by Paul Tobey

One of the biggest challenges that I hear from tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears) patients is their inability to get a good night’s sleep. I used to have this problem as well, so I am very familiar with how frustrating that is. Imagine what it might be like to sleep on a busy airport runway with jets taking off all around you. That’s what it’s like for me. For many people who suffer from this debilitating disease, they can be kept awake by constant hissing, roaring, pulsing, whooshing, chirping, whistling and even clicking sounds that interfere with their regular sleep patterns.

Unfortunately, the less sleep you get, the more your tinitus will bother you. Why this is I’m not sure, except to know that if you’re tired it’s much harder to keep motivated and do the things you need to do to keep your mind off tinitus. I do know, however, that it’s very important to get at least 8 hours of sleep each night in order to avoid what often feels like an increase in the tinitus volume.

So, how do you get a good night’s sleep? That’s really a 2 part question because first you have to get to sleep and then you have to stay asleep. I can’t tell you the number of times that tinitus would actually wake me up in the middle of the night. Once awake, it’s virtually impossible to get back to sleep. Many patients admit that their tinitus is much worse after awaking from sleep and I definitely agree with this based on my own experience.

First, let’s talk about how to get to sleep. After experimenting for several years I came up with a formula that works for me and I truly believe it can work for you too. And, like David Letterman I call it; the top ten ways for tinitus patients to fall asleep. But this is no joke!

Number Ten: Make sure you’re physically tired. This seems like such a simple thing but it can really help to be just absolutely fatigued when you hit the pillow.

Number Nine: Don’t watch TV before going to bed. It fills your mind with useless nonsense and more often than not, your mind will race with useless information as a result of the subject matter.

Number Eight: Don’t exercise right before bed. This will raise your adrenalin and give you energy. Energy is the last thing you want when trying to sleep.

Number Seven: Don’t eat after 8:00 pm. Avoid volume raising tinitus foods like caffeine, salt, alcohol, etc.

Number Six: If you can, meditate before bed. It will help to relax you and rid your body of any stress it is carrying. Breathe Deeply. Most of us go through our lives taking short breaths. A deep breath is grounding.

Number Five: Learn to relax in bed as if it were a rewarding experience. Relax each part of your body as you focus on relaxing it. Start with the top of your head and work your mind down to the tip of your toes. Very often I would only get to my knees and I’d be asleep.

Number Four: Try not to habituate yourself to loud noise when you are falling asleep. Avoid leaving the TV and/or radio on. If you can, open the window and listen to nature. If you must listen to something, make it a natural environmentally friendly sound, so when it’s not there, you won’t miss it.

Number Three: Make sure the room is dark so your brain tells your body its time to rest.
Number Two: Don’t Think! I know that seems like an odd concept but the fact is, thinking is what keeps your mind active and that keeps you awake.

And, the Number One way to fall asleep is: If all else fails, make love!

When you make love, you are not thinking about your tinitus and at the same time you are setting up your body to accept sleep. The magic in that is that you are NOT thinking! The mind is trained to think. Do you realize how little time you spend in your day not thinking? The trouble is that most people have never learned to not think. I saw an ad on television once for a large newspaper chain and their slogan was; Never Stop Thinking. This is utter nonsense. You need time away from thinking - especially if your thoughts are negative or stressful.

So, how do you stop thinking? If you’re familiar with meditation then you likely have a good idea how this works. It’s a simple concept but believe me it takes practice. The more you practice it the better you’ll get at it. I use this technique to cat nap during the day and it works every single time. And, here it is: Relax and let your mind wander. When your mind falls on a thought, don’t follow it. Don’t focus on that thought. Say to yourself, oh I just landed on a thought let my mind go back to wandering. Don’t fight it, just allow your mind to drift onto other thoughts. It’s when your mind lands on a thought and follows that thought through a series of mental movies that causes stress and ultimately keeps you awake. Like I said, it takes practice, but it can be done.

Now, how do you stay asleep? That’s an easy one. If you’re tired when you go to bed you have a high probability that you will stay asleep. If you happen to wake up because of a dream or a loud noise, simply go through the ten steps all over again. Have a good night’s sleep!

