The ringing, buzzing or whooshing sounds of tinnitus that no one else can hear can disrupt your everyday activities, making it difficult to enjoy the little things. Though invisible to others, these unwanted noises can make it difficult to concentrate during the day and often interfere with falling asleep at night. At Huron Valley Hearing, our hearing health professionals understand how tinnitus can affect your quality of life and offer specialized treatments designed to provide relief.
While tinnitus often can’t be completely cured, its impact on your daily life can be significantly reduced with proper management. Our team takes time to assess your specific tinnitus pattern and how it affects you personally, then works with you to develop strategies that can help quiet the noise and reduce its interference with your work, relationships and rest.
Understanding Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no actual external noise is present. People often describe it as a ringing, buzzing, roaring, hissing or clicking sound, and it can be heard in one ear, both ears or even seem like it’s coming from inside the head. Tinnitus itself is not a condition but a symptom of another issue within the auditory system, which includes the ear, the auditory nerve and parts of the brain that process sound.
There are many possible causes of tinnitus. One of the most common is exposure to loud noise, which can permanently damage the sensitive hair cells in the inner ear that help transmit sound signals to the brain. Age-related hearing loss is another frequent cause, as the structures of the inner ear gradually wear down over time. Tinnitus can also result from a buildup of earwax that blocks the ear canal, causing pressure and changes in how you hear. Certain medications, especially those known to affect hearing, can trigger tinnitus as a side effect. In many cases, the exact cause can’t be identified, but the symptom is often linked to some change or disruption in the hearing system.
What Are the Common Treatment Options?
While there is no cure for tinnitus, several treatment options can help reduce its impact and make it easier to manage. These approaches focus on either masking the sound, reducing the contrast between tinnitus and silence or changing the way the brain responds to it. The right treatment often depends on what’s causing tinnitus and how much it affects daily life.
Hearing Aids
For people with hearing loss, hearing aids can be a helpful way to manage tinnitus. By improving access to outside sounds, hearing aids reduce the contrast between background noise and the ringing or buzzing that tinnitus creates. In many cases, when hearing is improved, tinnitus becomes less noticeable. Some hearing aids also include built-in sound generators that can provide soft background noise to help mask the tinnitus directly.
Sound Machines
Sound machines, or sound therapy devices, play calming background sounds like white noise, nature sounds or soft tones. These sounds help cover up the tinnitus, especially in quiet environments where it tends to feel more noticeable. Some people use tabletop sound machines while sleeping, while others wear small, portable devices during the day. The goal is to make the tinnitus less distracting by giving the brain something else to focus on.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)
Tinnitus retraining therapy combines sound therapy with counseling to help the brain get used to the presence of tinnitus. TRT is typically a long-term program guided by a trained specialist. It involves regular use of low-level sound and personalized counseling to change how the brain responds to the tinnitus signal. Over time, the sound often becomes less noticeable and less bothersome.
Each treatment option works a bit differently, and some people benefit most from a combination of approaches. A hearing health professional can help you decide which option best fits your needs and lifestyle.