Kari

Tinearity helps me better manage my tinnitus

I developed tinnitus a year ago after a concussion, and since then, I have had a persistent high-pitched sound in my head/ears that is present all the time. Initially, I wanted nothing more than to get rid of the intrusive noise and had negative thoughts about tinnitus because it never got better. Since I was awakened several times every night by tinnitus, it also negatively affected my sleep.

Now, I am working on accepting the situation as it is right now. Instead of stressing about tinnitus and fighting against it (which only makes it angrier), I try to relax when it feels challenging and do relaxation exercises or take a walk in the woods. I also try to distract myself from tinnitus by doing things I enjoy, like reading a book or listening to relaxing sounds. Alongside this, I have started a treatment with Tinearity.

Before I started using Tinearity, I preferred listening to sounds that gave me energy to divert the angry ringing, and I was not at all attracted to listening to white noise because it reminded me too much of my own tinnitus noise. When I tried having background noise on during the night to see if it could improve my sleep, I soon discovered that I could "rest" more when listening to the white noise than with other sounds.

I tried using a sleep mask and headphones to have the background noise on during the night, which didn't work well because it was uncomfortable for my ears. I then switched to having the noise on my phone, but it was not optimal because it disturbed my husband.

Tinearity has solved this problem as they are comfortable to sleep with, even if, like me, you prefer to sleep on your stomach/side. Compared to having background noise in the room, they also provide a consistent noise to both ears, which helps me sleep much better.

The best thing about Tinearity is that they work just as well during the day, whether you're in meetings at work or having coffee with a friend. Since I don't have my Tinearity set at the highest volume but adjust them just below my own tinnitus tone, the battery lasts a long time, and they provide a gentle noise all night and into the late afternoon the next day before they need to be recharged.

My tips:

• You need to commit to giving the treatment time and be persistent. Even though Tinearity is easy to use, it requires a little effort to apply them and charge them every day, so you need to be prepared to incorporate it into your daily routines, much like brushing your teeth and personal care.
• It takes some getting used to. I felt a bit more tired during the initial period of having the white noise on, especially since I developed sound sensitivity. However, after a while, my head got used to "resting" in the noise, which helps reduce the perception of tinnitus. (I really just want it to be quiet, but it's more comfortable to listen to the white noise than the angry tinnitus tone).
• If you have other issues or symptoms related to your tinnitus, it's good to work on them in parallel. I had problems with dizziness and neck tension after the accident and got good help from a physiotherapist with various exercises. Being physically active also helps to keep your spirits up. If you alleviate other symptoms, it can make it easier to manage tinnitus as well.