Speeding Up Habituation by Using Noise-Cancelling Headphones to Hear More of the Tinnitus Sound

Hi, I'm Erman and this is my first post. This forum has been a great help to get through the first couple weeks, so thanks everyone in advance.
I got mild tinnitus as a result of a concert about 5 weeks ago. First couple weeks were a nightmare, super depressing, but I slowly got used to the fact now. I am past the acceptance phase, and working on the habituation. I only hear it in quiet places, so it doesn't affect my daily life much. However, towards the end of the night, when it gets closer to bedtime, I can't help feeling a bit anxious since I know I will hear it during sleep, and I can't help feeling upset that this might be for life. Good thing is that it doesn't keep me awake too much, but it's upsetting every time I wake up and notice it the first thing. It's getting less and less depressing though. The motivating habituation stories here are really helping.

Let me first describe the kind of tinnitus I have and then I'll share a couple things I'm trying to cope with it. Please share your opinions.

I have multiple sounds, probably like 3. Two of them are kinda pleasant, I could totally live with them with no problem. One is really high pitch, and the other is a static electricity noise. Pretty mild. I even find them relaxing sometimes Maybe I always had the high pitch one, but never really paid attention to is, so I'm naturally habituated and that's why it doesn't bother me? I don't know. The third sound, however, is a screeching sound, and it's not pleasant. I don't notice it unless I'm in a very quiet room or wearing isolating ear plugs. But when I'm in bed it slowly creeps in, gets louder and louder (some nights better than the others)

One method I came up with is to focus on the more pleasant electricity sound, and push the screeching into the background. It really works. When I do it, I hear the screeching less and less. It has helped me some nights. It needs actively focusing on one sound, so it's a little exhausting to do it for a long time. But even when I do it for a minute and see that it works, it gives me great comfort and confidence. I like being able to push it into the background without needing any external devices, purely using my own brain and my own tinnitus. It makes me realize and appreciate how powerful our brain is, and gives me hope that it can work itself out eventually. Has anyone used this technique before? Maybe I should patent it

Another thing I'm trying is to speed up the habituation process. Please let me know what you think:
Since I almost only hear it in bed, I feel like it's going to take a long time to habituate. My theory is that the more my brain hears this sound while I'm focused on something else, the more it'll learn to push it into the background. So, I'm trying to increase the time that I hear it by wearing noise cancelling headphones (Bose QC-35) while at work. Does this theory and my application make sense? Has anyone tried this before?

Thanks and good luck everyone in whatever ways you're using to deal with your own.
-Erman

 

Don't forget you have to habituate to a hearing deficit, as well as possibility of noise induced pain.

Maybe TMD as well since most cases of tinnitus are both hearing loss and TMD related.

 

The only problem with this plan is that some people on this site had reported getting T [or their T getting louder] after using noise-cancelling headphones (including Bose QC headphones). I own Bose QC25 headphones, and I always wear earplugs underneath them. The earplugs are there to protect my ears from the possible negative effect of the headphones. If you do this, make sure to not wear earplugs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You want to take them out once every 2-4 hours. Otherwise, you might develop an infection in your ears.

Otherwise, I agree that if you get to hear your T all of the time, it will take less time before you habituate. With your T being as quiet as you describe, chances are that even if you don't do anything, you will stop having as strong of an emotional reaction to it about 1-2 years after the onset.

 

HI @rmnkby

I will try to be brief and advise you to read the post below. You are new to tinnitus and as it only becomes problematic at night, give it time as this will improve using proper sound enrichment. The habituation process cannot be rushed, and if you decide on using any form of headphones even at low volume, then it's likely you ae asking for trouble as your tinnitus could get considerably worse. Read my post below and click on the links for further information that I think will help you.

All the best
Michael.

The habituation process.

Habituation is frequently talked about in tinnitus forums and probably comes in at second place to the popular question: when will a cure be found? It seems some people have become quite taken with this word and believe it is the most important thing to strive for when dealing with this condition. Everyone wants to habituate as soon as possible and carry on living their life doing everything that they want to and putting tinnitus firmly behind them.

I can honestly say that I see nothing wrong with that, but wanting something in the speed that we would like it isn’t always achievable, especially with something like tinnitus. A few people that have had tinnitus for a while, have contacted me to discuss just that. They have concerns about the length of time it’s taking to habituate. Similarly, I have heard from those new to this condition that want the habitation process to start as quickly as possible. Both groups tell me they are doing all the right things but it seems patience is giving way to despondency and despair and some are starting to believe habituation might never happen for them.

It is of little comfort to these people when they hear family and friends say, tinnitus is just a minor irritant and something that can easily be ignored. Occasionally, it might be intrusive but this is never more than temporary and they are still able to carry on with their life unperturbed. I often sense the frustration a person is under when they are relaying this to me. Whether I’m talking to them on the telephone, private messenger or answering an email. It is then that I’m often asked: why is it that the habituation process doesn’t seem to be happening for them?

Answering such a question isn’t easy because there is no single answer that I can provide but I will say this. Tinnitus is a common condition that comes in many forms and intensities and no two people experience it the same. It can be very troublesome especially in the early stages of onset, but gradually this gives way and the condition settles down and in time many manage to cope with it when it’s mild or moderate. Sometimes this may involve treatment via a hearing therapist or a person achieves this naturally without being referred to a clinic.