Paul Tobey is a professional concert pianist who uncovered a healing path for his Ringing Ears without the aid of drug therapy or medical intervention. Paul has trained thousands of people in both professional and personal development. For access to the Tinitus Seminar and eBook….. Click here and Stop The Ringing In Your Ears

by Paul Tobey

If you have tinnitus (ringing ears), like I do, my experience tells me that you likely have a great deal of difficulty with relationships. Why? Because not only does the tinnitus drive you crazy, it can also make you feel very much alone. You feel isolated because it often feels like no one can understand your suffering.

The doctors don’t really seem to understand. Your friends and co-workers don’t understand. And, most importantly it seems like your family doesn’t understand. You feel like no one can possibly understand and therefore you tend to lash out at the people closest to you.

You need to be aware that the ones you love are equally suffering right along side of you. You need to know that they feel just as helpless as you do because they know there is nothing they can do. They want to save you from your private torture chamber, but they can’t. All they can really do is hold the space while you try and figure out your next course of action.

And so, you are faced with a choice. You can continue on your present course and hope for a different result. That’s what many people do. The do the same things day after day and always get the same result. Or, you can actually begin to learn what works in reducing your tinnitus volume. In order for me to share what I have learned after 7 years with tinnitus, I need to tell you a little bit about my story.

I had been happily married for 8 years before I got tinnitus. When I did get the Tinnitus it almost drove my wife and I to divorce. My marriage was not simply strong enough to withstand that kind of pressure. The reason for this was that our marriage, at that time, was based mostly around romantic love. This kind of love cannot withstand serious challenges because romantic love is like a drug. Your body produces chemicals that make you to feel euphoric, energetic and great. It’s the equivalent to experiencing a natural high. But, when that drug wears off; everything bad that you felt before you took the drug returns.

So, along with my tinnitus came an opportunity to learn what real love is. And, as I gained more knowledge, our love grew into something much deeper than romantic love. It grew into a spiritual partnership. Gary Zukav (author of Seat of the Soul) defines Spiritual Partnership as “a partnership between equals for the purpose of spiritual growth”.

Unfortunately many people are addicted to romantic love. They continue to seek it with no understanding that they are addicted to an illusion. When you fall out of romantic love you think love is gone, but it’s really only the illusion that is gone. In order for any relationship to evolve beyond romantic love, both partners must evolve as human beings.

For my wife Nancy and I, Tinnitus was a beacon in our life experience to help us work towards that evolution. As we evolved as human beings, we evolved in our partnership. And, as I learned more about spiritual partnerships, the more I was able to heal the emotional, spiritual, mental parts of myself. Then my physical world, including the world of tinnitus, began to change. It was an awakening of sorts. You can learn to do this by becoming aware of your thought processes, your internal dialogue, your physical habits and your emotions. Awareness is the key.

As our marriage got stronger, my tinnitus diminished. We discovered a deeper sense of identity, a greater feeling of spiritual connectedness and purpose and a renewed commitment to both our personal growth and to service. With that said, in order for your relationship to evolve, both partners must be willing partners and commit to their own personal evolution for the partnership to grow. Remember, it takes equal partners.

You can actually choose to allow tinnitus to remind you that you need to get beyond where you are at now and align yourself with a higher purpose. You are now being compelled, by force, to find your greater self and to heal yourself. And once you do, you will notice a greater quality of life all around you. Your relationships will change, your marriage will get stronger, your kids will be drawn closer to you, and everything and everyone around you will change for the better. It all starts with the realization that tinnitus is here as a beacon in your life for you to learn to be a happier person, a better spouse and a true friend to all those you encounter.

Thousands of Chonic Tinnitus patients have downloaded Paul Tobey’s “A Practical Guide to Tinnitus Free Living.“

Seven million in UK suffer from noises in the head, new research reveals

One in seven people have experienced the symptoms of tinnitus ? noises inside the ears or head ? but 70 per cent of GPs surveyed have never had any training on the condition, new research from national charity RNID reveals today.

