Tinnitus . . . how are you dealing with it?

[ZX9RCAM]

Terrible tinnitus, my favorite souvenir from six years in field artillery. In the last two years it seems much in spite of all my precautions. I sleep with headphones on, listening to a mellow playlist to try to mask the ringing. I can't understand the dialogue in movies anymore without cranking up the volume. If anyone discovers a hearing aid to combat tinnitus, sign me up.

I don't watch anything anymore without "closed captioning" turned on...

 

[benenglish]

The worst times for me is trying to go to sleep. For that, I haven't found an answer yet. Mine is actually loud enough that it wakes me up at night.

I went on nasal CPAP within a few years of the onset of tinnitus. I know I'll be on it forever because it somewhat covers the tinnitus, enabling me to get to sleep. I was pretty surprised to come to that realization but thanks to a few long power outages, I know it's true.

I hate it that this is the case, though. The dental devices have advanced to the point that they're probably better for most people. They don't require power. They're small. For travel, something I've always loved, they'd be far superior because they don't take up so much room in your carry-on baggage. The one time I checked my CPAP machine it arrived at my destination broken into small pieces!

Unfortunately, I have accepted that if I'm actually going to sleep I need that noise being injected into my nasal cavities and upper jaw.

I don't watch anything anymore without "closed captioning" turned on...

Ditto.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

I'm supposed to use my CPAP.
I sleep better without it.

One new item I use, maybe 9 months, which is a big help, "Somnifix".
It's crazy, I know, but I used to wake up several times a night with "dry mouth", and I would need to take a sip of water.

Now, I sleep until I am forced to get up to use the bathroom.

 

[popper]

Had tinnitus as long as I can remember, just ignore it.

 

[benenglish]

I'm supposed to use my CPAP.
I sleep better without it.

It's OT but important enough that I'm going to go with it.

If you were diagnosed with a sleep disorder that needs CPAP, then either you need CPAP or the diagnosis was wrong. If you sleep better without CPAP, either something has changed or the original setup (i.e. the chosen mask, pressure, etc.) was wrong for you.

In all of those cases, the proper next step is another sleep study.

If you ever get one and decide to try your CPAP again, PM me for my thoughts on masks. I've tried pretty much all of them except the full-face space helmet thing and I have strong opinions on what does and doesn't work.

 

[Axxe55]

Another side-effect I now have is difficulty in understanding what people are saying unless I'm really close. The further away, or if there are loud noises around, I can hear them talking, I just can't understand the words.

 

[Axxe55]

It's OT but important enough that I'm going to go with it.

If you were diagnosed with a sleep disorder that needs CPAP, then either you need CPAP or the diagnosis was wrong. If you sleep better without CPAP, either something has changed or the original setup (i.e. the chosen mask, pressure, etc.) was wrong for you.

In all of those cases, the proper next step is another sleep study.

If you ever get one and decide to try your CPAP again, PM me for my thoughts on masks. I've tried pretty much all of them except the full-face space helmet thing and I have strong opinions on what does and doesn't work.

Have you heard the radio ad for some sort of app that you use on your smart phone instead a CPAP mask and set-up?

 

[toddnjoyce]

Have you heard the radio ad for some sort of app that you use on your smart phone instead a CPAP mask and set-up?

There is no app in the world that can substitute for a CPAP machine.

There are apps that can analyze the data from the machine, and there’s some that claim to help identify if you should get a sleep study done, but none exist that can apply positive pressure to the airway.

 

[Axxe55]

There is no app in the world that can substitute for a CPAP machine.

There are apps that can analyze the data from the machine, and there’s some that claim to help identify if you should get a sleep study done, but none exist that can apply positive pressure to the airway.

I just caught bits of the commercial, so I don't know all the details of how it works, The next time I hear the ad, I'll pay closer attention and also see if I can catch the name of it and post that information here.

 

[striker55]

I use a sound machine with ocean waves to help get to sleep, helps somewhat with tinnitus.

 

[HawkeyeSATX]

I have tinnitus from being in the military and qualifying with small arms. Even the stoutest hearing protection didn’t help with not getting that.
Plus being a civilian law enforcement officer didn’t help any when I had to qualify there too.
Mine is constant, and very noticeable during the day. At night it’s almost unbearable.
At times I use noise canceling headphones to drown out the constant hum. That seems to work very well.
I just saw in my local Walgreens, they had a sound machine that plays the sound of waves.
I think that would help as well.


