Sound Retrains the Tinnitus Brain

Tinnitus is a poorly-understood medical condition that presents itself as an unpleasant, distressing, and sometimes outright painful ringing sound without cause. It can cause insomnia, frustration, difficulty hearing conversations, and a host of other conditions.

Causes of Tinnitus

Sometimes tinnitus symptoms are caused by an obvious external factor; a loud explosion or a long period in a loud environment, for example, can leave someone’s ears ringing for several days or even weeks. This kind of tinnitus frequently goes away in its own time.

The other common kind of tinnitus does not. It persists for years, and often accompanies the loss of hearing ability. You lose your ability to hear clearly, having it replaced by a constant, frustrating ringing sound. This kind of tinnitus is the least understood, and treatments are rarely effective in most cases. If it persists for two or more years, it is often considered permanent. This version is thought to be partially caused by the brain making new pathways to deal with the hearing loss, and the wiring essentially gets crossed somehow.

How To Treat It

Dealing with tinnitus is mostly a case of symptom management. In other words, how can you keep it from being so awful? It causes anxiety and pain to sufferers, so relieving that kind of pressure is vital.

One technique can be summed up in the phrase, “sound retrains the tinnitus brain.” That might sound odd, but it relies on the concept of neuroplasticity. In essence, new behaviors and habits can change the way the brain is wired, and the responses it has to situations. You would probably be scared the first time you go bungee jumping, but do it often enough as a hobby and it becomes thrilling rather than fearsome.

Sound Retrains the Tinnitus Brain

The treatment focuses on using computer software to create a customized, tailor made sound set to neutralize your perception of your tinnitus symptoms. Patients change between listening to the normal sound of their tinnitus, and listening to a sound produced by the software. They adjust the sound produced by the computer bit by bit until it matches the sound they perceive in their ears. The theory goes that by listening to an actual sound that matches the frequency of the tinnitus, you cancel the tinnitus out while listening. It can take the form of either music or so called white noise.

This is where the neuroplasticity comes in. The treatment argues that as you listen to the custom sound, your brain adapts to the perceived lower volume of the tinnitus it normally hears. This allows it to slowly turn down the apparent volume of the tinnitus, which hopefully means you notice it less. The goal is to make this altered perception permanent or at least long lasting through regular exposure. Once again, sound retrains the tinnitus brain.

Not So Weird

White noise generators are already a popular device to help people focus at work, or to provide a relaxing environment to allow people to sleep. Others report only being able to sleep with some soft music, a podcast, or similar sound playing. This is just a more specific version of the same technique, and it might just help people with a frustrating, anxiety-inducing invisible condition have some much needed relief.

from #Audiology via xlomafota13 on Inoreader http://ift.tt/2iirPAU
via IFTTT