1. Avoid silence! Quiet environments often cause tinnitus to be more noticeable, eliciting a stress/anxious reaction which in turn can further exacerbate the annoyance caused by tinnitus. To break this negative cycle, you can try to:
- Have some type of background noise (fan, music, relaxing sounds) on at all times to help break the negative cycle.
- Use a sound machine or an app to help with sleep. Practice good sleep hygiene: no screen time before bed, follow same routine every night, quiet, cool dark room, etc.
2. Avoid excessive noise and make sure to always wear hearing protection when around noise.
3. Consult with your physician regarding medications or supplements you are taking that may be exacerbating your tinnitus.
4. Identify any potential triggers that may make tinnitus worse for you (salt, alcohol, stress, tobacco, silence) and minimize them in your life as you are able.
5. If you have a hearing loss—treat it! The majority of individuals with tinnitus and hearing loss report the tinnitus to be less bothersome when wearing hearing devices. Many hearing devices also have special tinnitus programs that can be activated to help relieve tinnitus in addition to treating your hearing loss.
Overview of Tinnitus Treatment Options
Tinnitus does not have a cure yet, but treatments that help many people cope better with the condition are available. Most doctors will offer a combination of the treatments below, depending on the severity of your tinnitus and the areas of your life it affects the most.
Lenire is a non-invasive medical device that uses bimodal neuromodulation to treat tinnitus symptoms. It is the first such device approved by the FDA for use in the US to help individuals with bothersome tinnitus.
Hearing devices often are helpful for people who have hearing loss along with tinnitus. Using a hearing aid adjusted to your hearing loss may not only help you hear better, but also helps your brain pay less attention to the tinnitus.
Counseling helps you learn how to live with your tinnitus. Most counseling programs have an educational component to help you understand what goes on in the brain to cause tinnitus. Some counseling programs also will help you change the way you think about and react to your tinnitus. You might learn some things to do on your own to make the noise less noticeable, to help you relax during the day, or to fall asleep at night.
Tinnitus retraining therapy is a form of habituation therapy designed to help people with tinnitus by re-training the brain through counseling and the structured use of sound therapy. This therapy may be helpful for patients who find their tinnitus very bothersome and are motivated to go through a more intensive (and often expensive) therapy program.
Wearable sound generators are small electronic devices that fit in the ear and use a soft, pleasant sound to help mask the tinnitus. Some people want the masking sound to totally cover up their tinnitus, but most prefer a masking level that is just a bit louder than their tinnitus. The masking sound can be a soft “shhhhhhhhhhh,” random tones, or music.
Tabletop sound generators are used as an aid for relaxation or sleep. Placed near your bed, you can program a generator to play pleasant sounds such as waves, waterfalls, rain, or the sounds of a summer night. If your tinnitus is mild, this might be all you need to help you fall asleep.
Source: National Institute for Deafness and Communication Disorders
App Recommendations for Tinnitus Sufferers
App Recommendations for Tinnitus Sufferers
Tinnitus App
Recommendations:
- Oto: Tinnitus Therapy and Relief
- Resound Relief
- Widex Zen
- Starkey Relax
- Oticon Tinnitus Sound
- Relax Melodies
- My Noise
- Rain Rain
Relaxation App Recommendations:
Calm: Promotes sleep, meditation, and relaxation- a popular mindful-
ness app.
Breathwrk: The Breathwrk app takes the science of breathing exercises even further by curating a collection of breathing exercises based on your goal: falling asleep, feeling relaxed, feeling energized, and alleviating stress.