A long time ago, I wrote a brief note about my tinnitus and got a host of comments in return.
Well, the tinnitus is still with me (though some commenters may no longer be reading), and its latest incarnation sounds like—well, a train. In my left ear, I hear the “whoooooooo” sound you hear when a train is coming down the tracks. And it’s gotten louder. It’s actually kind of distracting when you’re trying to fall asleep.
During the summertime, I have a box fan that I run all night long for better air circulation upstairs. It’s a great white noise machine once I get used to it, and I can’t hear the tinnitus over the fan. Now that it’s autumn and no longer needed, I can hear the tinnitus. Big-time. Through earplugs, too. Actually, the last time I wore earplugs, I was getting annoyed because I could hear my pulse too loudly, so I took them out.
These days, I run my Brookstone white noise machine as I fall asleep. (If you’ve ever wondered whether a white noise machine is worth it, it is.) I’ve been listening to ocean waves for a while, alternating with the rainstorm. I don’t think I’ll use that one tonight, what with central VA getting about four inches of rain this weekend. But the rain’s stopped and I think I’ll listen to the waves again.
The machine has a timer, and gets quieter as time goes by, to help you doze off. Not that I need it most nights. I have got to stop going shy on sleep during the work week and catching up on the weekends.
I wonder if they’ll ever find a cure for tinnitus. I’m guessing not in my lifetime.
Beware those relaxation CD’s. We’ve got several, one of which is a summer evening – crickets, the breeze rustling in the trees, etc.
One night we put it on before bed. About half way through the disc, a coyote is heard howling in the distance.
Did I mention we have cats? Peanut heard that and grabbed hold of my leg in terror. And each time the coyote howled, she tightened her grip. Fortunately, that segment of the disc is only a few minutes long, and she relaxed afterward (before the pain in my leg got too severe).
Nice to know we’re loved as protectors…but we won’t be playing that disc again.
Very interesting. I sleep with a fan on year round. The sound of it is what matters.
Tom, that’s funny… I had a similar experience with my first “relaxation” CD. It had a rain track on, so I started playing it, and was falling asleep, when the thunderstom hit. The loud thunderstorm. Scared the crap out of me, woke me up, and could not, by any means, be said to be relaxing.
I tossed that one. Brookstone’s is a lot smarter. The thing I don’t get, though, is the windstorm. Why would anyone want to listen to wind?
Meryl, I agree with Paul. Run the fan all year, and, if necessary, throw an extra blanket on the bed. I’ve had tinnitus for many years, and I live where it gets pretty cold. The fan helps a lot, regardless of the temperature.
My wife threw away her white noise generator after I started using a CPAP. It generates white noise on its own.
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