Hawk


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[leVieux]

One of my ears is deaf, and hears nothing but LOUD ringing. My sound is about 6,000 Hz at around 85 decibels. My audiologist helped my quantify those numbers by playing sounds in my good ear until it closely matched what I hear in my deaf ear. I've been that way for about 20 years now, so I have some experience dealing with the mental aspects of this problem.

Best advice I've ever come across is this: Don't think about. Don't talk about it. Don't ask people about it. Don't dwell on it. Try to ignore it.

The only way I can do that is to give my mind something else to focus on. TV, radio, a book, the computer, a project in the shop, or any task that requires a little bit of mental concentration. The mind can't "tune it out" unless the mind is busy doing something.

Just writing this post had made me "hear" it louder than normal. That's what I mean by don't talk about or think about it.

The worst times for me is trying to go to sleep. For that, I haven't found an answer yet. Mine is actually loud enough that it wakes me up at night.

So true. I've had it for so long that I rarely notice it unless something like this post calls my attention to it.

leVieux

 

[Axxe55]

I have tinnitus from being in the military and qualifying with small arms. Even the stoutest hearing protection didn’t help with not getting that.
Plus being a civilian law enforcement officer didn’t help any when I had to qualify there too.
Mine is constant, and very noticeable during the day. At night it’s almost unbearable.
At times I use noise canceling headphones to drown out the constant hum. That seems to work very well.
I just saw in my local Walgreens, they had a sound machine that plays the sound of waves.
I think that would help as well.


Hawk


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Background noise helps a lot. I sleep year round with a fan going. Also the TV or radio are playing as well.

I do wonder if the tinnitus might also be some of the cause for my insomnia. Might be something for me to discuss with my doctor the next visit.

My worst times are when we have a power outage at night. I'll awake from a dead sleep almost immediately if the power goes out, because it gets deathly quiet. The quieter it is, the louder the ringing seems to be.

 

[ZX9RCAM]

There is no app in the world that can substitute for a CPAP machine.

There are apps that can analyze the data from the machine, and there’s some that claim to help identify if you should get a sleep study done, but none exist that can apply positive pressure to the airway.

I just saw the ad he is probably talking about.
It is "inspiresleep.com".

It's actually a surgical procedure, and it seems the implant "might" be controlled by a phone app.

 

[benenglish]

It's actually a surgical procedure,

That's interesting. That's a surgical procedure that might actually work.

Surgery for sleep apnea had, in the past, a miserable track record. It consisted of carving away excess tissue in various places. According to the doctors I've discussed it with, it would typically take six months to heal. The entire time, whenever you swallowed anything it felt like the worst sore throat you've ever had. Then there would be a year of blissful cure - no pain, no snoring, good sleep. After that, the problem often (according to one doctor, the vast majority of the time) would come back and you're back in for another round of surgery. Most patients, so I was told, would just give up and go back on CPAP.

This thing is fundamentally different. It will make for some interesting reading for me as I go down the internet rabbit hole looking for more information.

 

[toddnjoyce]

I just saw the ad he is probably talking about.
It is "inspiresleep.com".

It's actually a surgical procedure, and it seems the implant "might" be controlled by a phone app.

Thanks, looked it up. Definitely not a CPAP. Seems an interesting procedure, luckily I don’t deal with OSA, but it’s one of the medical topics I keep up with since it’s a an FAA high interest item that can cause problems with medical certification.

 

[benenglish]

Sorry for derailing the thread. Back to tinnitus.

If we want to talk about sleep apnea, someone can start a new thread.

 

[Antares]

I lost almost all my hearing when I was on Guam. Tinnitus I usually find it worse when you are in a quiet room. When they put me in a room when they give me hearing test and shut the door making a change in pressure in the room it is really noticeable. If there is a little white noise you wont even notice it was my experience. I am trying to get hybrid cochlear implants or bi-modal through an outside doctor not VA.

 

[GPtwins]

I had a double ear infection at 14, now 56. Doc said it was really bad. I had the tinnitus ever since. I use background music to mask the ringing. I really like my music so this suits me just fine. This is about the only way for me to concentrate deeply. When shooting I use foam plugs in ear and then over the ear protection especially when at indoor ranges.

Like many stated here. I don’t think about it much until someone mentions it then it kinda brings it to the forefront. So, thanks for that.


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[Coiled]

I don't post here every year or 2 simply to antagonize others; I do so in hopes of finding a breakthrough I'm not aware of and couldn't / didn't find elsewhere on the web.

I am suffering too.