March 29, 2024

Tinnitus sound therapy – how it works – Healthy Hearing

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Contributed by Debbie Clason, staff writer, Healthy HearingSeptember 16, 20192019-09-16T00:00:00-05:00

Nearly 50 million Americans have experienced the neurological and audiological condition called tinnitus, causing them to hear ringing, buzzing, hissing or whistling sounds when none are actually present. According to the American Tinnitus Association, close to 20 million Americans have chronic tinnitus, with two million experiencin…….

Contributed by Debbie Clason, staff writer, Healthy Hearing
September 16, 20192019-09-16T00:00:00-05:00

Nearly 50 million Americans have experienced the neurological and audiological condition called tinnitus, causing them to hear ringing, buzzing, hissing or whistling sounds when none are actually present. According to the American Tinnitus Association, close to 20 million Americans have chronic tinnitus, with two million experiencing extreme and debilitating cases. It’s one of the most common health problems in the United States.

Smartphone apps are an easy way to try 
tinnitus sound therapy. 

Although there is presently no known cure for tinnitus, sound therapy is one of the well-established treatment options to help sufferers manage this condition and improve their mental health.

How does tinnitus sound therapy work?

Tinnitus sound therapy uses a process known as habituation to retrain the way the brain interprets tinnitus. Essentially, the brain learns to reclassify the unwanted sound as something neutral or unimportant.

“You can hear a sound that sounds just like your tinnitus—like crickets—but when you go camping in the wilderness and hear the crickets, it has a different meaning,” Christina Lobarinas, Au.D., tinnitus coordinator for the UT Southwestern Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Program, explained. “When the sound is constant and your brain is confused as to where it’s coming from, that’s when the tinnitus sound becomes bothersome.”

Sound therapy helps a person “forget” about the sound. That might sound tricky, but your brain already does it all the time. 

“It’s very similar to when you put on your glasses and your nose [nerve endings] start sending signals to the brain that there’s something on your nose,” Dr. Lobarinas said. “After awhile, you tend not to think about the feeling.”

There are different methods and types of sounds that can help, and an audiologists trained in tinnitus therapy can explore several options.  One common way to initially try sound therapy is selecting a relaxing, neutral sound—like ocean waves crashing, rain falling, white noise or instrumental music—and playing it as background noise throughout the day. 

“After a time, the tinnitus becomes associated with this sound,” she said. “The brain says ‘it’s constant, it’s meaningless, it’s not something I need to pay attention to.’ It’s essentially a passive form of extinguishing a response to a stimulus by moving it from a conscious to a subconscious level.”

How do I start tinnitus sound therapy?

To get started, Dr. Lobarinas recommends people first try downloading a free tinnitus app. “The key is to not set volume levels so high that it drowns out the tinnitus sound. You really …….

Source: https://www.healthyhearing.com/report/52999-Tinnitus-sound-therapy-retraining-the-way-the-brain-perceives-sound

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