The charity found that 15 per cent of those surveyed ? which equates to more than seven million people across the UK - had experienced tinnitus, often described as ringing, whistling, humming or buzzing in the ears or head, for more than a day (1).
Yet although RNID research has found that tinnitus can cause severe distress and suffering ? disrupting people’s work, relationships and sex lives (2) - less than a third of doctors surveyed say they have had any training on the condition (3).

If you have tinnitus you are not alone.

RNID is revealing the shocking extent of this hidden health problem on the same day it launches a new web service ? www.tuneouttinnitus.org.uk - with information to help those with tinnitus understand the condition and advice on simple techniques and equipment to manage it.

RNID is calling for GPs to take a more understanding and holistic approach to patients with tinnitus, directing those with mild tinnitus to RNID for help and referring those whose condition has a severe impact on their lives to an ear, nose and throat specialist.

Brian Lamb, RNID’s director of communications, said: “Tinnitus can be a debilitating condition for many people, leaving them feeling isolated and stressed ? with sometimes disastrous consequences for their work and personal lives.

“This can be compounded by a lack of understanding amongst GPs who aren’t always aware of how to help patients manage their tinnitus, and may simply turn them away with no advice other than to ‘learn to live with it.’

“But if you have tinnitus you are not alone. Simple techniques and equipment ? from relaxation tips to sound therapies that provide distraction from the noises of tinnitus - can be used to manage the condition.

“RNID’s new web service, and our dedicated Tinnitus Helpline, provide expert information and tips to help people ‘tune out tinnitus’ so they can get on with their lives.”

Notes to editors: Please note this information whilst global in its nature is targted towards UK tinnitus sufferers as are the numbers. There is however some excellent information for all tinnitus sufferers worldwide.

1. BMRB Omnibus research on tinnitus, conducted February 2007 through face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of approximately 2,000 adults, aged over 15 years of age, in Great Britain (excludes Northern Ireland). While this new research indicates that more than seven million people experience tinnitus, previous estimates by the Medical Research Council had showed that just 4.7 million people (10 per cent of the population) have experienced tinnitus [MRC 1987].

2. RNID research published in February 2006 found that, of 890 people with tinnitus who were surveyed, 41 per cent said the condition had a negative effect on their personal relationships, with 27 blaming the damage to their relationship on a reduced sex drive, and 36 per cent on a lack of understanding from their partner. 42 per cent of respondents said their tinnitus had a negative effect on their work life.

3. Research on tinnitus conducted by doctors.net.uk, February 2007, amongst 506 GPs.

4. RNID funds £50,000 of research each year to find a cure for tinnitus. At the moment, there are no drugs available to specifically treat tinnitus alone.

5. RNID is the national charity working to change the world for the UK’s 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people. We do this with the help of our members, by campaigning and lobbying, raising awareness of deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus, providing services and through social, medical and technical research.

6. For further information about RNID or to become a member, visit www.rnid.org.uk (external link), contact RNID’s Information Line on 0808 808 0123 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email informationline@rnid.org.uk.

7. For tinnitus enquiries, visit www.tuneouttinnitus.org.uk (external link), contact RNID’s Tinnitus Helpline on 0808 808 6666 (freephone) or 0808 808 9000 (textphone) or email tinnitushelpline@rnid.org.uk.

Top tips for tuning out tinnitus include:

1. Sound therapy ? A wide range of ‘relaxer’ products, which play soothing sounds to distract people from the noise of tinnitus, are available from RNID’s products range. Visit www.rnid.org.uk/shop (external link) to find out more.

2. Relaxation ? Meditation, yoga or just time out for a warm bath and soothing music can all help ? many people notice their tinnitus more if they are worried or tired. Relaxation CDs are available from RNID’s products range at www.rnid.org.uk/shop (external link).

3. Hearing aids ? If someone with tinnitus also has a hearing loss, hearing aids can help by stopping the ears straining to hear, and picking up other sounds that may distract from the tinnitus. To take RNID?s telephone hearing check, call 0845 600 5555.

4. Get advice ? visit RNID’s dedicated website at www.tuneouttinnitus.org.uk (external link) or call the charity’s Tinnitus Helpline on (telephone) 0808 808 6666 or (textphone) 0808 808 0007.

