year he is already going on walks and meeting friends in cafes.

People need to understand that it's never the end. I'm daily confident I will make it to the release of Susan Shore's device, me being very somatic, I'm sure it will help me a lot. I never would have imagined that I could do the things I am doing now before (like planning a vacation to Cuba).

I'm happy for you and thank you for sharing your story.

 

[Jupiterman]

It takes me 2-3 days to "rehabituate" to a new, always permanent, tinnitus spike and I only think of it maybe once or twice a day after adjusting, despite it being louder than voices.

My tones/volume used to change daily from noise as small as a small plastic object falling on the floor and doors closing (not even slamming). My strengthened stability absolutely had a large hand in my ability to manage my condition.

I'm glad that it takes more to spike you now, that you have improved.

What things spike you 'permanently' now?

 

[Stacken77]

My good friend @DocTors_94 couldn't leave his house, spiking permanently, and has some of the worst tinnitus I have ever seen, but after about a year he is already going on walks and meeting friends in cafes.

Wow, is this true?

Mind giving an update, @DocTors_94?

 

[fishbone]

This is a topic, that seems to come up quite a bit in our cases (dealing with tinnitus).

Habituation basically means, that we have less of a response to a repeated stimuli (tinnitus). The keyword here is "less of a response," now some might have less or maybe no response. At certain levels it's not practical to say, that they are 100% habituated.

If we are truly 100% habituated, then we'd have ZERO response (we'd not think about it, nor feel in the physical realm). At my stage (very severe) it's not practical to call my self or be a part of the 100% club. I never really focused on this word, term, and association anyways. From the beginning, it has always been about just trying to move forward. From the mild days to now, it doesn't change at all, just trying to take small steps and moving forward.

 

[Michael Leigh]

This is a topic, that seems to come up quite a bit in our cases (dealing with tinnitus).

Good to see you on the forum @fishbone, passing on your knowledge and experience in tinnitus and hyperacusis. Whilst my definition of habituation differs from yours, I respect your opinion on it.

Hope you are feeling a little better.

All the best,
Michael

 

[Jammer]

This is a topic, that seems to come up quite a bit in our cases (dealing with tinnitus).

Habituation basically means, that we have less of a response to a repeated stimuli (tinnitus). The keyword here is "less of a response," now some might have less or maybe no response. At certain levels it's not practical to say, that they are 100% habituated.

If we are truly 100% habituated, then we'd have ZERO response (we'd not think about it, nor feel in the physical realm). At my stage (very severe) it's not practical to call my self or be a part of the 100% club. I never really focused on this word, term, and association anyways. From the beginning, it has always been about just trying to move forward. From the mild days to now, it doesn't change at all, just trying to take small steps and moving forward.

I'm with you in the same boat. When you're catastrophic, there is only acceptance of your state of tinnitus and endurance of the horrific nature of its effects.

 

[Jupiterman]

@fishbone, I found your post (#7) a bit confusing, in particular your second paragraph?

I had a look in your previous postings to try and better understand and found this from nearly 4 years back:

Intrusive tinnitus is basically when you can hear it over EVERYTHING. It's VERY loud and it can just make life very difficult. I am about 95% habituated to it, it takes a lot of work to get there...But it can be done. All people are different and habituation can be a different process for all. we have to do things that work for us, track them and keep working on it. It will take time but it is possible to reach it...

You once thought that habituation was possible and indeed thought you were very close to it at that time?

 

[AnthonyMcDonald]

I'm glad that it takes more to spike you now, that you have improved.

What things spike you 'permanently' now?

Electronic noise, especially from cheap speakers at a moderate volume.

Loud noise (>90 dB).

 

[fishbone]

@fishbone, I found your post (#7) a bit confusing, in particular your second paragraph?

I had a look in your previous postings to try and better understand and found this from nearly 4 years back:

You once thought that habituation was possible and indeed thought you were very close to it at that time?

My post back then, reflects my views right now. Habituation is less of a response to our tinnitus. Even back then I was not 100% habituated. My goal was to just manage and move forward, and that still remains the same.

 

[mikki_]

Are you saying you learnt NOTHING about your tinnitus triggers in keeping this diary?

Yes. Diary led to continuous hypothesis testing. But in the end none of the hypotheses held up. I basically concluded there are no triggers or if there are their impact is not consistent enough to be useful.

The point is to focus on your life. Your brain will habituate but the process is slow. I also read some other habituation stories from here. Many of those also pointed out 3-4 year timeline.

 

[Gabriel]

I wish I could go back to this thinking.

I have had the exact same conclusion. I used to have a daily diary at the beginning, doing trials with every food etc, going into silent spaces with earplugs to check my tinnitus.

And then after a year or so I became tired and just stopped doing it more and more, to a point I was not checking at all anymore. Like "no, not interested."

This has led me to 99% habituation, almost living as before.

