Tinnitus Masking
Tinnitus masking entails using sounds to cover up or mask out any ringing, buzzing, or other noises associated with your tinnitus. By creating contrast between your masking sounds and your tinnitus noises, these can make it easier for you to focus or sleep at night.
Some tinnitus maskers have been integrated into hearing aids, providing a convenient solution for those who would rather avoid carrying multiple devices or spending money on separate equipment. Others are available through apps or standalone machines.
Hearing aids
Although tinnitus cannot be completely eliminated, advancements in hearing aid technology have allowed us to manage its symptoms more effectively. Masking sounds help relieve some of the strain caused by hearing loss while distracting our brain from tinnitus noise to make it less noticeable.
Many hearing aid manufacturers have integrated tinnitus masking features into their devices, like the Signia Pure Charge&Go AX which utilizes white noise or soothing sounds to relieve tinnitus symptoms. Its small size makes it discreet yet effective against annoying buzzing in your ears; you can adjust its volume to meet both hearing loss and pitch-related tinnitus pitch needs.
Oticon More hearing aid utilizes its embedded network to detect frequency and pitch of your tinnitus, then uses this data to create personalized masking sounds for you. They’re then played back through your hearing aid and streamed wirelessly to your smartphone where they can be controlled using mobile app controls. Plus, this device also features a program setting specifically dedicated to music so you can listen to what you love without interruption!
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), using counseling and sound treatments to retrain the brain to ignore tinnitus, may also help. Usually done over two years, TRT can reduce negative emotions like sleeplessness or anxiety caused by tinnitus.
Tinnitus retraining works by temporarily masking your tinnitus noise with something different, and then gradually decreasing its volume until it becomes inaudible. Over time, this may help you learn to recognize and ignore it; perhaps even leading to full healing.
Other treatments for tinnitus may include using white noise machines or soothing sounds to provide a background environment for your tinnitus. If TRT isn’t your cup of tea, sound generators may also help mask out the sound – although this method may not be as effective. For assistance in managing your tinnitus symptoms contact NYU Langone and arrange an appointment with one of our tinnitus specialists today!
Apps
There are a wide variety of apps designed to mask tinnitus, but it may be challenging deciding which one is the right one. Some popular options include myNoise, myTinnitus, Relax Melodies, White Noise Free and Tinnitus Therapy Lite; each offers various sounds to mask your tinnitus while remaining easy and intuitive in their use.
Some people with tinnitus use apps to help them sleep, while others find them helpful when trying to focus on something else. Other means include CDs, fans or radios to temporarily distract themselves from the ringing noise – however these methods should only provide temporary relief and should be combined with counseling or other treatment options for optimal results.
MyNoise, myTinnitus and White Noise Free were listed as apps with the main goal of masking tinnitus; other goals included decreasing its annoyance (Tinnitus Therapy Lite, myNoise and Relax Melodies); shifting attention away from or distracting from tinnitus (Beltone Tinnitus Calmer, Oticon Tinnitus Sound and White Noise Free); as well as increasing relaxation or decreasing stress/anxiety reduction (Beltone Tinnitus Calmer and Headspace).
Apps are generally utilized as self-help methods and not to work alongside hearing healthcare providers in managing tinnitus. Therefore, app designers need to fully comprehend the needs of people living with tinnitus in order to design an app that’s effective – understanding this will allow them to create something useful both to users and hearing healthcare providers alike.
Study findings showed that most participants used apps due to recommendation by friends or family. Of the apps utilized for managing tinnitus, nearly half were designed specifically for masking purposes whereas the remainder had multiple purposes before being modified for this use; this shows there is room for improvement with app design; further studies are necessary to understand whether apps could become part of an integrated management plan for treating tinnitus.
Sound generators
Masking sounds can help alleviate the irritation of tinnitus for those suffering. Masking noises include white noise, music or soothing tones that can serve to distract your brain and lessen its effect. Some common types of tinnitus masking include tabletop sound generators, CD players or phone apps which play these soothing sounds; masking sounds may be particularly effective in quiet environments or when trying to sleep.
Sound generators are an effective and popular solution for managing tinnitus, and multiple studies have proven this. Sound generators may be used alone or combined with other therapies like counseling and activity engagement; additionally, using tinnitus maskers may prove especially helpful for people with hearing loss; they help improve speech clarity while increasing other sounds that come through more clearly.
Some studies have advocated combining amplification and masking noise for optimal results. Amplification should first be tried out to see how the patient reacts, followed by masking noise (Powers & dos Santos 2015).
On the market are various tinnitus masking devices designed to alleviate symptoms. Wearable devices sit comfortably in your ears and play soft sounds or tones; medical-grade ones are tailored to each individual and may play notched music or algorithmically modified sounds that emphasize specific frequencies and tones over others.
These sound generators can be purchased through your doctor or from a tinnitus specialist and can provide significant relief from tinnitus sufferers, particularly at night when symptoms tend to peak.
These devices can also be helpful when sleeping or in a quiet environment such as a hospital room. Their soothing sounds may be particularly beneficial in helping to promote restful slumber; in addition, masking sounds are excellent ways of alleviating tinnitus’ negative impact on mood and can reduce its symptoms significantly – you’ll find many types online; many even come free.
Auditory stimulation
Masking occurs when noise levels exceed what would normally cause tinnitus to become noticeable, thus lessening its impact. Masking devices include sound machines which produce ambient sounds such as white noise, pink noise or nature sounds – such as those available through Amazon or other sources – with these potentially used to mask out your experience of tinnitus symptoms masking system Levo Tinnitus Symptom Masking System Neuromonics Tinnitus Treatment Phonak Tinnitus Balance being some options available as options to mask out what your ears hears!
Today’s leading hearing aids feature built-in tinnitus masking capabilities controlled via smartphone apps. Some premium hearing aids even allow manual programing for those who prefer more hands-on solutions for masking tinnitus.
Masking works by adding external noises into the ear canal in order to distract from internal tinnitus and provide relief. Hearing aids are the most commonly used tinnitus masking devices and can amplify other sounds around them or pre-recorded options like white noise, music podcasts or natural sounds; other sources include tabletop sound machines or devices which emit continuous streams of white or pink noise.
Tinnitus can be described as an internal sound that only the individual hears in their ears, such as ringing, buzzing, clicking or hissing noises. These sensations may come and go over time and affect one’s quality of life by hindering their ability to focus, concentrate and communicate.
Cochrane recently conducted a review that concluded masking may be effective at relieving tinnitus; however, its efficacy has yet to be proven. Their study included six trials with 553 participants across five of them; each study differed in how subjective perception was evaluated as well as in its choice of questionnaires, tests or scales used to quantify relief from tinnitus.
Other approaches for treating tinnitus relief include non-invasive sound therapy, which has demonstrated promise in relieving it by stimulating arousal and deep sleep brain oscillations that have been tied to restoration of sleep but diminished with age. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), another noninvasive drug-free approach has also proven helpful, particularly when increasing deep brain waves; its use has also been shown to relieve anxiety and depression symptoms alongside treating tinnitus symptoms.