Stay positive – learn to live with your tinnitus
Posted on: Friday, April 27, 2012
by Louis Adamou
James Moss is a 23 year old musician. Having played in loud environments for the last few years, he’s developed tinnitus.
Find out how James has learnt to live with his tinnitus, even trying to stay positive about the condition and also why he thinks it’s important to protect your hearing.
Please leave comments below.
My name is James Moss, I’m 23 and I live with tinnitus. I have experienced tinnitus for over two years now and have become accustomed to dealing with it. I acquired tinnitus from being a musician and playing loud music for several years and attending gigs.
I was especially stubborn when it came to wearing earplugs much like others and thought nothing of the consequences at the time and in hindsight it clearly wasn’t the smartest decision I’ve ever made. We often don’t realize the great pressure we put our ears under, especially in our youth.
My experience of tinnitus varies from both its strength and the length of time which it remains for. Sometimes it can be a long poignant shrill that balances itself between my hearing and my speaking voice or a low-pitched hum that comes in waves. But I find it most distinctive late at night, especially when falling asleep so I tend to read aloud before bed or put some music on softly in the background to drown out the sound. The sound is unpleasant to say the least and the only way I can describe it is that it’s much like the ring of an unplugged speaker, much like the top end whine of white noise but it’s always just one clear note or frequency. Thankfully it’s not always obvious and I can go a substantial amount of time without noticing it but for others it can be constant, sensitive and uncomfortable feeling.
“I’ve found techniques that can help”
Blocking out the ringing isn’t always so straightforward but I’ve found techniques that can help with distracting me from it, so in some circumstances it can be slightly easier to bear. The obvious one is to keep yourself and your mind occupied, I find humming is a great way to do this and is probably one of the most significant solutions.
“Use the frequency as a guideline”
I tend to use the frequency as a guideline to weave in and out of, marking the ring as your key and humming along with it. Your mind then tends to forget the constant sound and focuses on the tune you are humming. I’m not sure how this works but my only explanation is what’s worked for me, of course this may not be applicable to anyone else but hopefully it can be in some way.
“Helps my musical ear”
One strange encounter I’ve had with tinnitus is that I find it helps my musical ear. Because of the note that it’s pitched at, it helps me when I try to find a note or work out a key in my head. It’s much like my very own personal chromatic tuner. I’ve only heard of this a couple of times and the few people I’ve spoken to about this experience, these similarities seem to be musicians. But this for me is the only upside, and the positives completely underway the negatives without a shadow of a doubt. I’ve reached the stage now where I just accept it and get on with things and I think once you can do that it all becomes a little simpler.
The main point I’m trying to clarify is just to be careful especially when you’re young. Go to gigs, listen to loud music and have fun, but wear earplugs. I know that your thinking it will never happen to you because that’s exactly what I said. Don’t be careless or stubborn, just do it and your ears will be grateful!
Do you have ringing in your ears?
If you have ringing in your ears, you may be suffering from tinnitus. Although there currently isn’t a cure for tinnitus, there are many ways of managing its effects.
We also have useful discussion forum on tinnitus, where you can share tips and talk about useful products that help to alleviate the effects of tinnitus.
For more information on tinnitus, you can read our factsheets and leaflets, or contact our specialist Tinnitus Line on:
Tinnitus Line
Telephone: 0808 808 6666 (freephone)
Textphone: 0808 808 0007 (freephone)
Fax: 020 7296 8199
SMS: 0780 0000 360
Email: tinnitushelpline@hearingloss.org.uk