Virtually anyone suffering from tinnitus can benefit from sound therapy, even those who lack expensive equipment such as headphones. Just download an appropriate app for download!
Masking therapy entails listening to a neutral background sound that closely echoes your tinnitus frequency, but traditional narrow-band noise may become boring over time and thus limit effectiveness.
1. High Frequency
Many people suffering from tinnitus also have hearing loss at high frequencies, and can be referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) in order to be evaluated for possible underlying causes that require medical treatment or attention.
High frequency tinnitus sound therapy is often recommended to alleviate hearing loss-related tinnitus. This form of tinnitus usually results from damage done to higher frequencies from exposure to loud noise at work, concerts, sporting events or similar settings where such noises occur. Some individuals also exhibit hyper’acusis which increases their sensitivity to sounds.
Studies using magneto’ and electroencephalography (MEG, EEG) have reported altered oscillatory activity in the brains of tinnitus sufferers compared to normal hearing participants. These studies found decreased alpha (8-12.5Hz) and delta (2-3.5Hz) power bands while increased activity in high beta and gamma power bands (Weisz et al. 2005, 2007b; Moazami-Goudarzi et al. 2010; Adjamian et al. 2012; Balkenhol et al. 2013; Schlee et al. 2014).
This study’s results illustrate how Tinnitus Sound Therapy can be an effective means of mitigating its negative impact on listener well-being, as demonstrated by results of Tinnitus Perceptions and Functioning Questionnaire (TPFQ) questions assessing concentration, emotion, hearing, and sleep performance; all four measures saw significant improvements with extended use of TPT sound therapy treatments.
Figure 3 depicts these improvements in TPFQ ratings through average Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) loudness and annoyance ratings before and during sound therapy, as evidenced by its use to mask tinnitus loudness significantly less during sound conditions than during silent ones, with overall VAS ratings showing reduced levels of annoyance; these reductions demonstrating how sound therapy masking was evidenced through hearing tinnitus loudness reduction only while receiving sound exposure; it was the first time ever documented experimentally within a sound therapy study!
2. Medium Frequency
The middle sound frequency range includes musical instruments like pianos and cellos as well as low notes on musical scales like middle C in the treble clef of a standard piano. These sounds typically fall between 100Hz to 20,000Hz. These sounds tend to be easier for us older folks to hear; their sounds typically perceived as being soft and pleasant.
Medium frequency sounds from nature such as waterfalls, streams and sea waves can provide a soothing effect and help us concentrate. One study revealed that these natural sounds may also provide effective relief for tinnitus sufferers.
Cochlear Alternating Acoustic Beam Therapy (CAABT), which uses a mixture of different tones for treating tinnitus sound therapy, transmits two separate sounds directly into the patient’s ears through special equipment. One sound provides natural background noise that helps patients adapt to treatment, reduce their reaction to their tinnitus symptoms and organizes the central system so as to manage noise effectively.
The second sound is a masking sound which matches the tone of tinnitus to reduce contrast between it and its environment. A recent study using CAABT has demonstrated its efficacy by significantly decreasing both loudness and annoyance from tinnitus symptoms.
Participants were asked to rate their tinnitus loudness and overall annoyance levels on a scale from one to ten before, during, and after exposure. Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed significant variations between participants’ typical loudness ratings for tinnitus loudness during exposure with those pre- and during-exposure ratings.
Researchers encouraged participants to focus on reading or other quiet activities while exposed to sound stimuli for 30 minutes at a time, before rating their tinnitus loudness afterward. Participants could select from nine sound stimuli; streams and waves were the most popular choice with 38% selecting these sounds to mask tinnitus loudness; broadband noise, forest, rain, and fan noise were less popular options.
3. Low Frequency
Tinnitus sound therapy has proven extremely successful at relieving its symptoms. The goal is to use background noise that distracts one from thinking about their tinnitus, decreasing both its perceived intensity and impact on life. There are various kinds of sound therapies ranging from white noise and music therapy, all the way through to audio stimulation devices and even brainwave stimulation; however, many tinnitus sufferers struggle accepting sounds as a means to alleviate ringing ears; in fact some may even doubt its efficacy altogether.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), is an approach used for sound therapy of tinnitus that involves wearing an electronic device emitting soft and pleasant sounds throughout the day. These units typically fit like hearing aids into one ear canal and can be worn comfortably for several hours per day; alternatively they may be combined with smartphone apps that generate these sounds for easy use anytime and anywhere.
TRT achieves relief for tinnitus sufferers through similar mechanisms to conventional sound therapy: using narrow band noise that matches tinnitus frequencies to produce masking sounds which outshout them; this form of therapy has proven itself as an effective tinnitus treatment when combined with other approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy or counseling.
TRT has proven more effective than other forms of tinnitus sound therapy due to the specific acoustic characteristics of its sounds, offering consistent relief over other approaches.
Another striking discovery from this study was that masking effects increased with exposure to the tinnitus sound therapy. This suggests that participants were becoming accustomed to its sounds over time – an important sign as habituation is often linked with relief for tinnitus sufferers. Furthermore, pre- and post-exposure ratings on TPFQ concentration, emotion, hearing, and sleep subscales were compared.
4. Middle Frequency
Middle-frequency sounds such as ringing in the ears, buzzing, roaring or clicking can be particularly bothersome for many with tinnitus, which may also be distracting and cause stress. Luckily, however, there are effective solutions: sound therapy techniques may help alleviate symptoms; white noise is one such solution which provides a neutral yet soothing background sound to divert focus away from tinnitus; other examples could include ocean waves, waterfalls, raindrops or soft music as calming background sounds.
Masking is another effective tinnitus sound therapy technique, consisting in playing an alternate signal to reduce the perceived intensity of your own tinnitus. This may be accomplished using various sounds – nature sounds, broadband noise or even your own voice can provide relief by blocking or covering up any annoying signals emitted by tinnitus. Research has confirmed this.
Masking may be an effective treatment option for tinnitus, yet some patients find it uncomfortable or distasteful. The narrow-band noise often used during masking can become repetitive and uninspiring while factors like separation-type masking curves may reduce its efficacy.
Cochleural Alternating Acoustic Beam Therapy (CAABT), a novel sound therapy treatment for tinnitus relief, shows great promise. CAABT utilizes various sound algorithms to adapt acoustic stimulation in all dimensions to meet patients’ changing needs over time, as well as allow them to select their masking frequency and level of relief from tinnitus.
Researchers recently conducted a study and discovered that CAABT therapy proved successful at reducing loudness and annoyance levels associated with tinnitus, while extended exposure led to greater improvements.
If you’re suffering from tinnitus, make an appointment with your audiologist in Simi Valley or Thousand Oaks today to receive appropriate sound therapy treatments. Our experts can even adjust hearing aid volume so as to add external noise as a means to distracting your brain and lessen its intensity. Contact us today – we look forward to providing relief from tinnitus!
