Sound Therapy for Tinnitus to Reduce Ringing in the Ears

Tinnitus is the perception of a sound without an external sound source and is most often described as a high pitched ringing or buzzing.

The condition actually originates in the area of the brain responsible for processing sound. When one is no longer able to hear that frequency, their brain works overtime to fill in the gaps.

Most people experience some type of high-pitch ringing in their lifetimes – usually after attending a loud concert or operating heavy machinery.

But as a chronic, diagnosed hearing problem, tinnitus affects an estimated 10% to 15% of adults in the US. And this number is especially pronounced among veterans, for whom tinnitus is the most common service-related injury.

What Causes Tinnitus and Ringing in the Ears

There exist any number of factors that can lead to this type of hearing loss, including:

• Head and neck injuries
• Certain medications and drugs
• Ear infections, colds, and flu
• Prolonged exposure to loud noises

For most adults, this high-pitch ringing is a mild annoyance. And they can generally ignore the inconvenience.

But of the 10% to 15% who suffer from tinnitus:

• 5% describe it as extremely annoying – although the ringing doesn’t negatively affect the quality of their lives.
• 1% describe it as having a severe, detrimental impact. Full of anxiety, they’re unable to function because the volume and persistence of the ringing are unbearable.

And in the worst case scenarios, tinnitus can be a crippling condition – one that disrupts everything from work to social activities to sleep. For many sufferers, in fact, the problem is particularly acute at night.

Even more frustrating – society is often dismissive of tinnitus’s true impact.

A Multi-Pronged Approach to Tinnitus Treatment

Thanks to extensive research over the years, there now exist several treatment options for tinnitus sufferers. The most effective of these use a combination of sound therapy and psychological counseling.

1. Sound Therapy for Tinnitus

Sound therapy may help decrease the perception of tinnitus by stimulating specific areas of the brain.

At The Hearing Solution, we routinely employ:

• The Zen Program (available on all Widex hearing aids).
• Hearing aid testing, fitting, and sound amplification.

2. Psychological Counseling for Tinnitus

Psychological counseling through Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help habituate users to make the ringing sensation less noticeable over time. At The Hearing Solution, we’re very fortunate to work with the Sage Anxiety Treatment Center of Sacramento – a leading pioneer in ACT treatments.

Are Sound Therapy and ACT Right for You?

In isolation, both of the above treatment methods have been proven to deliver measurable relief to tinnitus sufferers. And using them in tandem consistently yields the best results.

However, those results do take time. And severe tinnitus sufferers may have to undergo several sessions before seeing noticeable improvements.

But sound therapy coupled with ACT counseling represents the most effective treatment for reducing tinnitus and the anxiety that often accompanies this hearing condition.