Why We Don't Hear Tinnitus in Our Dreams and Why It Is a Clue

[daedalus]

Abstract

There are pathophysiological, clinical, and treatment analogies between phantom limb pain and phantom sound (i.e., tinnitus). Phantom limb pain commonly is absent in dreams, and the question arises whether this is also the case for tinnitus. A questionnaire was given to 78 consecutive tinnitus patients seen at a specialized tinnitus clinic. Seventy-six patients remembered their dreams and of these 74 claim not to perceive tinnitus during their dreams (97%). This can be most easily explained by a predictive Bayesian brain model. That is, during the awake state the brain constantly makes predictions about the environment. Tinnitus is hypothesized to be the result of a prediction error due to deafferentation, and missing input is filled in by the brain. The heuristic explanation then is that in the dream state there is no interaction with the environment and therefore no updating of the prediction error, resulting in the absence of tinnitus.

More in the paper:

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/np/2014/612147/

 

[mmacabre]

I'm always so vexed by this as I often hear my tinnitus in my dreams...

 

[dboy]

I have on occasion, but not usually.

 

[Raytr]

I don't hear it in my dreams at all.I actually always have the fealing that my T starts 2-3 seconds after I wake up.

 

[agaton spik]

I too never had have any problems with tinnitus when sleeping. In fact, when I got it a year ago, I was actually looking forward to sleep because I knew the tinnitus would then go away. That's why I never felt any need to use any white noise to mask it.

When the big dose of GABA kicked in, which from what I understand is happening when you fall asleep, I experienced total piece and quiet.

For me, waking up in the morning was never really an issue. It felt good because the tinnitus took its sweet time to get back. I'd say 10-20 minutes. Maybe because I'm not a morning person?

 

[nills]

I hear T in my dreams ... I think it`s a wrong way to look. Just sounds really cool.

 

[st0rch]

The times I've heard it in my dreams, it manifests itself louder and more intense than an ambulance until it wakes me up. Tinnitus is so much fun.

 

[dan]

It is impossible for you to hear tinnitus in your dreams since the thalamus goes into low gear.
The reason you hear it is because you are very upset about your tinnitus during the day so in your dreams it manifests itself as things like an ambulance siren or other "real" noises.

 

[nills]

not really, the sounds seeps trough the fabric of reality into dreamstate and becomes part of the story. But usually it is when I wake up I become aware of it, or become aware of it and than wake up. Tinnitus doesn`t seep into deep-sleep ... but nothing does cause conciousness is not there at the time.

 

[Mekhail Blanco]

in my 7 years o having T i never heard or dream about T. most of my dreams is i can remember

 

[Geo]

in my 7 years o having T i never heard or dream about T. most of my dreams is i can remember

Actually these past months i have been having dreams with my t present it has also scared me because i have never experienced this.. Im more aware of my T in the dreams and i realise that im dreaming and panic because i shouldnt have it in my dream is that weird that i know im dreaming in my dream and freak because this is my time to get away from it but it follows..ive also had two out of body death experienced in my dreams back to back days.. As if its a warning sign it freaked me out.. But cant do anythinf anout it now can i..

 

[dan]

Actually these past months i have been having dreams with my t present it has also scared me because i have never experienced this.. Im more aware of my T in the dreams and i realise that im dreaming and panic because i shouldnt have it in my dream is that weird that i know im dreaming in my dream and freak because this is my time to get away from it but it follows..ive also had two out of body death experienced in my dreams back to back days.. As if its a warning sign it freaked me out.. But cant do anythinf anout it now can i..

like i said i dont think its the actual t you guys hear but a memory from the daytime t, the t sounds like an ambulance siren or a high school bell or something like that, but its probably the brain's reaction to the daytime frustration with T....ergo ifs a dream about T, not the actual T.

 

[Geo]

like i said i dont think its the actual t you guys hear but a memory from the daytime t, the t sounds like an ambulance siren or a high school bell or something like that, but its probably the brain's reaction to the daytime frustration with T....ergo ifs a dream about T, not the actual T.

Well i didnt say i heard my actual t but yes my mind in the dream remembers the t its so weird but yeah like u said from suffering all day through it it wouldnt cross my mind if it made its way through a dream..