This site is about my personal journey with tinnitus, how I got it, the pain and suffering I went through initially after I got the ringing in my ears from a loud explosion in Sri Lanka in 1992 and how I now deal with it happily.

I’ve written this site as after 14 years of having extreme tinnitus I didn’t think there was enough good information out there for people who have this intolerable ringing in their ears and ways to reduce the sound..

Or at least information written by someone who has extreme tinnitus and can offer ways to deal with it from a personal perspective. Please be strong as there is hope of a total cure for tinnitus in the coming years.

Or at least information written by someone who has extreme tinnitus and can offer ways to deal with it from a personal perspective. The way I deal with extreme Tinnitus works. I’m fully functional as you can see here ( www.SimonHealy.com)

Importantly it’s brought me in contact with a range of new natural treatments and indeed new friends who also have tinnitus and have found their own ways of dealing with it like Canadian concert pianist Paul Tobey who has written “A Practical Guide to Tinnitus Free Living”

The Extremely Loud Sound of My Tinnitus!!! For real.

(Click here once to hear the sound I’ve got in my ears all the time (except when I’m sleeping) and turn your speakers up to ten. I’m not kidding)

You can understand how that noise could have easily turned me into a headcase …… and why I needed to find ways to deal with this extreme noise. This site offers mostly free ways to do so plus very inexpensive ways such as Paul Tobey’s “A Practical Guide to Tinnitus Free Living“..

About Simon

My name is Simon Healy and you’ll find information on this site that will offer you ways to not only relieve the ringing but in some cases permanently reduce it so you hardly notice it. I am the Managing Director of a medium sized outsourcing firm called OutsourcingTo.uS as well as the CEO of a non profit organisation that works primarily in Asia building and managing telecentre ’schools’ for disadvantaged youth called OrphanIT.org

My Personal Tinnitus Story - “How It Happened” - Asia 1992 - Festival in Sri Lanka. Boy throws huge firecracker which landed next to my head and blew my eardrum causing an extremely loud and constant ringing in my ears (Tinnitus) which I’ve now had for 14 years.

Very few people aside from my close friends even know I have Extreme Tinnitus because quite frankly most people who don’t have it don’t understand it. The explosion that happened in 1992 changed my life irrevocably for the worse initially and later for the better when I came to grips with it.

In fact I doubt I’d have the wonderful life I now have if the accident had not happened.

I am lucky enough to live in a rainforest jungle in Byron Bay in Australia (seriously) and the noise outside my house is a cacaphony of cicadas, crickets, dozens of birds and ocean waves crashing in all day and night. I actually moved here because of my tinnitus in order to mask the sounds ….and it works like a dream. The important thing to remember is that even though I was close to total despair after a few years of living with Tinnitus I came to grips with it and turned the extrordinarily loud ringing in my ears into positive in my life.

I am currently the CEO of 2 successful businesses - One a ‘For Profit and the other a Non Profit or Social Business NGO’

My commercial business is called OutsourcingTo.uS and provides online marketing services for 100’s of clients in Australia and worldwide. My non profit foundation is called OrphanIT.org and it is a multi award winning international NGO which provides sustainable solutions to other non profit (primarily telecentres) worldwide.

Our NGO has raised and implemented programs that have assisted several thousand youth in developing nations helping them achieve a better standard of living for themselves and their families. We’ve been reviewed in the Harvard Business Review, won international awards like the GKP Youth Awards, the Stockholm Challenge and The Global Junior Challenge which resulted in a scholarship to Santa Clara and Stanford Universities in the USA.

www.OrphanIT.com
www.OrphanIT.org
www.SolvePoverty.com
www.YSEI.org

I’ve recently sold my education business which provided marketing services for several hundred universities and colleges in 15 countries. (See www.HyperStudy.com and www.EdMedia.info ) so now have more time to develop my own business, writing, travelling, working on www.OrphanIT.org and the new Youth Fund I’ve helped launch with some colleagues in Asia called www.YSEI.org

At the moment I’m writing a book about my experiences which I’m going to release in early 2008 called “Dealing With Extreme Tinnitus”. I’ve found for me THE most effective way of dealing with Tinnitus is to keep focused on what I’m passionate about in my life.

