Masking with a Beeping Tone — Is It Safe? Or Should Only Natural Masking Sounds Be Used?

My tinnitus has hit the roof this week, no idea why. I am having a lot of trouble sleeping and found a noise on Spotify that completely masks it, it's a miracle. I only use it when I am really struggling and play it at the same volume as my tinnitus.

For anyone with spotify this is the noise, it's a beeping sound

My question is, is this dangerous? Could it make it worse? I remember I think it was Bill said if you're not careful it can create a new tone. Is it safer to use natural masking sounds?

Thanks for reading xx

 

Hi @Holly1987

Tinnitus should not be masked. By this I mean fully covered with another sound so the tinnitus cannot be heard. There is also the risk of making the tinnitus worse. Please read my 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.

 

Thank you for your reply @Michael Leigh. I hope this isn't a really stupid question but does the noise you use matter? Is beeping ok?

 

HI @Holly1987
Use whatever sound is pleasing or acceptable to you for sound enrichment. It is not advisable to use music for sound enrichment at night, as it can draw the brain's attention which is not ideal. During the day music is fine as background ambiance.

Michael

 

Thanks to whoever changed my thread title. I'm not very inventive I'm afraid haha.

 

I think the noise does matter. Its spectral distribution at least. A pure tone will have most of the energy focused around one single frequency, which translates to having most mechanical energy applied to one small section of the cochlea. I would personally avoid long exposures to such type of sounds.