I've come up with the perfect combination of sounds to get my children to sleep. Noises.online was the top website I visited for two years straight. I'd start with light rain drops. Then I'd add a bonfire, with the sound reduced to almost nil. I like the occasional cracking, almost like splitting a small branch. Then, I'd add the ocean waves.
Play this combination just right, and the twins fall asleep. But when they are asleep, I want to hear when they wake up, so I gradually reduce the volume and eventually turn it off. It came to a surprise one day when I turned it off and the sound kept going. I didn't pay too much mind, I barely got any sleep so I just went to bed exhausted.
The same thing happened again the next day. I turned off the sound, but it kept going anyway. In fact, the ocean waves were even louder now. I assumed that I had inspired the neighbors with the beautiful sounds. They started using it to put their kids to sleep as well.
Again the next day. This time, the ocean waves were crashing down the shore. It was very loud, but who complains about ocean waves? I went outside to see who was playing it. I couldn't tell. The sound was coming from everywhere. I went to my wife and asked her. "I don't hear anything" she said and went back to sleep. I thought she had gone deaf. At this point it was turning into noise. It felt like I was right there by the beach, only the breeze was missing. The volume was dialed to 11.
I ventured outside once more to investigate. A neighbor stood at her door, scanning her surroundings, clearly puzzled by the persistent noise. As the unbearable sound continued, I retreated indoors, grabbed my earphones, and started playing my favorite audiobook, 'The Lord of the Rings,' an epic rendition complete with immersive sound effects. I drifted into sleep between Bilbo and Gandalf sitting by the window, looking west onto the garden.
I woke up in the middle of the night, my earphones tangled on the floor then I noticed something. Right there is the bathroom, the ocean sound was just as loud as in the bedroom. I walked through the living room and into the kitchen. It was just as loud. I covered my ears, and to my surprise I could still hear the ocean waves crashing onto the shore. The sound was not coming from outside. It was coming from inside of me. I laughed.
I was glad to have figured out where the sound was coming from, but it was unbearable. Imagine hearing a constant sound, with the swashing of water and crashing. Non stop. All day, all night. I could no longer sleep. I went to the doctor and all they told me is that it was going to go away eventually. It took several weeks before the intensity of the sound went down. After a couple months, it went away.
It was a terrible experience. Tinnitus is terrible. I'm so relieved it went away.