I’m also intending on making this site into the number one resource on the web for tinnitus patients with loads of information about treatments, forums, specialized masking consulting and ways you can overcome the terrible ringing in your ears.

If you sign up to my monthly newsletter you’ll receive regular updates from the book before it’s published. I’m also planning a series of short clips for YouTube which I’ll be releasing over 2008. I worked in film, TV and theatre for 10 years so I’m confident these clips will be of real value to Tinnitus sufferers worldwide.

They’ll be available in multiple languages and my objective is to offer you with relief, the right attitude and self help therapy to deal with your Tinnitus.

Paul Tobey’s powerful tinnitus healing methods.

This is my number one recommendation for healing tinnitus. It’s very similar to how I personally have found ways to deal with my extreme tinnitus but Paul has gone one steps further and put it into a package you can use right now to help you.

Paul’s two tinnitus relief programs for example will absolutely change forever the way you deal with your Tinnitus. Remember I know about treatments as I’ve been researching them for almost 14 years since I got the extremely loud ringing in my ears in an explosion in Asia and his eBook and audio seminar have done wonders giving me relief and healing just over the last few months.

His original healing product is called “A Practical Guide to Tinnitus Free Living“. This is an eBook and audio recording in which he shares some practical and truly enlightening information on how to live a 100% Tinnitus-Free Life.

Tinnitus cures and reduce ringing in ears I highly recommend his easy to use methods. Paul is a Canadian concert pianist, composer, entertainer, motivational speaker and former tinnitus sufferer himself.

I was almost in tears of joy when I finished reading his book the 1st time because I just wished I had this information so many years, anxious days and sleepless nights ago.

I spoke for a few hours with Paul on Skype in early March 2007 to understand more about his methods and he really does have a great system with some very easy to use ways to get rid of your tinnitus or at least make it A LOT easier to deal with. He’s an extremely inspirational and personable guy.

One thing that really stuck out in my conversation with Paul was his philosophy of focusing on what you want spiritually, mentally and emotionally and how the physical changes will follow. This is a guy who’s just walked over 800 kilometres on a trek through Spain over 60 days. Paul filmed about 60 hours of footage along the Camino de Santiago for one of his documentary projects. This was a journey of personal development for Paul and when you read his eBook you will see the sheer simplicity and beauty of Paul’s methods of dealing with Tinnitus.

Here is Paul’s site - “A Practical Guide to Tinnitus Free Living“.

The drug called Zyban is one proven method of quitting smoking, which though it was originally used as an anti-depressant, showed a side effect that made people lose interest in smoking. When this was studied further, Zyban was especially created to make people stop smoking. However, insomnia after taking Zyban is a common side effect experienced by those who want to kick the smoking habit.

Vivid Dreams and Disturbed Sleep Patterns

Zyban can cause you to kick the smoking habit, but it will also make you experience some very vivid dreams and disturbed sleep patterns that will cause your eyes to pop wide open especially in the wee hours of the morning and then getting back to sleep can be especially hard, if not impossible. What people that want to kick the smoking habit feel is that it may be well worth the discomfort experienced with as insomnia after Zyban is something that may last for a few weeks, but it will certainly prove it effective in getting a person to quit smoking. After all, nothing comes without some pain and if one must suffer Zyban related insomnia, then so be it. As long as one finds cigarettes especially distasteful and does not wish to light another stick - then it could in fact turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Nevertheless, there are a few instances of smokers who used Zyban to quit smoking who found that the side effects to be so strong that they could not sleep for as many as 90 hours. They also suffered from other side effects that made them insomniacs and anti-Zyban and understandably so. If such reports are to be believed and there is no reason to doubt their veracity, staying away from Zyban is strongly recommended and in any case it should not be taken without taking prior advice from your doctor.

It is thus a moot question whether Zyban insomnia affects all those who use this drug or whether it will only is known to cause extreme side effects in the odd instance or two. The answer is not so easily forthcoming because there are many that will swear by the efficacy of the drug while others will absolutely are repelled by the mere mention of the word Zyban. It is thus more of an individual thing and Zyban insomnia may or may not adversely affect you when you try to kick the habit.