Earbuds / YouTube Masking Videos — Safe? — Advice Please

The only real relief I can find since this nightmare began a few weeks ago is putting on my earbuds and listening to various tinnitus masking videos with all the weird robotic beeps and the videos put some relaxing background noise or ocean or water behind it all.

Is this ok to do? I don't have the volume too loud, just enough to match my tinnitus.

 

If your T volume is high, then your masking volume may be too high. I mention this because this the problem I myself face with masking.
I would make sure that the masking volume is reasonable, irrespective of your T volume.

 

Hi Barry,
I don't advise listening to audio through headphones even at low volume and especially if the tinnitus was caused by "loud noise" exposure. However, if you find relief using them then continue but keep the volume low. I personally feel it's better for you to use "sound enrichment". If you are listening to audio and it is masking your tinnitus. By this I mean covering up the tinnitus so that you can't hear it, then this isn't a good idea. If you totally mask your tinnitus so that it can't be heard, then your brain will never be able to habituate to it. Please click on the link below and read my post: New to tinnitus what to do.

All the best
Michael


https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/new-to-tinnitus-what-to-do.12558/

 

Thx for the response Michael...so my main question is all those youtube videos that match the sound of your tinnitus are actually bad...? I feel my anxiety already going up becuase it provides my only relief. Ive had decades long anxiety / depression long before T. So ive tried listening to regular stuff non tinnitus related like wateralls etc etc but i cant distract myself from the T. What about just white noise? Are all those robotic tones and beeps they insert in tbose videos bad? Or actually help? And really no iphone earbuds at all should be used or headphones? That makes it hard with no earbuds when u go outside i like to bring my earbuds and listen to stuff when the T is so loudy crazy

 

Hi @Barry33

Someone that is new to tinnitus will experience some stress and anxiety and I have mentioned this in my post: New to tinnitus what to do. Please read it carefully and better if you print it. Please click on additional links that I will paste below and read my posts on tinnitus. Particularly: Tinnitus, A Personal View. This is very long. If you have a printer then suggest that you print it. If you would like it in PDF format I can email it to you. It also has a diagram of the ear. Just PM me your email address.

The videos and audios that you mention on YouTube and elsewhere on the Internet are not bad. Hearing Therapists that work with tinnitus patients advise that "sound enrichment" including "white noise" shouldn't mask the tinnitus (cover it up). If you do this the brain will not be able to habituate to the tinnitus. It is much better to set the sound enrichment slightly lower than the tinnitus.

Exposure to loud noise is the most common cause of tinnitus. Anyone with noise induced tinnitus I do not advise them to use headphones even at low volume. I have covered headphones and tinnitus, in my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View.

Please see your doctor about the stress and anxiety that you feel and something can be prescribed to help with this. More is explained in: Tinnitus, A Personal View and in the links that I have given you.

Take care
Michael
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/

 

I used masking frequently in the early days. I was concerned that total masking would mess with habituation (as Michael Leigh mentions), so I used partial masking at night for sleeping, but total masking during the day totally helped me get through the first few weeks. I found that I could completely shut off the tinnitus by listening to a crickets-like sound, it worked even at very low volume. Being able to halt the noise gives you one less thing to worry about while you wrap your mind around what is happening to you. I don't think that this is bad to do, as long as the volume level is low and you don't notice any "backlash" from your tinnitus after you stop the sound — the worst that it can do is delay habituation.

Partial masking (a sound that you can hear your tinnitus over) is better if habituation is your goal (which I think it should be unless you are confident that your tinnitus is short-term). As you get more accustomed to it over the weeks, you can lower the volume of your masking sound, until you don't need it anymore.

I got to the point where I could stop using masking during the day at about seven weeks in (granted, my tinnitus eased up a bit and that helped), though I do sleep with plain noise still.

Be careful with earbuds and keep the volume low.

 

Thx for the response...the thing that really confuses me is there are so many sound videos on youtube for tinnitus. Are the ones with those weird robotic beeps thrown in with some nice calm music in the background bad? Idk what the beeps are for but they work rly well. Like i am using this one which works rly well because my tinnitus is very high pitched. Is listening to something that video i linked actually bad.....? I would have never know that if never came to this forum? So is it better to listen to generic stuff like waterfalls and rain?

MOST POWERFUL TINNITUS SOUND THERAPY 1...

 

Some sounds are designed to mask your T. Others are designed to trigger residual inhibition and make your T "disappear" for a while. Others are designed to induce long term changes in your brain to lower the volume of your T.

In general, if you are looking for something other than "one size fits all general masking", you will most likely be looking for sound therapy that will be targeted to your T frequency (if your T is somewhat tonal), so it needs to be custom generated for you. There are various places where you can get those, at various price points.

 

Listening to youtube with headphones with volume low is how I got tinnitus. I really do not recommend it for anyone. The youtube ads can kill your ears blasting things like movie previews. If you are going to be...unwise and continue this then adblocker is a must at least. And check volume each time before use so that you do not accidentally blast yourself.

 

I would find the music that helps you most to relax to and nothing that pounds just soft music and at night play with a standing unit or pillow speakers.
Its all about what works best for you to relax to and help you sleep and cope better.
Natural sounds and white noise can also be a option for you or a fan on at night.
Love glynis

 

I recognize that video, it's one of the first sounds that I found that worked well for me as well. I'm wondering why you think that it is bad to listen to? The beeps and other crazy sounds are there because they help alleviate the tinnitus, it seems that totally constant sounds don't work as well as changing sounds that keep your brain busier.

Like I said, if the sound "erases" your tinnitus sound it will not help you habituate, so I don't think that such "full masking" sounds should be your long-term solution — You'll eventually need to learn to deal with your tinnitus directly.

If you can hear your tinnitus over the sound but the sound helps you relax or concentrate on something else, that's perfect and totally OK. If you can't hear your tinnitus over the sound, that's full masking, and as I mentioned, it's great for taking a break from the tinnitus early on as you start to figure things out but you shouldn't count on it as your long-term solution. You should find a partial masking sound that you can live with as the next step.

I used the TMSoft White Noise app (tmsoft.com) which is available for just about every platform, and it has a number of sounds that you can pick from and you can mix them together, adjusting the volume of each. Early on I had luck with crickets + heavy rain + colored noise. I slept with this and it helped even though I could still hear the tinnitus over it. Now, I am down to just colored noise for sleeping (I like brown noise) and I don't mask during the day.

As others have mentioned, be careful with the volume of headphones/earbuds. Try standalone speakers and use those if they work well for you.