Surrounding Oneself With Noise — Good or Bad?

Discussion in 'Support' started by RamJam, Dec 12, 2014.

    1. RamJam

      RamJam Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      12/14
      Hi, apologies in advance if this is a rookie question that you've all been through before but: I very recently read about a person with T being advised to "surround" himself with noise - fans, TV, whatever drowns out the T. The idea apparently is that it helps with habituatin as your brain gets used to pushing the T to the "back" of your mind.

      On the other hand it sounds a bit counterintuitive... Surely as soon as those external stimuli are removed the T is worse than ever as you've grown accustomed to non-stop masking noise? As it is I'm going to need a LOT of ambient noise to sleep but if it helps speed up habituation I might as well just fill up my home with sound 24/7.

      I greatly appreciate any help/advice.
       
    2. Telis

      Telis Member Hall of Fame

      Tinnitus Since:
      11/2013
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Drugs barotrauma
      I used to listen to music all day just below my T. Yes, when you remove the sound you tend to overreact to the T. This is my experience anyway....I'm sure there are more that would say otherwise.
       
    3. Asian

      Asian Member

      Tinnitus Since:
      4 weeks
      Surrounding yourself with sound has its prons and cons in think. I think sound helps newbies more as they are more anxious about the situation and are desperate. But eventually all of us become desensitized with T and it doesn't seem to bother as much with time. While its good to keep some sound around but I would prefer not to as this may lenthen the habituation process in my opinion and would keep some sound only when absolutely necessary. Regardless, we all would habituate anyway eventually

      Its just my opinion. No two persons have same experiences with T
       
    4. Larry OT
      No Mood

      Larry OT Member Benefactor

      Location:
      NJ
      Tinnitus Since:
      05/2014
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Volume, meds and motorcycles
      Nothing drowns out my T when its bad, but I have started to use white noise again to distract my brain from the harsh sounds that T provides. Sometimes the white noise supresses my T, or maybe its just calming my nerves, but at times its what I need to get through that time period.

      The idea is that if you listen to masking sounds, keep them below your T level, so you can habituate while having something to distract your brain for now. Eventually you will lose the masking, At least thats the idea behind TRT and habituation. Its very hard not to use some masking at the beginning.
       
    5. SoulStation
      No Mood

      SoulStation Member

      Location:
      New York
      Tinnitus Since:
      2012
      Cause of Tinnitus:
      Noise / Possible Medication
      Crickets
       
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