Underwater Tinnitus Therapy

Hey all,

I've gotten into a bit of a routine, where I lie down in the bath on my back, with the water just deep enough so that my ears, but not my mouth/nose are under water. I lay there, listening to my breathing, and trying to steel my attention on the low frequency sound waves that reverberate around under water. I'll lie there for ten minutes, fifteen minutes, sometimes bringing my head above water for 10 seconds, then heading back down, relaxing, breathing, steeling my attention on the low frequency reverberations.

And shit if it doesn't lower my tinnitus by a good dB notch. And the notch lasts too - not forever, but if I do this before routine before getting into bed, I can almost always doze off before the tinnitus starts coming back.

I imagine I'm experiencing relief from a bunch of things... the relaxation, the meditative focus on my breathing... but I feel like the actual experience of being underwater, of having the sound frequencies all morph and alter, adds some extra therapy to the experience.

Anyone else find being underwater helpful?

 

I went scuba diving in shallow water a month ago and got some relief while underwater. My T is normally always loud as hell.

 

When I put my head under the water, I don't hear my tinnitus anymore... Don't know why...

 

I swim everyday and hear my tinnitus.

After 40 minutes the feel good chemicals are released, my blood is oxygenated, and the tinnitus remains but it has less emotional power over me.

 

Interesting, so there really does seem to be something about the water that's providing some relief. And yet we're all obtaining it in a different way.

I imagine that the act of swimming gets the endorphins going, but also hugely masks the tinnitus. I've been going for something different. I'm actually still as a mouse under water, just relaxing and letting the sound vibrations play around my head. And that too seems to lead to relief. If anyone else decides to give this a try, let us know... maybe we're on to a bit of something.

 

@MattS
If I could live in water I would.

 

We were all born in the wrong bodies. We were supposed to be fish, or maybe dolphins.

 

Very interesting.

 

This is the type of thing that research funds should go towards. There are in fact things that can lower tinnitus and provide relief, quality relief and this is just more evidence for that. Why aren't researchers attacking these things like rabid hyenas?

 

It reminds me of these threads where a hot bath is helpful:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hot-bath.17821/
https://www.tinnitustalk.com/threads/hot-bath-—-tinnitus-reduction.16831/

 

Hmm.... I theorize if someone holds their head submerged underwater for over 10 minutes without any breathing apparatus, they won’t hear their tinnitus, or anything... just kidding.

 

I've had about 20 electro acupuncture treatments. It has made a noticeable difference in my tinnitus. It took about 7-8 sessions before I noticed a marked improvement. The loudness, as well as, the harshness has improved. I used to have at least 2 tones, one of which was a chirping that would drive me insane. I also had a high pitched cicada sound that was unbearable.

By July of last summer I couldn't take it anymore, and decided to give acupuncture a try. As of now I am sleeping without the aid of medication for the first time in a year. I've had tinnitus for 20 months. Susan Shore even stated that she believed that acupuncture could provide some relief. My tinnitus is somatic. Other than one study I've encountered out of China nothing has been investigated using acupuncture as a possible treatment. Although it is far from a cure it has improved my quality of life. As far I can tell the world and the researchers don't really give a damn about us. Until we as a community, and the loved ones of those afflicted start voicing their dismay, we will continue this painfully slow trajectory.

 

Interesting... I do usually notice that my t will feel a bit better after a nice hot shower. Holding my ears under water like that though would be pretty detrimental for me personally unfortunately, I always get water trapped in my ear when I swim or hold my head under water at all.

 

@KMc24, Glad you’re doing better. Is electro acupuncture regular acupuncture needles with an electro-stimulator machine put on separately or something different?