Tinnitus Memory – It Comes and Goes

Tinnitus comes and goes, gets louder and softer, is more or less bothersome, but always there, even when you don’t hear it. However, if you get curious and then listen to see if it’s there, you are going to find it. In this case, the awareness of tinnitus has moved from a background signal and placed into a current memory slot.

Most brains will operate 7 current memory screens at a time. Each has a memory item it is using to process the world in real-time. Memory use is very volatile. When the memories are full of activity and engagement, less important information drops off, such as tinnitus. This is the reason behind keeping sound in your environment, performing a physical activity, or being engaged with something interesting such as playing an instrument or participating in a group activity. This keeps the memories occupied, filling up all the movie screens and keeping tinnitus out of the view, where it typically belongs. Regardless of the onset of tinnitus or type, ringing in the ears can be trained to stay in the background. But if you call it up, the movie starts playing. Modern research points to strategic training and conscious control as effective in controlling the awareness of tinnitus.