Hi I'm Shelly.

Good evening everyone.

I'm new here. I've been living with tinnitus since I was about 23/24 And I'm 29 now. And when I go to the doctors they don't seem to know what's going on. But those just have been primary care physicians. But in a couple of weeks I go to see a ENT so I hope they can help.

But I was also wondering, does anyone know if ear plugs work to help you sleep? Bc I have to sleep with either the TV on or the fan and my girlfriend doesn't like that so I was trying to see if ear plugs work, so if they do someone please let me know. That would be great!

Thank you! And I hope I get to talk to some of you on here! I'm a pretty great person! So don't be scared to chat!

Good night all! Sweet dreams!

 

Welcome.

Earplugs would only make the noise seem louder without ambient sound. If you mean earbuds, I would not recommend wearing them, especially while sleeping. You could try some nature sounds instead of the TV / fan.

Good luck with your appointment.

 

Tinnitus is an internal noise and not external. ear plugs don't help this situation, unless you have LOUD noises that keep you up at night time. Also, ear plugs can make folks focus, on the ringing more and they get disturbed even more...

 

Try to use sound enrichment.
http://mynoise.net/
https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Oasis-S-5000-Deluxe-Therapy/dp/B018KUVEOM/
https://www.amazon.com/Cherry-Koala-Concentration-Relaxation-Sufferers/dp/B01FRW2WBA/

 

I have slept with earplugs every night for the last twenty years. I have a big tub of foam earplugs that I keep handy. I cannot sleep if I hear any kind of ambient noise. I just think that over time, I've become hyper vigilant toward noise. If I hear anything, it pulls me out of sleep. Even the sound of my wife breathing next to me will keep me awake.

This makes me unusual. Most tinnitus sufferers will tell you that there is no way that they would ever consider earplugs. Yea, the earplugs make my tinnitus louder because it's the only noise that I hear. Over the years, I've found that tinnitus does not keep me awake. When I'm falling asleep, I'll even see if I can play with the sound a bit, make it change pitch or whatever. Mostly that just involves focusing on one of the frequencies to the exclusion of others. I've found that I can sometimes reduce my focus on the shrill sound of it, and make it more like a hissing noise. Weird, I know, but focusing on it will often help me sleep quickly.