Tinnitus occurs when you can hear sounds in your ear with no external source. Hearing health professionals usually describe it as a ringing in your ears, but it can also cause whirring, buzzing or chattering sounds. Some types of tinnitus are hallucinatory, meaning that your brain generates unwanted noises from within. Others come from the noise of blood rushing close to components in the inner ear.
Many people live happily with tinnitus. However, some can experience sleeplessness, depression and irritation because of it. Fortunately, there are several treatments available. While none of these can reverse the tinnitus, they can manage symptoms.
Sound Machines
White noise is one of the most common and effective treatments for tinnitus. Listening to non-descript sounds helps patients by taking their focus off the ringing, buzzing or whirring noises the symptom of an underlying condition causes. You can use a white noise generator to self-administer white noise. Some hearing aids also have a white noise function you can switch on when you want to fall asleep or just want relief. Some individuals find that white noise can reduce the intrusiveness of symptoms over time.
Hearing Aids with Masking Features
Hearing aids are another highly effective tinnitus treatment because they stimulate the auditory cortex. Incoming sounds are louder than they would be otherwise, ensuring more information reaches the brain and reducing the risk of auditory hallucinations. During hearing loss, the brain changes how it processes sounds. It can’t collect as much information as before. Researchers believe that this might be why it starts generating noise from within.
Fortunately, when you start wearing hearing aids, this process goes into reverse. The auditory cortex has more noise to work with, making it less likely to generate sounds on its own. Hence, hearing aids can reduce the severity of the condition and give you a higher quality of life. Once tinnitus starts, it sometimes goes away, but this is rare. Most patients live with the condition long-term.
Behavioral Therapies
Lastly, there is a range of behavioral therapies designed to treat tinnitus. These don’t address symptoms directly but attempt to change your perception of them, so you feel more positive about your tinnitus. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one option for patients. It is a type of talk therapy that trains you to accept the condition.
Many patients report that the intervention improves their quality of life. Rather than focusing on the ringing in their ears, they can turn their attention to their hobbies, interests, work and families. Science suggests that CBT is effective. A Korean Journal of Audiology review found that the technique reduces annoyance and irritation that often comes with tinnitus.
Progressive tinnitus management is another option, first put forward by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). It is a type of retraining therapy that, like CBT, helps you think differently about your condition. There are no medications for tinnitus. However, you can take antidepressants or antianxiety pills to better manage symptoms. Talk with your hearing health professional about the different types of common treatment for tinnitus and which may be best for you.