 

[Mekhail Blanco]

it is only in my dreams i was totally free of my tinnitus, never it comes or think that i have tinnitus when i dreaming im totally free in tinnitus during my sleeping time. for us to know i taking medicine everyday bedtime before i sleep. without medicine i could only sleep for 4 hours.

 

[RB2014]

Not for me. I have never heard it in my dreams. I've had it for a long time too. I look forward to sleep because its the only time I can get true peace and quiet. Everyone needs a break every now and then. I hope everyone can find it.

 

[Max_fcktr]

coz work of our brains and nerves in SEMI - OFF condition.

 

[Nucleo]

I get spammed weekly by this Hindawi publisher to publish in their dinky journals. I don't regard anything published in there as quality or of high importance.

 

[skoupidis]

When you have an external noise (for example an a/c or the fridge noise), it may bother you until you fall asleep. But then, when you do fall asleep, you don't hear it because you don't listen while sleeping. That doesn't mean the noise stops however. It is possible something similar is happening with tinnitus, it may be there but doesn't bother you because when you sleep your senses are very limited. So, calling tinnitus "phantom sound" is not my favorite phrase, cause it may be misinterpreted as something that is not really there. Nothing could be further from truth, tinnitus is a constant sound, intermixing with environment sounds, causing them to be deformed and annoying and it is THERE all the time.

Perhaps it is a totally wrong approach that we don't hear T in our dreams. We may just don't get bothered by it because when we sleep we don't need to listen to anything and our hearing becomes limited. Similarly, one could sleep even when in great pain and weak up from it and have trouble to go back to sleep. But while sleeping the pain bothers him or her less than while awake.

 

[Nucleo]

Or perhaps is that we don't remember hearing our T in our dreams. After all I never do remember what I heard in my dreams. Some conversation here and there but nothing that really stands out when I wake up.

 

[Jessikweh]

I've never heard it in my dreams. Even when lucid dreaming I've looked out for it & it's not there. I notice it around 3-5 seconds after waking up.

 

[hoper]

My T does not exist in my Dreams. I have dreamed about Tinnitus yes, but i have never heard the ringing in my Dreams. It starts a few minutes after i wake up.

When i spin my Head to the right as much as i can, the ringing tone changes for this seconds. left side the same. am i the only one?

 

[TheGagagirl1234]

Interesting. I never hear my T when I sleep either. I think the only reason it gets worse during the day is because we worry and think about it too much. When we have to sleep we automatically relax and then it stops while we sleep. I find that phenomenon really interesting. Maybe that can give us a clue to a cure.

 

[Geo]

all my dreams lately i recognize i have tinnitus and run away from every situation if loud, but like u said we never hear it but as soon as you wake up boom....my last dream i was at a pool party(like my old times,damn lol) and we were having a good time and for some reason during i forget i have tinnitus as it is loud and get out and start panicking thinking i just damaged myself even more then i wake up...have never dreamed about till a month ago and every dream since then its been about that...and my dreams was the place i got away from it, sucks..

 

[IrvineCAGuy]

classical concept is that the brain is making up for lack of input from the cochlea.
So why do people who have lost their hearing NOT have tinnitus?

 

[Nucleo]

Because the classical concept is likely to be wrong. Now researchers seem to think tinnitus is more of a brain issue.

 

[linearb]

I absolutely hear tinnitus in my dreams. I have had some fascinating and cathartic experiences as a result, which have actually been useful in dealing with this shit while I'm awake.

I put a lot of effort into lucid and dream yoga practice, though. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Danny Boy]

I personally never heard tinnitus in my dreams and I do not want to dream about dreaming about dreaming about tinnitus.

 

[DougPL]

I've been once woken up by a tinnitus spike while sleeping (it got so loud I heard it in the dream, instantly reminding me of 'reality' and coming back to it), so as someone has already mentioned, it is really interesting approach, but I'm not really convinced to the idea!

 

[Mad maggot]

I also have been woken by loud T in my dreams! I guess it depends on where the persons T is coming from. Some could be from the inner ear, some from different areas in the brain and some from nerve connection between the ear and brain. So a sweeping remark like not hearing T in your dreams is a stupid one and shows the people writing have not much knowledge and are not qualified to give any useful information on it!

 

[Atlantis]

I have never heard about anyone having tinnitus in dreams. Why is that, does anyone know?