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I have tinnitus in both ears. Most of the time I’m not aware of it but at times it’s very annoying. I’m very careful to not let my thoughts about it become dark

I have tinnitus in both ears. Most of the time I’m not aware of it but at times it’s very annoying. I’m very careful to not let my thoughts about it become dark because I can see a very clear path toward depression about it. I do hope there is a cure on the horizon.

gundamdoubleO 5y ago
Likewise. Although I've had it since I was very young and grew accustomed to it. I wasn't even aware that hearing "nothing" was a thing until I mentioned the constant ringing to my parents one day. If it does begin to annoy me I listen to something calming like ocean waves or raindrops falling (on relatively low volume). It does wonders, especially if I notice it while trying to sleep.
deleted 5y ago
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paraph1n 5y ago
(genuine question) How is there a clear path from tinnitus to depression?
- colpabar 5y ago
  I have tinnitus and I can see it too. Tinnitus is a constant ringing in one or both ears. Constant, as in it is always there. There is no true silence anymore, because the ringing is always there. There is also no cure, and really no certified treatment. All we can do is distract ourselves with other sounds and try not to focus on it, but it can still be very mentally draining. Without the right mindset, it’s an extremely hopeless and depressing situation.
  - rhino369 5y ago
    There is also a feedback loop component. Tinnitus causes depression. And then you worry and focus on how awful it is, which makes the tinnitus worse. I only hear my tinnitus when I think about it. Otherwise my mind filters it out.
  - paraph1n 5y ago
    Interesting... I have a lot of trouble understanding this (as someone who does not have tinnitus). For most things that are permanent, we adapt to the new baseline and, well, "get used to it". ie. "Oh, that ringing? Yeah, it's been there for years, I barely notice it anymore." I wonder what it is about tinnitus that makes it hard to adapt to (or filter out) for some people.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - bobsmooth 5y ago
      Play this at high volume, try to get through the whole thing. See if you can tune it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNxFWFuaaRY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNxFWFuaaRY
    - jcims 5y ago
      It’s one of those things that i think you need to experience to understand. I had it for about four months and I couldn’t get used to it, at all. It’s not just ‘there’, it messes with how you hear and is a constant active intrusion into your peace of mind.
    - Nursie 5y ago
      When mine first hit it caused me a sort of despair - this cannot be fixed, stopped, anything. It interrupted my sleep and stole my attention. I searched pretty desperately for something to give me my quiet back, my silence. There's not really anything. I tried various theoretical things - blast your ear with the same tone to desensitise that pitch. Under a minute's relief when stopped. I tried the opposite, under-stimulation. I reprocessed all my mp3s to cut out any/all sound in the octave around the noise (notching) and increased my music listening to 8+ hours a day. This had a placebo-like effect if anything and looking back I think this was part of adapting my mental state. Now, 15 years later, yeah I do barely notice it any more. Except when I do. Sometimes when I go to bed after a bit much to drink there it is loud and proud and unignorable. Right now I can hear it clearly because I'm thinking about it, a 13KHz whine that never ever ever stops. This is a reason I only sometimes read HN tinnitus threads, not thinking about it is a big part of living with it. Imagine "The Game" only when you think of it, instead of laughing and saying you lost, something squeals in your ear for a few hours. It's ... trying. And I'm lucky, it's not that loud, and it's not at a frequency that interferes with much else.
- dazc 5y ago
  The way I describe tinnitus and its effect on my mental state is that we all have a tolerance limit for noise and I am constantly on the extreme edge of that limit. This doesn't necessarily directly cause depression but, for me, it does make me anxious a lot of the time since I am always on my guard for the next annoyance.
- thangalin 5y ago
  Watch this video on 1/4 volume for 1 minute, loud enough to be heard, but soft enough that your favourite song played at a normal volume can mostly drown it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSD2DAgaRys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSD2DAgaRys Imagine this noise. Every. Waking. Moment. Repeat that minute 1,440 times. For some, the sound is loud enough to smother conversations; for others, a different frequency, or perhaps more a locomotive roar, or constant crash of ocean waves as though holding a seashell to one's ear. Imagine trying to fall asleep when night has shushed the ambient sounds of city hubbub, leaving only the ceaseless onslaught of tinnitus for your own private enjoyment.

