Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus can often sound like a “ringing”, “whooshing”, “buzzing”, or “crickets”. Tinnitus is extremely common and most people habituate to it naturally. Bothersome tinnitus can be effectively managed using tinnitus retraining therapy. Tinnitus retraining therapy was founded by Dr. Pawel Jastreboff and Dr. Margaret Jastreboff. It involves structured counselling and sound therapy. The goal of tinnitus retraining therapy is to habituate to your tinnitus so that it no longer impacts your quality of life.
Tips for Managing Tinnitus
Imagine being in a dark room and there’s a candle burning. The candle will be bright and hard to ignore.
Now turn on the light. Do you even notice the candle anymore?
Tinnitus is often like a candle in a dark room. It becomes very obvious when everything is quiet, but becomes less noticeable when you are surrounded by sound.
Sound
Tinnitus is usually most noticeable when you’re somewhere very quiet or boring and less noticeable when you’re busy throughout the day. You can make the most of this by enriching your sound environment. The sounds you use can include any combination of environmental noise, music, and speech.
Try this:
Soothing sound: A soothing sound can be any sound that makes you feel better when you listen to it. This could be the sound of ocean waves, rain, relaxing music, and so on. The goal of soothing sound is to help relieve the stress you feel from hearing your tinnitus.
Background sound: Background sounds are neutral, meaning that you don’t feel annoyed or soothed by them. They can help you pay less attention to your tinnitus by reducing the contrast between the tinnitus and your environment. You could try using noise from a fan, a white noise machine, or music - just don’t choose anything you find annoying!
Interesting sound: Interesting sounds can distract you from focusing on your tinnitus by keeping your attention on the interesting sound instead of the tinnitus. Interesting sounds could be listening to talk radio, audiobooks or chatting on the phone with a friend.
You can use a variety of devices for these sounds: A fan, a sound generator, your phone, a radio, TV, pillow speakers, sound generators, hearing aids - or any combination!
Relaxation
Stress can make tinnitus worse, while managing stress can help it improve. There are many ways to manage your stress: plan ahead for stressful events, improve your sleep, exercise regularly, eat well, and practice relaxation techniques. Some examples of relaxation techniques are deep breathing and imagery.
Plan pleasant activities that you enjoy doing to distract you from focusing on your tinnitus. These activities may also help you feel better overall. These activities can be anything you enjoy doing (examples include dancing, meeting with a friend, playing an instrument, gardening, and cooking).
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a cure for tinnitus?
There is no “cure” for tinnitus. However, tinnitus retraining therapy is very effective at reducing problems from tinnitus.
Are there any medications to stop my tinnitus?
There are currently no medications that have been proven to reduce tinnitus.
Is tinnitus permanent?
Tinnitus is often stable over time. For some people it will fluctuate.
Do medications cause tinnitus?
If you are concerned that medications are worsening your tinnitus, ask your physician to review what you are taking.
Will a hearing test show if I have tinnitus?
A hearing assessment can show why you have tinnitus.
Does tinnitus mean my hearing will get worse?
No, experiencing tinnitus does not predict hearing loss.
Should I get hearing aids if I have tinnitus?
If you have tinnitus and hearing loss, combined tinnitus and hearing treatment is helpful.
Will my tinnitus get louder if my hearing gets worse?
Although hearing usually declines over time, tinnitus is often stable.