Weird: Pitch Matching Tinnitus Causes Temporary New Tones

jimvee

Member
Author
Jun 15, 2023
13
Tinnitus Since
05/2023
Cause of Tinnitus
Motorcycle ride with earplugs?
Hey all! I have had a weird experience with pitch-matching videos, which I am trying to better understand.

First of all: I'm new here. I first experienced tinnitus three weeks ago. I suspect it's noise-induced. I was 'lucky' (cost a lot of effort) to see a number of different doctors and ENT just days after onset. No hearing loss (up until 8 kHz) and a pretty strong week of Prednisone. Unfortunately, not much has changed, other than my coping (first week was horrible, but been doing pretty good for a newbie!). I've been having a constant 24/7 high pitched tone (I suspect ~14 kHz) in my right ear, which is about 70% while my left ear accounts for about 30% at a slightly lower tone.

Now here's the thing: in order to better understand my tinnitus, I've tried out two different pitch-matching videos that have been recommended multiple times (e.g., this one). The comments of these videos are always really positive and even suggest temporary relief. The first time I tried this was about 1.5 weeks ago, and the second time was this evening. I've experienced something weird with both the videos I've watched: as soon as the video stops playing, I will hear new tones. In the videos, you will notice that the tone is one increasing scale. This is what I hear too after watching. In intervals of a few seconds, I will hear a new, significantly lower-pitched tone that quickly increases its pitch and then fades out. This will happen a few times and then stops after about two minutes. I have been really careful with the volume, and put it on the lowest possible setting at which I can still hear it (about 5-10% of total volume, at which I can also barely understand people talking in a video). It feels really weird that my tinnitus will literally copy the tone of the video, including the increasing scale. So far I have been unable to find records of people experiencing this same thing.

Is this something you have experienced before, or do you know an explanation for why I experience this seemingly rare event? Is this giving some valuable information to better understand my tinnitus?

Thanks!
 
I've tried to look into this weird occurrence some more, and have also asked my ENT for her thoughts on this. I'm still no further in what mechanism is behind this and what it could possibly mean. It can still happen, but I have not watched any such videos again as to not trigger it.
 
Some tinnitus reacts to sounds. There is a phenomenon called "residual inhibition" (I think), that happens when you listen to a sound similar to your tinnitus, and it makes your tinnitus goes away for a few seconds, or even a minute or so.

Not everyone's tinnitus behave this way. I used to have this once my tinnitus started, but after some years, it doesn't happen anymore. Your reaction could be something similar, but I don't know really.
 
Some tinnitus reacts to sounds. There is a phenomenon called "residual inhibition" (I think), that happens when you listen to a sound similar to your tinnitus, and it makes your tinnitus goes away for a few seconds, or even a minute or so.

Not everyone's tinnitus behave this way. I used to have this once my tinnitus started, but after some years, it doesn't happen anymore. Your reaction could be something similar, but I don't know really.
I can't "hear" my tinnitus; I'm profoundly deaf above 8 kHz and my tinnitus lives above 12 kHz.
 
Is this something you have experienced before, or do you know an explanation for why I experience this seemingly rare event? Is this giving some valuable information to better understand my tinnitus?
Hi @jimvee.

Noise-induced tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities and no two people will experience it the same. In the early stages, it's not uncommon for it to fluctuate and some people hear multiple tones. With time this usually settles down and many people habituate within 6 to 18 months, with or without specialist treatment. It all depends how severe the tinnitus is and whether a person is affected by hyperacusis which often accompanies this condition.

I do not recommend that you listen to the video tones that you have mentioned in your post, or try to match any type of audio to your tinnitus, as you risk aggravating it and could make it worse! I am very serious about this, because noise-induced tinnitus is not something to mess around with.

Please go to my started threads and read the follow posts: New to Tinnitus, What to Do?, Tinnitus, a Personal View, The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, As I See It.

All you need for now, is to use low level sound enrichment during the day and especially at night. More about this is explained in my posts. I advise that you don't listen to audio through any type of headphones, even at low volume. This includes: earbuds, AirPods, headsets, and noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones.

I wish you well,
Michael
 
There is a phenomenon called "residual inhibition"
It's funny you mention it, because this really made me think. I know I can achieve residual inhibition for a few minutes from certain background sounds, but this noise-repeating phenomenon is sort of like a reversed residual inhibition! That might be a good way to describe it until a better label is found.
Yeah, something strange with that video. Find a different sweep video to use.
Do you experience the same thing I do?
Thanks for the suggestion! I'm not touching any of these tones now considering my issue, but I'll bookmark it for in the future.
Hi @jimvee.

Noise-induced tinnitus comes in many forms and intensities and no two people will experience it the same. In the early stages, it's not uncommon for it to fluctuate and some people hear multiple tones. With time this usually settles down and many people habituate within 6 to 18 months, with or without specialist treatment. It all depends how severe the tinnitus is and whether a person is affected by hyperacusis which often accompanies this condition.

I do not recommend that you listen to the video tones that you have mentioned in your post, or try to match any type of audio to your tinnitus, as you risk aggravating it and could make it worse! I am very serious about this, because noise-induced tinnitus is not something to mess around with.

Please go to my started threads and read the follow posts: New to Tinnitus, What to Do?, Tinnitus, a Personal View, The Habituation Process, How to Habituate to Tinnitus, Hyperacusis, As I See It.

All you need for now, is to use low level sound enrichment during the day and especially at night. More about this is explained in my posts. I advise that you don't listen to audio through any type of headphones, even at low volume. This includes: earbuds, AirPods, headsets, and noise cancelling and bone conduction headphones.

I wish you well,
Michael
Thanks for the warm welcome and words of advice, Michael!
 
Do you experience the same thing I do?
I don't hear anything except my usual tinnitus when the video stops, but the problem is the video isn't a clean sweep up to 20 kHz. My hearing really drops out from 8 kHz to 10 kHz, yet I can hear audio in that video when it's way up around 16 kHz as indicated on the video, and I can hear the frequency going up and down as it indicates the frequency is only getting higher, and it's nowhere near being a pure 16 kHz tone. I cannot hear near that high, as shown with other audio tests including the one I posted the link to. So, that's a bad sweep video.
 
The way you describe your experience @jimvee, it reminds me of the way some people describe palinacousis ("palinacousis is an auditory illusion consisting of perseveration or echoing of an external auditory stimulus after it has ceased musical tinnitus") or maybe musical tinnitus -- although I don't exactly know the difference between palinacousis and musical tinnitus, but I know there's some overlap between the two.
 
I do not recommend that you listen to the video tones that you have mentioned in your post, or try to match any type of audio to your tinnitus, as you risk aggravating it and could make it worse! I am very serious about this, because noise-induced tinnitus is not something to mess around with.

Michael
This is true, some have reported this happening to them. You are playing with fire.
 
to. So, that's a bad sweep video.
Ah, thanks for sharing your experience!
The way you describe your experience @jimvee, palinacousis is an auditory illusion consisting of perseveration or echoing of an external auditory stimulus after it has ceased
Wow! This definition is definitely spot on! After a quick search I'm still not too sure about the real connection as mine really seems to be related to my tinnitus and the specific tones, but you're definitely on to something! I'm going to research it some more.
 
Wow! This definition is definitely spot on! After a quick search I'm still not too sure about the real connection as mine really seems to be related to my tinnitus and the specific tones, but you're definitely on to something! I'm going to research it some more.
Awesome, I hope you're able to find some thing that resonates with your experience @jimvee. Here's a thread from @in_LA, an active forum member, that discusses both musical hallucination and palinacousis:

If Music Is Loud, It Gets Stuck in My Head
 

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