gundamdoubleO 5y ago

Likewise. Although I've had it since I was very young and grew accustomed to it. I wasn't even aware that hearing "nothing" was a thing until I mentioned the constant ringing to my parents one day. If it does begin to annoy me I listen to something calming like ocean waves or raindrops falling (on relatively low volume). It does wonders, especially if I notice it while trying to sleep.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

paraph1n 5y ago

(genuine question) How is there a clear path from tinnitus to depression?

colpabar 5y ago
I have tinnitus and I can see it too. Tinnitus is a constant ringing in one or both ears. Constant, as in it is always there. There is no true silence anymore, because the ringing is always there. There is also no cure, and really no certified treatment. All we can do is distract ourselves with other sounds and try not to focus on it, but it can still be very mentally draining. Without the right mindset, it’s an extremely hopeless and depressing situation.
- rhino369 5y ago
  There is also a feedback loop component. Tinnitus causes depression. And then you worry and focus on how awful it is, which makes the tinnitus worse. I only hear my tinnitus when I think about it. Otherwise my mind filters it out.
- paraph1n 5y ago
  Interesting... I have a lot of trouble understanding this (as someone who does not have tinnitus). For most things that are permanent, we adapt to the new baseline and, well, "get used to it". ie. "Oh, that ringing? Yeah, it's been there for years, I barely notice it anymore." I wonder what it is about tinnitus that makes it hard to adapt to (or filter out) for some people.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - bobsmooth 5y ago
    Play this at high volume, try to get through the whole thing. See if you can tune it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNxFWFuaaRY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNxFWFuaaRY
  - jcims 5y ago
    It’s one of those things that i think you need to experience to understand. I had it for about four months and I couldn’t get used to it, at all. It’s not just ‘there’, it messes with how you hear and is a constant active intrusion into your peace of mind.
  - Nursie 5y ago
    When mine first hit it caused me a sort of despair - this cannot be fixed, stopped, anything. It interrupted my sleep and stole my attention. I searched pretty desperately for something to give me my quiet back, my silence. There's not really anything. I tried various theoretical things - blast your ear with the same tone to desensitise that pitch. Under a minute's relief when stopped. I tried the opposite, under-stimulation. I reprocessed all my mp3s to cut out any/all sound in the octave around the noise (notching) and increased my music listening to 8+ hours a day. This had a placebo-like effect if anything and looking back I think this was part of adapting my mental state. Now, 15 years later, yeah I do barely notice it any more. Except when I do. Sometimes when I go to bed after a bit much to drink there it is loud and proud and unignorable. Right now I can hear it clearly because I'm thinking about it, a 13KHz whine that never ever ever stops. This is a reason I only sometimes read HN tinnitus threads, not thinking about it is a big part of living with it. Imagine "The Game" only when you think of it, instead of laughing and saying you lost, something squeals in your ear for a few hours. It's ... trying. And I'm lucky, it's not that loud, and it's not at a frequency that interferes with much else.
dazc 5y ago
The way I describe tinnitus and its effect on my mental state is that we all have a tolerance limit for noise and I am constantly on the extreme edge of that limit. This doesn't necessarily directly cause depression but, for me, it does make me anxious a lot of the time since I am always on my guard for the next annoyance.
thangalin 5y ago
Watch this video on 1/4 volume for 1 minute, loud enough to be heard, but soft enough that your favourite song played at a normal volume can mostly drown it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSD2DAgaRys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSD2DAgaRys Imagine this noise. Every. Waking. Moment. Repeat that minute 1,440 times. For some, the sound is loud enough to smother conversations; for others, a different frequency, or perhaps more a locomotive roar, or constant crash of ocean waves as though holding a seashell to one's ear. Imagine trying to fall asleep when night has shushed the ambient sounds of city hubbub, leaving only the ceaseless onslaught of tinnitus for your own private enjoyment.