Unfortunately, I think some tinnitus is different than other, especially the very high-pitched electrical one because there is a physical pain associated and because there is no masking possible.

I find the non-constant tinnitus (in Hz) more of a struggle.

My "easiest" tinnitus is my "ringing" tinnitus, I can totally forget about it. My brain can filter easily.

But the other ones, for now, keep me aware of them, and so it's like a never-ending circle, because if I am aware of one, I am aware of all.

I think I might try Psilocybin in the coming months.

 

[Nick47]

@ErikaS, I think it's time to take this approach and stop running around looking for medications. I have thought today about the side effects of some of these medications, like dependence, drowsiness etc. Benzos also cause me erectile dysfunction.

I've also started smoking again with the stress. It's only when you consider other problems you could create, you may as well throw the towel in and accept.

If I can 'not give a fuck about how loud or reactive it is', I could start to live better again.

After 21 months of significantly worse tinnitus, it has so far been elusive. This option is better than temporary, moderate reductions in volume, whilst creating other problems. I plan to keep Clonazepam for emergencies and special days out. The small doses of Diazepam need phasing out, as do the small doses of Gabapentin. I have remained on 2 mg Diazepam most but not all days since February 2022. My GP said this is classed as 'sub therapeutic' and can just be dropped. As an 87 kg male, she said it will do nothing except create a psychological addiction.

I have zero respect for the ATA or Tinnitus UK. I certainly have some respect for Tinnitus Talk.

 

[Skink]

I have zero respect for the ATA or Tinnitus UK.

What's wrong with ATA or Tinnitus UK? If you don't mind sharing.

 

[Nick47]

What's wrong with ATA or Tinnitus UK? If you don't mind sharing.

What have they achieved in 50 years?

 

[DeanD]

What's wrong with ATA or Tinnitus UK? If you don't mind sharing.

Money withholding, they don't invest enough into research, instead they prefer to spend on 'support' - no real dedication to finding a cure, board members have vested interest in companies who profit from 'treatments'.

Actually, I was going to write a scathing report about Tinnitus UK after seeing the 'latest' news section earlier in the year publicising how a Duchess visited their office, protecting the ears around fireworks and a new Treasurer announcement - BUT I have just checked it out again and I do feel a little different perhaps with news of the tinnitus conference and projects they have helped fund which includes an objective measure of tinnitus.

I have at least been a little bit more impressed by the latest news section than I was previously.

We do though need more money put in to research - however crazy an idea - rather than continuously pouring money in to just support services and masking apps.

Just my two pence worth.

 

[Mister Muso]

I don't think much about my tinnitus of 4 years, except when I get a spike and there is always the slight worry it could be permanent. But so far it's always returned to baseline.

My hyperacusis is a much bigger worry, but it has been improving at the rate of about 20% per year since 2019. So I'm optimistic that it may no longer be a problem one day.

 

[KaiT81]

Congratulations @mikki_ on your habituation after almost four years! It's unbelievable what kind of stamina and ability to suffer you had. So, there's still hope for me, considering I'm in my sixth month with tinnitus. I'm still heavily struggling with tinnitus and suffering from insomnia, anxiety, and being annoyed by the noise. I am a person who loves silence. But as I understand it, so were you, and you still managed to do it.

 

[mikki_]

Providing a brief update on my story: it has been 1.5 years since my original post and 5 years and 2 months since the onset of my tinnitus.

- Tinnitus loves attention. Do whatever works for you to divert your attention from tinnitus. I often listen to music or podcasts with just one headphone to limit my attention tinnitus. However, this one ear trick is so much part of my life that I do not pay attention to it.

I no longer do the one-ear trick. When did I stop doing this? I have no idea. I didn't even remember that I used to do it. I guess that's more concrete evidence that habituation has progressed even further.

Congratulations @mikki_ on your habituation after almost four years! It's unbelievable what kind of stamina and ability to suffer you had. So, there's still hope for me, considering I'm in my sixth month with tinnitus. I'm still heavily struggling with tinnitus and suffering from insomnia, anxiety, and being annoyed by the noise. I am a person who loves silence. But as I understand it, so were you, and you still managed to do it.

Thanks. I still remember the suffering. It was truly horrible. It's funny how life works. The tinnitus didn't stop, but the suffering did. I think habituation takes longer for people who love silence.

If I were you, I would seek medical help for insomnia and anxiety. There are good medications for those, but none that work well for tinnitus. There are also plenty of relaxation techniques for sleep, and I often listen to podcasts as a form of sleep aid. When I occasionally suffer from insomnia, it is 100% related to work stress and 0% to tinnitus. I did not mention this in the post, but I have been taking Pregabalin for anxiety since the spring of 2020. It does not do anything for tinnitus but helps to keep the anxiety in check. Insomnia and anxiety definitely slow your habituation progress.