At Bay Audiology we help many people to manage their tinnitus and explore available treatments.
If your tinnitus is particularly loud, which may cause you to experience sleeping difficulties, stress or anxiety, it is worth consulting your GP or your local Bay Audiology clinic.
Sometimes there are simple explanations that once addressed, may alleviate or cure the condition. Relaxation methods and learning to manage stress is often recommended. Underlying conditions such as ear infections or wax blockages can normally be remedied by a short course of antibiotics, ear drops or an ear wax removal.
As it is common to experience tinnitus constantly or intermittently, there is often not a 'cure' or way of taking the sound away completely. However there are a number of management options that often help reduce how loud or annoying it can be.
Sound therapy can be effective in treating tinnitus because it may mask or fade the tinnitus to make it less noticeable. This method uses external noises to help mask the troubling sounds of tinnitus. This could be white noise, low-level music or even customised sounds. After time, the tinnitus becomes associated with this sound, retraining the brain to think it is just a constant, meaningless noise.
Hearing aids are included as a critical component of a sound therapy program. Modern hearing aids come with special tinnitus managing sounds along with digital amplification.
Most people with tinnitus also have hearing loss. Hence, hearing aids can be an effective part of sound therapy. Hearing aids alone may provide partial or total relief from tinnitus. If you’re experiencing challenges with your hearing as well as tinnitus, a combination of a hearing solution with built-in sound generators can often be prescribed. This can help to minimise the effects of tinnitus in the same way that sound therapy might.
