Tinnitus is both frustrating and common. It’s characterized by hearing a ringing (or buzzing, or humming, or whooshing) in the ear with no external source, and it’s estimated that 10% of the American adult population, around 25 million people, has experienced tinnitus.
Can Tinnitus Be Cured?
Unfortunately, no; there is no cure for tinnitus. Tinnitus is often caused by something else, such as loud noise or ototoxic medications, or is the symptom of another underlying health condition, such as an ear infection or head trauma. Since it’s not a condition in itself, there is no cure for it. However, there are management strategies that are very effective at making it less noticeable over time.
What Is Sound Therapy?
Sound therapy is a tinnitus management option that uses external noise to alter your perception of and reaction to tinnitus. It uses a process called habituation to train your brain to treat tinnitus sounds like background noise and ignore it. While results vary from person to person, for many, it can significantly lower the intensity of tinnitus.
The goal of sound therapy is to minimize the sounds of tinnitus, distract you from tinnitus or make the sounds of tinnitus easier to ignore. Sound therapy works by listening to a sound—and the type of sound may vary according to your tinnitus, what it sounds like and what caused it—to begin the habituation process. Your brain will start to associate the sounds of tinnitus with the sound therapy sound.
What Sounds Can I Use for Sound Therapy?
To reiterate, the sounds selected for sound therapy may change depending on your individual tinnitus. But here are some common choices:
- White noise. This is a common choice. A neutral, calming sound, such as rain or ocean sounds, relaxes the brain, and it begins to associate tinnitus with feelings of calm and relaxation.
- Soft music. This can distract attention away from the tinnitus.
- Static noise. Static is often treated as background noise, meaning your brain filters it out of your perception. Associating tinnitus with static causes your brain to treat tinnitus the same way.
You can use tinnitus sound therapy apps on your phone, listen to music, access a sound therapy sound library, or even use a fan or air conditioner for sound therapy. The point is to not turn the volume up to such a degree that it drowns out the tinnitus; instead, the brain processes tinnitus and the sound therapy at the same time in the same way.
If you’re interested in starting sound therapy as a way to manage your tinnitus, call Heard It Through The Grapevine Audiology, PC to discuss your options. We’re happy to conduct a tinnitus evaluation and create a personalized management plan tailored to your needs.