Crickets Mask My Tinnitus Completely

Ok so for some reason I have discovered that the sound of crickets completely mask the tinnitus.

While I don't have loud T and can't hear it outdoors mostly, it is VERY high pitched so inside it's jarring even if I have on a white noise machine, air conditioning and the TV. I don't know why this is because I can go outside and unless it's a super quiet night I can't hear it but it would seem like there would be much less noise.

Anyway ... can I play this cricket app on low all day on my iPhone? No headphones just in the background unless I'm talking on my phone (which also masks it). I am just a little paranoid I will record that noise into my head and it will never go away.

What do you all think?

 

I think "little" doesn't even come close.

 

If you could record that noise into your head, you could save the battery life on your iPhone. Maybe something to consider anyway. I hate it when my phone dies and I have to plug it in.

 

Crickets and/or Cicada's mask mine but they have to be real and LOUD. I was in Japan this summer and the cicada's in their forests are much much louder than anything I have ever heard anywhere else. The result was completely masked T while walking in Japanese forests. I have two tones, 4000 and 13000 hz. They masked both of them.

 

My t go worse with crickets and/or cicada. Someone know why?

 

Great idea Telis!
In-built masker
This is as far as the cure will ever go!

 

Same here. Never been to Japan, though. Cicadas are awesome, they are much louder than crickets too.

And to think, I used to find them annoying...

 

YES I used to totally find them annoying too. Now I have this playing at home (not crazy loud or anything) and my friends are like "WTF!!!" and I'm like "yea...THIS is supposed to be the thing that makes it better."

I mean it does don't get me wrong but a year ago it would have been so much more depressing

 

I've been listening to cricket sounds for years; it's the only sound that works for me. In addition to having it on my sound machine, I have a Bluetooth hearing aid and listen to it via my phone.
It's strange that life has come to this and I'm sure many people would think we're nuts but desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm just glad I'm not alone!

 

Thank you so much! it has made nighttime much more manageable. You didn't find that it made it worse somehow? Do you have any recommendations on any sound machines with it on?

 

I promise you it won't.

I'll give you $1,000 of my own money if it does.

 

@Marie79 you should tell dudeguywithstuff listening to crickets embedded those sounds into your brain permanently

Subjective......

 

Crickets are great! They mask my T as well, probably because they are at the same pitch? I never heard of a cricket app, but will look now.

 

Marie,
Sound Oasis has a sound machine with cricket sounds (called 'Summer Night') that works for me. You can also go to their website and download the same for your phone for a minimal charge. Be sure to look for 'Summer Night 8 Hr.' and not their 'Cricket Chorus' as they are not the same. In any case, you can play a sample of any of them before choosing the one you want.
I've been dealing with severe tinnitus for over 5 years now. I have my good days and my bad. I can't say the cricket sounds have made my tinnitus worse, but instead gives me relief when nothing else does. I hope this helps.
Good luck!

 

Hi there, I too listen to cricket sounds to sleep and in the evenings sometimes when my T is playing up and I can't relax and watch TV. I downloaded a sleep app to my iPhone, it's called Sleep Sounds (there are loads of great sounds on there to choose from) the sound I like is called Jungle and it's the best cricket sound I've found.

 

Crickets and cicadas or what I refer to as relentless nights at a campground in summer are my Tinnitus sounds!

 

Crickets are the only noise that completely mask the tinnitus for me also. I live in the tropics and luckily the crickets at night mask the T naturally for me. I also bought the Sound Oasis so I could go back to studying without listening to the T all the time. The 'summer sounds' track is amazing. I listen to it every night while going to sleep. The tinnitus is louder at night so I just turn the volume up on the Sound Oasis machine. I don't think I've had any negative effects from listening to it.

@ Gill Hayes - I remember reading one of your success stories post when I first got T in my left ear about 16 months ago. I used to have it bookmarked so I could read it whenever I felt anxious or depressed. Your post helped me so much in the first few horrible months! Thank you!

 

HI @eve88 If you are using Crickets or any other sound: music or nature sounds from a "sound machine" to completely cover up your tinnitus so that it can't be heard (totally masked) then you will never habituate to the tinnitus. The brain cannot habituate to a sound it cannot here. In other words your brain won't learn to habituate to your tinnitus if it cannot hear it. Always keep the sound that you are using for therapy, slightly below the tinnitus. I know the sounds of Crickets cannot be turned down during the night and this shouldn't cause any problems.
Please read the post below.

Should I mask my tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a complex condition and if hyperacusis (sensitivity to sound) is present it is even more. Many newbies have difficulty coping with tinnitus and understandably, getting rid of this constant intruder, that has suddenly invaded their life becomes paramount on their mind. In an attempt to do this, they will usually try every means possible to distract themselves from the tinnitus which will include masking it completely with another sound so that it can’t be heard.

However, tinnitus is quite resilient, any attempts to mask it completely are usually unsuccessful. As soon as the masking sound is removed or stopped temporarily, the brain will immediately focus back on it and often, it appears to be louder and more intrusive. This causes stress especially for someone new to tinnitus. For anyone that doesn’t know, the more stressed we are the tinnitus becomes more intrusive, and the louder the tinnitus is the more stressed we are. It can become a vicious circle.

Anyone that is seasoned to tinnitus and has habituated, knows that trying to mask it completely so that it can’t be heard is not achievable. A much better way and preferred method that Hearing Therapists advise tinnitus patients, is to use sound enrichment. One can use music or nature sounds from a sound machine and set the volume slightly below the tinnitus. By doing this, the brain over time will learn to no longer see the tinnitus as a threat and gradually push the noise further into the background giving it less importance, which is called habituation.

In-ear or BTE (behind the ear) white noise generators can also be used as part of TRT. They do a similar thing. By setting the volume slightly below the tinnitus, over time the brain habituates to the white noise and gradually pushes the tinnitus further into the background.

Michael

PS: in my opinion, anyone that has tinnitus, especially when it was caused by loud noise exposure, it is not a good idea to use headphones, even at low volume to play music or white noise for sound enrichment.

 

Get an audiologist to map your hearing loss. You will find that the crickets are just hitting the same frequency. That is how proper masking works. I play crickets through my ear buds all day long, don't worry cricket sounds are non addictive They just fill in the gaps of sound frequencies your brain is hunting for and can't find. Your brain fills in the missing gaps with tinnitus. If it works go with it.