The term “tinnitus” describes a phantom ringing, roaring, whistling, hissing, humming or buzzing sound with no external source. Tinnitus is common, affecting about 50 million Americans, yet everyone experiences it differently. For some it is a mild nuisance, while for others it is a debilitating experience.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for tinnitus, but there are ways to manage it. One technique is called tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT).
What Is Tinnitus Retraining Therapy?
TRT is a therapeutic process that helps you learn to cope with your tinnitus. It helps on both a conscious level through counseling and a subconscious level through sound therapy.
Counseling
For TRT, the first step is to get a tinnitus evaluation with an audiologist at Rancho Santa Fe Audiology. Then, the results of your evaluation are used for counseling sessions. During these sessions, your audiologist will review the results of your evaluation, teach you how the auditory system works, demystify your tinnitus, help change your negative thinking patterns and begin sound therapy.
Sound Therapy
The next step in TRT is sound therapy. For this, you will wear a tinnitus masking device. These devices are similar in shape and size to hearing aids, but instead of amplifying noises, they play white noise in your ear. This white noise is played at an intensity just below your tinnitus with the goal of helping your brain get used to the sounds by decreasing the contrast between the internal and external noises.
Efficacy of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
According to a study published in the journal HNO in 2015, “The effectiveness of TRT has increased significantly during the past 25 years, presumably due to changes incorporated in its implementation. The main improvement has been to shorten the average time until seeing clear improvement from 1 year to 1 month, with a statistically significant improvement seen at, and after, 3 months.”
When to Contact an Audiologist
Be sure to contact an audiologist at Rancho Santa Fe Audiology if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- A sound like your heartbeat in your ears.
- Tinnitus sounds in just one ear.
- Tinnitus that comes on suddenly.
- Tinnitus that is so bothersome you can’t focus on anything else, like your book at Rancho Santa Fe Library.
- Dizziness, vertigo or hearing loss.
To learn more or to schedule an appointment for a tinnitus evaluation, call Rancho Santa Fe Audiology today.
