The AudioNotch Tinnitus Treatment Blog

Please note: the following information does not constitute professional medical advice, and is provided for general informational purposes only. Please speak to your doctor if you have tinnitus.

More than 36 million people in the United States suffer from tinnitus that is characterized by hearing sounds within one or both ears. The sound might occur occasionally, intermittently or continually. The noise heard ranges in tensity from one individual to the next. The tone heard also differs from buzzing, hissing or whooshing to ringing or whistling. The sound may represent a general annoyance or can become maddening.

Therapeutic Breakthrough

Some try drowning out the noise by using music to block out tinnitus. In some instances, music or even certain everyday common sounds mask the offending ear noise, which makes the condition more tolerable. In recent years, studying people suffering from the condition led researchers to the discovery that certain tones or white noise may actually help. The investigation led to the development of a therapy known as acoustic neural stimulation.

Acoustic Neural Retraining

Audiology specialists found that broadband, narrowband and S-tones offer tinnitus sufferers immediate relief. These sounds can also provide long-term or permanent relief. Initially, specific tones have the ability to match the frequency of the internal noise, which drowns out the problem. The person then becomes desensitized to the condition. By continually listening to designated tones over an extended length of time every day, the therapy creates changes in the signals that the nerves send to the brain. Scientists theorize that using therapeutic music to block out tinnitus targets the delicate auditory nerves and eventually reduces the communication signals that cause the irritating sounds.

The key to effective therapy involves determining the frequency heard. Tinnitus sufferers must then listen to matching audio signals generated by an external source for at least two consecutive hours daily for a period of two months. In many cases, after this time, the need to mask the offending noise decreases. An individual may gradually shorten the length of time that they listen to the recordings. By around the sixth month, many find that the condition has dramatically improved. Some find that they no longer need to use the specially engineered tones or music to block out tinnitus.

Acoustic Therapy Options

The methods used for therapy may include listening to classical music that does not have a great degree of loudness variation. The sound serves to calm or soothe the limbic system in the brain while stimulating the part of the inner ear known as the auditory cortex. Some prefer commercially available sound generators. These devices emit designated tones or combine music with embedded tones that offer tinnitus relief. One option for music as a treatment for tinnitus is AudioNotch – a form of Notched Sound Therapy.