No Pink Noise or White Noise Gives Me Relief

I've been searching in and out on the internet for some pink noise that give some relief, but they all ended up making my ear sour after a bit of listening. In the long term they would make matters a lot worse also, so I stopped listening to them. I wanna mention that I've been listening to them on a pretty HQ surround system, and that the pink noise came from various HQ sources. For example here http://hyperacusisfocus.org/pink-noise/

I wanted to ask; is this normal? For me the best thing is just living calmly without too much noise. My house isn't like dead quiet. You can hear wind and other sort of noises from outside. Isn't that good enough?

 

I don't think you're supposed to force yourself through them. Listen for as long as you can until you feel uncomfortable, turn it off, try again tomorrow, see if you can listen for longer.

 

Tj

Thanks for the reply. Could that ever be just a couple of minutes? I do actually feel some sort of relief up untill 3 minutes or so, and then I turn it off.

 

If you are listening to white or pink noise through a surround sound system then I am not surprised it is making your tinnitus worse. The proper way to use "sound enrichment" is to set the sound level below your tinnitus it should never mask it. Do not play white or pink noise through a surround sound system. Use a portable player or a dedicated "sound machine" like Oasis sound machine. Go to my "started threads". In the list there is a post title: Sound machines. Read my article: Tinnitus, A Personal View, also in the list.

White or Pink noise used correctly will help you habituate to tinnitus. This cannot be achieved playing them through a surround sound system or HI-FI . You need to use a much smaller sound source. A sound machine or a portable player.

Michael

 

Pink noise or any sound training has always made my hyperacusis/tinnitus worse. I had used it a couple of months ago and it regressed my situation so hard. I went from being able to listen to regular sound to not being able to stand almost anything. There's a member here on the forum that advocates for silence (without ear protection!) to be the best solution and I think I agree with that. Just like I said. Sitting on my couch in silence with the only noise being the wind outside is what worked best for me.

I actually became better last couple of months without any sound training but my impatience brought me back to trying out pink noise and once again it made matters worse. Regretting it again

 

Oh wow. Can u give like an example of these sound machines? I'll check out your article as I post this

 

Read my post: New to tinnitus what to do? It is in the list on my "started Threads" The best sound machines are made by Oasis. The model S-650 is popular. You can download nature sounds or pink or white noise to your mobile phone. Connect it to a blue-tooth speaker or docking station with speakers. Play this for sound enrichment especially at night. Set the volume below your tinnitus, it must not mask or cover up your tinnitus.

Michael

 

I'm going to order a sound t herapy system right now

 

If I find a higher number version for cheap does that matter if I take that instead of the s-650? Or is s-650 the most tested hence reliable one?

 

https://www.ebay.nl/itm/351311912915

Should I go for it?

 

I have three Oasis sound machines. If you want the best then buy their S-5000 model. It comes with a host of freatures and over 100 different sound combinations are available. I also have the S-850 travel. It's a great sound machine at only 4x6 inches. Comes with many built in sounds. My post: sound machines explains all three. Go to the Oasis website. Remember, do not try to cover up your tinnitus with sound, as this is not the correct way to use sound enrichment. All the information is in many of my posts on my "started threads"

Start with: New to tinnitus what to do. Tinnitus, A Personal View. The Habituation process.

Michael

 

This one seems good too

https://www.soundoasis.com/products...stems/tinnitus-sound-therapy-system-s-680-02/

 

That is the same as the S-650 only that it is black not silver and blue. It is a very good sound machine. I've had it for quite some time.

 

Might be more expensive from internation taxes, but i'd rather have it from the source rather than ebay. I'm going for it. Thanks for the heads up. I'll be sure to check your articles. Glad I had opened this thread, learning that my surround speakers, which I saw as something good were actually helping things get worse. I'm really surprised by that. I'll see how much the difference is in due time and will share if it comes to mind

 

A sound machine must be used correctly to get benefit and it takes time to get used to. Use it at night by your beside and set the volume slightly below your tinnitus. It is important not to sleep in a quiet room so use the sound machine. It should play all night until morning. Give yourself at least 6 weeks to get used to the sound machine. Read the posts I recommended when you have time.

Michael

 

Having a reaction to pink or white noise doesn't necessarily mean that you aren't listening to the sound properly.

There is a lot of anecdotal reporting around of people whose tinnitus will spike or react to these sorts of broadband noise - I'm one of them. I partly blame excessive use of white noise generators for my tinnitus getting worse to begin with.

Have you tried different types of sound, what makes you want to use white or pink noise?

 

@Steve,
Can you put a link up to your sounds?
love glynis x

 

Most issues happen when there is very loud noise, like impulse noise etc Sounds that increase in volume very fast. The wind is not a sound of that kind, although it can make your ears tired..

 

So conclusion, in order to recover from hyperacusis silence needs to be avoided at all cost?

 

I don't know. There's so many mixed messages online. Did you try sound therapy? It's been a month and a half, how are you doing?

 

Yes. Being in quiet places gives me more lasting relief than any masking noise. I guess everyone is different, but it doesn't seem abnormal to me.

 

@Dja You could try brown or purple noise. It might be certain frequencies that irritate you rather than all. I found white noise did for me, but pink is ok.

Also, in another thread @Tinker Bell suggested a really nice app called ReSound that has a nice variety of sounds to create your own tailored soundscapes. Pairing that with a quality Bluetooth speaker could be a way to go.

 

Using it at night during sleep actually makes me wake up a lot better than when not using it. Using it during the day however irritates me. I think it helps more in subconsious mode cuz your never able to pay attention to it which may be the problem. I know before I got my hyperacusis the problem for me was how my brain was trying to catch noises during silence because of a paranoya. So basically I wanted silence so much that my brain would hear the littlest sound immediately. I think what pink noise at night may be doing is making my brain used to noise being a normal occurance once again and making me used to not expecting silence. I dunno this is really my own analysis based on speculation.

 

You have to give sound enrichment time to work or until you get used to it. If the sound is irritating you during the day, do you have it set to loud? During the day you don't have to use a sound machine. Relaxing low level music will suffice. Music shouldn't be used at night for sound enrichment as it draws attention to itself.

Michael

 

Yeah have been using it for weeks since a week after I opened this thread. I dont have it set on loud during the day, I just notice that the pink noise sounds like a whistling noise after some time. Not sure if thats supposed to be something bad or normal.

 

@Steve
I wanted to ask, what would you recommend for tinnitus in the very high frequency range?

Mine's like a hiss over 8 kHz. I found crickets work, but I wonder if anything else could work too despite not having the same pitch. It seems as if my tinnitus is right there at the edge of my hearing.

Would acoustic neuromodulation still work if you can't hear higher than your tinnitus?

I tried Steve's sequence on the myNoise page, but while it distracts from my tinnitus it doesn't really do anything. Do I have to listen for extended periods? All night for example?