UKJon Update

[UKJon]

Hi folks,

Thanks again to all of those who replied to my last post. I had a couple of good days but a bad one yesterday when I went to see the audiologist. Woke with another spike didn't I.

My audiologist and I agreed that I would try and allocate several times a day for relaxation and deep breathing techniques. When I got back, I tried this and I can still calm the T right down to nearly nothing after a few minutes. This is great of course but once the back of my head is back on the pillow, the T returns. It's less if I rest on my T ear for some reason.

Today I tried it again but it was louder when I lay back. So of course I panicked again. Perhaps I was subconsciously preparing my self for a repeat of yesterday, only to be disappointed. This does not seem to be the way to go. If anything, I may be prolonging the habituation process.

I need to know if I'm trying too hard. It's true that I am impatient to get habituated. The poor masker that I have is switched on and off a lot. I'm still testing too much. My T is under a mental microscope. I listen for the most infinitesimally small changes and I'm sure my strategy is wrong.

Should my masker be on every time I'm in my quiet bedroom? If so, how do I know I'm habituating? Should I stick to this and keep to it? It's only natural to want to know if habituation is taking place and that means turning the masker off doesn't it? Should I use relaxation breathing with the masker on or off?

Also, does habituation mean that those with T can sleep without a masker? Surely it must for those with my level of T otherwise it's not true habituation. How do they get from masker to no masker one night because trying to go without it too early just highlights the T again. I read 'use a masker and the brain will do the rest'. What does that mean exactly. I'm not trying to get rid of T. I'm trying to get used to it which is close to the same thing.

Any advice as to what habituation means when it comes to sleeping?

Thanks once more.

Jonathan

 

[billie48]

Good to know you have some good days. Take that as a positive. The more positive affirmations, the less stress you feel about your T and the easier to ignore it as T tends to get less intrusive with the right attitude. Don't pay too much attention to T. Don't give it more time and fire than it deserves. Doing this will make the brain zoom on T and make it too dominant in your life. Get busy with life and distract from paying attention to T and give it time.

The objective of masking is not necessarily to over power it. To habituate to T, you need to hear it at a less intrusive level. So you can set the masking volume slightly lower than the T and then go about living life, paying as little attention as possible to T. Sooner or later the brain will get more used to the T ringing and will learn not to react to it. My T has been spiking for the last few days due to tiredness and bad sleep. It has been blasting since I woke up but I paid very little attention to it and no negative reaction from the brain either. Couldn't do that initially. But it gets better over time. Time is on our side. So don't get too freaked out by T. Let the body and mother time do its healing. There is even one success story 'Doing Nothing works...'. It illustrates the effectiveness of not catering to T high or low.

 

[UKJon]

Thanks as ever Billie.

I have my masker already playing at a slightly lower volume than my T. Do you use masking? Or did you use it but now don't? If so, how did you get from A to B.

 

[TheGagagirl1234]

I use relaxing sounds to mask my T. I lay my iPad next to me and just listen to the tones with headphones. When my T really bothers me I use this


Headphones are required, otherwise it won't work. I don't know the reason for that, but it definitely calms down my T a lot.

 

[Quentino]

Also, does habituation mean that those with T can sleep without a masker?

Well i will not say i'm fully habituated because i notice my T from time to time, annoying me. More this time because he's changing a lot. But yes i sleep now in total silence, because with no sound to compare with, my t seems not so loud.

I stopped masking at night when i stopped being freaked out by T, when i accepted it.
And masking is very annoying when you try to sleep ^^

 

[Danny Boy]

I use relaxing sounds to mask my T. I lay my iPad next to me and just listen to the tones with headphones. When my T really bothers me I use this


Headphones are required, otherwise it won't work. I don't know the reason for that, but it definitely calms down my T a lot.

Try this-



http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23025336

 

[glynis]

Your masker needs putting in your ear as soon as you wake up.
Set it below your tinnitus sound and do not adjust it again all day even if go out.

Take it out at bed time and same again in the morning put it in set below your tinnitus sound set below your tinnitus.

You need to wear it about 6-12 months then see how you go.
Maskers are used for TRT and should be having reviews from audiology to see how you are doing with counselling while wearing maskers ....lots of love glynis

 

[UKJon]

I don't wear a masking device but I have a Puretone sound 'ball' bedside which certainly helps. During the day, I don't hear any T or at least barely. My main problem is anxiety as some of you will know. My ultimate goal is to have an afternoon nap or sleep at night with no masking because I won't care about T anymore. Obviously I still do care as I'm still posting.

 

[glynis]

Puretone can be used for as long as you need it and wont cause any problem using it long term if find it nice and relaxing to sleep too....lots of love Glynis