Tinnitus
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the name given to the sensation of sound when there is no external physical sound present. Tinnitus does not sound the same for everyone; the sounds can range from whistles to hissing. Some people hear more than one sound; sometimes the sound is in the ears, not in the head and some people can localise it to a point in space.
What causes tinnitus?
Many things can cause tinnitus (e.g. exposure to loud sounds, some drugs, stress). Generally, a hearing test should be done because tinnitus is often associated with a hearing loss.
Who gets tinnitus?
It has been said that the majority of the population have tinnitus (albeit briefly) at some stage in their life. 17% of the population are estimated to have problem tinnitus with 1% having tinnitus severe enough to cause annoyance, and about 0.5% having tinnitus that result in an inability to lead a normal life.
What is the effect of tinnitus?
For most people tinnitus is only a nuisance. However for a few people it can be a chronic condition resulting in loss of concentration, sleep problems, and even depression.
Do we know what tinnitus is?
The actual mechanism for tinnitus is not known. What is known is that it is real, probably resulting from disruption of normal function somewhere in the hearing system. There is a lot of research being undertaken to find out how tinnitus works.
Does tinnitus mean a hearing loss?
In most cases it is associated with a hearing loss. Sometimes, only the tinnitus is noticed because the hearing loss may be too small to measure. But having tinnitus does not mean that you are going “deaf”.
What makes tinnitus worse?
What makes tinnitus worse for some people does not affect the others the same way. Common “agitators” of tinnitus includes:
• Stress
• Loud sounds
• Caffeine
• Nicotine
• Aspirin and some medications
• Alcohol and drugs
• Some foods and drugs
Why does stress make my tinnitus worse?
Stress tends to increase the “volume control” of the brain. Tinnitus counselling and/or relaxation therapies may help the desensitisation process.
Is there a magic cure for tinnitus?
There is no magic pill that immediately eliminates tinnitus. All treatments take time and aim to reduce the intrusiveness and annoyance of tinnitus.
What should a person with tinnitus do?
The person with tinnitus should consult a qualified audiologist. An examination by an otologist (ear doctor) may be recommended. The purpose of the doctor’s examination is to investigate if the tinnitus is the result of a condition which can be treated medically. If no medical treatment is appropriate, non-medical treatment such as hearing aids, masking, habituation or relaxation therapies can be beneficial.
Can we prevent tinnitus?
Because many things can cause tinnitus it is difficult to say how to prevent it. However, the most commonly known cause for tinnitus is exposure to loud sounds, such as industrial noise, gunfire and excessively loud music. Hence, when exposed to loud sounds, everyone should wear hearing protection.
What is hyperacusis?
People with hyperacusis are unable to tolerate ordinary environmental sounds. This means that sounds we normally hear every day become unbearable or even painful to listen to. Hyperacusis is often accompanied by tinnitus and hearing loss, but it can occur in individuals with little or no hearing loss.
What can be done about hyperacusis?
The most promising treatment for hyperacusis is desensitisation/habituation therapy.
What is the University of Auckland Tinnitus and Hyperacusis Clinc?
It is a specialist audiology clinic for sufferers of tinnitus and hyperacusis and utilises the most up to date scientific therapies for tinnitus and hyperacusis.
What types of therapy does the clinic offer?
It offers counselling, auditory retraining/desensitisation/habituation, masking.
What does tinnitus counselling involve?
Information is offered about tinnitus, its likely mechanism, ways to adapt to the tinnitus, and techniques to help cope with it.
What is auditory retraining therapy?
Auditory retraining therapy or habituation/desensitisation therapy is a fairly recent development and entails retraining the part of the brain involved in tinnitus detection by using low level broad band noise over a substantial period of time. This technique requires the tinnitus sufferer to wear a therapeutic noise generator or a hearing aid for a minimum of 6 hours a day. These devices are used in conjunction with an intensive counselling program, and aim to teach people not to consciously attend to their tinnitus.
What is a therapeutic noise generator?
Therapeutic noise generators also go by the name “maskers” or “tinnitus maskers”. They look like hearing aids and have a control to determine the level of the masking sound. Maskers are available in various style and size.
How does masking work?
Tinnitus masking provides relief from tinnitus by introducing an external hissing sound in to the ear. The sound masks the tinnitus so that it cannot be heard. Although masking replaces one sound with another, the sound is more pleasant than the tinnitus, and people generally learn to ignore the sound and hence the tinnitus as well. The use of masking enables a person with tinnitus to decide when they will or will not hear their tinnitus.
What are “bedside maskers”?
Bedside maskers can be used for masking and relaxation. They are about the size of a bedside radio and produce various sounds like rainfall, waterfall or ocean surf. They can be used with either headphones or “pillow speakers”.
How does informal masking work?
Informal masking uses a personal cassette player rather than tinnitus masker. A walkman is either set in between FM radio stations so that a background hiss is heard, or alternatively, music can be played. The walkman is best used at times when the tinnitus is most disturbing, such as when trying to fall asleep.
Can hearing aids help with tinnitus?
Hearing aids are a very effective way of helping many people with tinnitus. Hearing aids can be used to mask or habituate some type of tinnitus, and in doing so, reduce stress associated with trying to hear.
If the person decides to try a hearing aid, personal masker or habituator, the audiologist will then:
o take an ear impression to manufacture a custom made earmould in conjunction with either of the above
o arrange an appointment for the device to be fitted and tuned to suit the individual
o provide instructions on how to use the device, and
o arrange follow-up appointments for possible further fine tuning and/or counselling.
See our Frequently Asked Questions section, to find some answers.
Further information on tinnitus is available from:
Hearing Aid and Tinnitus Clinic
University of Auckland – School of Population Health
Cnr Merton & Morrins Road
Glen Innes
Auckland
Ph 09 373 8791
Mrs Joan Saunders
Counsellor Q.S.M; MA (Hons); ESOL
Auckland
Ph 09 410 9241
Joan Saunders offers one-to-one counselling by appointment.
Joan has also written a book about her experiences with tinnitus:
“Tinnitus in the Twenty-First Century”
(Noises in the head and ears)
What’s new?
Please contact her on 09 410 9241 or visit her website www.tinnituscounselling.co.nz for more details.