It should be noted that tinnitus can be a complex condition, depending on how loud and intrusive it is for the individual? So what I’ve just outlined won’t apply to everyone. There are other factors that also come into play. A person’s make-up or rather their outlook on life. Whether they are positive or negative thinking can help or delay the habitation process. In addition to this, stress and anxiety are often associated with tinnitus and a person might be taking medication such as an antidepressant to help cope with it. There are a myriad of scenarios that I could relay to you on how tinnitus can affect someone’s quality of life, their well-being and the habituation process. For now I will say this:

When a person habituates to tinnitus it means they are able cope with it but this doesn’t mean they will never hear it. Although some people habituate to a level where the tinnitus is rarely heard or stays at a very low level. Whether the tinnitus is silent for periods of time or remains low, mild, moderate or is occasionally intrusive, it doesn’t really matter, because it all means the same thing. When habituation is reached a person will know, because whatever the level it will not bother you. However, like everything there are exceptions and tinnitus is no different. I believe there are some limitations to habituation. As I have previously said the condition comes in many forms and intensities. Some people have variable tinnitus that can fluctuate from silent, mild, moderate and severe. When it is loud and intrusive (severe) and this level is sustained for long periods it can become very debilitating and a person might have to take medication to cope with it, which is usually supplied by their doctor. This level of sustained intrusiveness shouldn’t be confused with a tinnitus spike, which usually returns to baseline within a short period of time.

I want to say that I believe habituation is achievable for most people with time. In some instances a person might need the professional help of a Hearing Therapist or Audiologist, as there are a variety of treatment options available to help one in the habituation process. One should also try to be realistic. There are some people that will accept nothing less than a complete cure from their tinnitus and this is unfortunate, because they could waste a lot of time being miserable.

I have corresponded with people that have said, their tinnitus is very low and is only heard occasionally or in a quiet room, at night for instance. Yet these people are not satisfied because they want a complete cure and will deliberately seek out quiet surroundings to monitor their tinnitus, checking to see if it has increased or not. It’s as if they have become obsessed with this condition and to the point where is starts to affect their relationship with those that are close to them, and I don’t think this is healthy.

In summing up I want to say one last thing. Those that are having treatment with a Hearing Therapist, Audiologist, or finding that their tinnitus is becoming less intrusive and they are in the habituation process. Try not to read negative posts or associate with negative thinking people who are not in the same place that you are, as their beliefs can prevent your advancement, if you are not careful.

Further reading on habituation:
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/tinnitus-a-personal-view.18668/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hyperacusis-as-i-see-it.19174/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/answers-to-hyperacusis-and-habituation.12058/

 

I would avoid the headphones as it could worsen the situation. Some folks even claim to have gotten T from these noise canceling headphones.

I noticed in my case a diurnal variation with the T as it was always less in the morning with initial wakening. About a month ago, the H was keeping me up at night with every passing car and traffic noise. I started wearing the ear plugs at night, and noticed that the T was even less in the morning. Also, I did not wear the earplugs on the nights when I had to wake up with the alarm as I did not want to miss work- and on those days the T was greater in the morning than when I wore the earplugs overnight in at least for me a quite consistent pattern.

I got a set of musician earplugs so I can wear them to wake up with the alarm. After 3 weeks of consistent earplug use, along with omega3 supplement, and 1 to 2 cups of green tea daily, my H is gone, and the T is half the volume. I think all of this sped up the habituation process quite a bit in my case, so feel free to try it.

 

Interesting! I was wondering about this. I am going to stop wearing my noise cancelling headphones as I believe they have contributed to my T.

 

The lag in the software in noise cancelling headphones can actually cause an amplification in high frequency sounds.

"Many people get expensive noise cancelling headphones in the hope that they will somehow completely shield them from environmental noise.

But when they switch on their headphones’ noise cancelling without music, they notice that all that chatter, shouting and screaming is still coming through.

It may appear at times as if voices are even amplified."

https://noisyworld.org/noise-cancelling-headphones-voices/

Noise cancelling is really only good for low frequency, repetitive sounds.

Just use foam ear plugs.

 

Thanks John. I was glued to my noise cancelling headphones from about 6 months before my T.

I hope everything is well with your situation.

 

A friend lent me some Bose canceling headphones after my tinnitus onset. At first I thought they were great, but it didn't take long to notice they tended to exacerbate my tinnitus. I've since read a testimonial by a man who didn't have tinnitus at all, got some noise cancelling headphones for work, and tinnitus started after about a week.

 

Lane, link me.

These Bose are going in the trash.

 

Tinnitus After Using Noise-Cancelling Headphones?
Hi! I recently purchased some noise-cancelling headphones and although I love them, I think they may have given me tinnitus. It became...
Thread by: subsonik, May 2, 2018, 49 replies, in forum: Support

 

Thanks fam, I'll share my Neuromod with you. I bought mine 3 days after this post was made...

 

I just gave mine to a coworker. Dr. Shim is the one that explained to me why they are potentially harmful for people with hearing damage.

 

Is it a secret?

 

I hope you continue to wear them in the car and on the plane. Just wear earplugs underneath. The earplugs are there to protect you from the headphones, and not for double protection.

 

What reason did he give?

 

The same one I did. The software lag causes the higher frequency output inverse wave to be out of phase with the input wave and waves sum so that out of phase wave can add to the peak of another wave peak and amplify it.

 

Were that to happen, it would appear that the user would hear the noise. It sounds like a reason to not rely on NC headphones to protect one from the sudden noises. Hopefully this is less likely to happen for constant noise of a car or a plane.

 

Yes, that is where NC technology is good, lower pitch, repetitive sounds, like road noise and airplane noise.

 

My tinnitus started spiking four months after finally getting noise cancelling headphones and using them daily in a noisy office at quite high levels.

Although it was a concert which was clearly the final trigger, it was probably the last straw after subjecting my ears to too much loud music through those headphones, and already having had low-level tinnitus for a number of years. So be careful with them if listening to music, and as others have said you probably should consider whether you want to listen to music at all with them if you have any hint of tinnitus.