A Guide to Tinnitus Treatments

Tinnitus causes you to hear noises that aren't there. The noises can range from a small piece of music that plays on repeat, buzzing or whistling. It can be annoying, and with time, they can start to have an impact on your life. They can cause you to have trouble sleeping, which leads to lower energy levels to do your daily life activities. 

Your audiologist will typically diagnose you with tinnitus based on your symptoms. Still, they may need to determine whether it is occurring due to an underlying condition. Therefore, you may need to give your medical history and go through additional tests such as a hearing or audiological exam. Here, you are required to listen to specific sounds in a soundproof room and the doctor will determine whether or not your hearing capacity is considered normal for your age. 

The doctor may also check the movement of your jaw, mouth, arms and legs. This helps to identify any underlying disorders that could be leading to tinnitus. When determining the causes and severeness of the tinnitus, the audiologist may recommend one or more of the following common tinnitus treatments. 

Hearing Aids

Standard hearing aids can aid in alleviating tinnitus symptoms for some individuals. Since tinnitus is closely associated with hearing loss, it is believed that the brain generates the sounds in response to the loss of auditory stimulation, which takes place when a person is experiencing hearing loss. 

Hearing aids improve a person's hearing capabilities leading to the replacement of their auditory capabilities. Therefore, the brain doesn't need to create tinnitus sounds anymore. Hearing aids may not be sufficient to treat tinnitus for some individuals. However, an audiologist may recommend special hearing aids with tinnitus masking features for use alongside additional treatment. 

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) entails the use of a multi-standard approach to treat tinnitus. The sounds fade into the background and become less disruptive and noticeable. 

TRT entails using therapeutic elements such as relaxation exercises, stress-management techniques and anxiety management, along with the use of other treatment methods such as hearing aids.

Sound Machines

While hearing aids are quite beneficial in alleviating tinnitus, they are not designed to be worn 24 hours a day. For instance, they cannot be worn when you are attempting to sleep or in the shower. This fact is especially concerning for people with tinnitus because it is particularly disruptive at night and it has the potential to reduce the quality of your sleep.

Sound machines can come in handy for tinnitus treatment where hearing aids aren't applicable. They play noises designed to mask tinnitus sounds, therefore, diverting your attention, allowing the sounds to become part of the standard background noises. 

Your audiologist will discuss the available type of tinnitus treatments that you should explore based on its type and underlying causes. He or she will then advise on the most suitable mode of treatment to fit your experience and personal preferences.