Using sound therapy to treat tinnitus is something that’s been developed over decades. Also known as acoustic therapy the original idea behind sound therapy was to create a distraction for tinnitus sufferers. Development continued as specialists began using various types of sounds as background or white noise to help manage the condition.
Background noise can help in a number of ways. It can mask sound of the noise of tinnitus and it can distract and take your attention away from the ringing, buzzing or hissing of tinnitus. What it can also do is, over time, in effect trick the brain into ignoring these consistant “unimportant” noises and it’s even thought to help change the pattern of the brain which causes the tinnitus activity.
It’s not going to make your tinnitus go away but it can help – sometimes significantly.
The History Of Sound Therapy To Treat Tinnitus
In the last 130 years, the effort to treat tinnitus has encountered various acoustic methods that were not typical. These methods were abolished by experts in the field of medicine and science. Not only were they called quacks by their peers, but they might also have been pioneers without knowing why. It began in 1883 with Dr. Urbantschitch using tuning fork vibration to treat tinnitus.
A decade later in 1893, another doctor by the name of Wilson had used an early telephone transducer to cancel tinnitus ringing. However, the results went unknown in the medical community until Dr. A.J. Spaulding introduced a violin pitch that could help soothe patients. Since then, his creditability has been trashed with several reports of playing the piano.
It wasn’t until the golden era of 1950s America which conducted a study with Dr. Saltzman and Dr. Ersner. They were the first to discover the use of hearing aids could be effective in treating tinnitus. By this time in 1947, it was becoming accepted that therapeutic sound could be the answer. And patients who suffered from continual ringing in their ears finally had hope.
What all these brilliant doctors of medicine realized, is that sounds alone can have an incredible effect in reducing tinnitus. Audible sound can cover a broad range of devices and we will introduce the most effective ones known. Join us further to learn how sound therapy to treat tinnitus can work for you.
Sound Therapy To Treat Tinnitus: Hearing Aids
What doctors in 1947 determined was that hearing aids delivered an increased volume of sound to those who cannot hear. More importantly, ambient sounds within the ear canal itself cancels-out the presence of tinnitus ringing. These sounds register at maximum levels of 18dB SPL and can often be detected as insect humming or pulsing sounds.
A hearing aid magnifies these ambient sounds at levels of 35dB SPL, thus helping to remove your ringing ear noise. It’s also been further noted that those who have slight hearing loss show greater improvement for eliminating tinnitus ringing. Whenever they wear their hearing aid the problem stops altogether.
Sound Therapy To Treat Tinnitus: Sound Maskers
Many devices have been produced that can help with tinnitus problems. These can include all forms of white noise and also ambient sounds as well. Many of them can be a sound generator but sound maskers are more directed at portable earplugs. These look a bit like hearing aids that are either fitted into the ear or directly behind the ear.
The sounds they produce can eliminate much of the ringing that comes from tinnitus. The only difference between a normal hearing aid and a sound masker is simple. The masker will continually produce a white noise sound. White noise is an audible sound that has equal intensity at both ends of their respected sound spectrum that is heard.
The humming of a computer or the whirring of a room fan is common examples of white noise. Sound maskers help create background noise that helps to cancel the ringing in your ears. While you can still hear with the masker present, the residual ringing is virtually invisible. Thus it makes your day to day life much less annoying in return.
Sound Therapy To Treat Tinnitus: Sound Machines
If you never tried a sound machine to sleep better at night, you don’t know what you’re missing! Some sound machines have pre-programmed forms of white noise already. From washing machines rumble to vacuum cleaner droning, the list is endless. Many of these machines allow extra sound chips that entertain with tropical forest rainfall.
But do they help with tinnitus? They do and so well that they are worth the money spent! When you sleep, these sounds help you to screen-out the silence of your bedroom. In a small room, the sound doesn’t have time to bounce so well. This is another reason why isolated places like big valleys and deserts are so quiet. Sound doesn’t move.
Your inner ear canal adjusts to the silence and increases your hearing. What you end up hearing is your blood pressure and ear ringing as a result. Sound machines allow some extra layers of added noise to equal your ear pressure and make the room quiet. Always be sure to set the sound to a level that only you can slightly detect.
Sound Therapy To Treat Tinnitus: Sound Enrichment
Every day we see people wearing earbuds and headphones all day long. Society has become one large filter for selective hearing. It’s no wonder that tinnitus has become much more common than the recent Coronavirus scare. So what is the real answer to beating the buzz? We have some good news for you and sound therapy to treat tinnitus isn’t hard to manage.
Most people likely own earbuds that are connected to a smartphone device, Mp3 player or Bluetooth connected device. Music is usually stored in a sound file anyway, so why not make some room four your therapy library. White noise downloads and their variants can be downloaded for free. Take the time to listen to these natural sounds for 30 minutes each day with your headphones or earplugs.
What can result is a form of natural training that will allow your ears to reduce tinnitus to lower levels. Studies have shown that headphones and other personal listening devices can damage your hearing. Learn to prevent that beforehand.
Conclusion
Sound changes in our ears as we grow older and those who are 55+ already experience tinnitus to some degree. However, since the 1980s the number has been growing for cases of tinnitus and hearing loss. The problem is the volume levels. Personal sound levels are off the charts and young teens in this decade are going deaf much too early.
Sound therapy to treat tinnitus does work but requires volume control for the healing to take place. Much like prescription glasses increase your casual focus for reading, sound therapy can sharpen your hearing. There is no guarantee for restoring lost hearing, but tinnitus can be stemmed a lot faster. The only question is your willingness to lower the volume first.
