What is Tinnitus?
- Everyone experiences Tinnitus in their lifetime even if they have normal hearing and it is often noticed in extremely quiet situations.
- Tinnitus has an impact on Emotional Well-being, Sleep, Concentration and Anxiety.
- 50% of chronic tinnitus sufferers could be diagnosed with one psychological condition e.g. anxiety, depression, insomnia etc.
- Tinnitus can be very different for different people- constant, pulsatile, central, unilateral, one sound or up to 2-3 simultaneous sounds
- Bothersome Tinnitus is mostly a central nervous system creation possibly due to damage in the auditory system, central gain enhancement, altered neural auditory pathways and problems in the limbic system (our emotional brain)
What is Sound Intolerance?
Sound Intolerance is an umbrella term for conditions where everyday normal sounds are perceived by an individal as particularly loud, bothersome or even painful. Strong avoidance behaviours are often noticed such as wearing earplugs, removing items from the house, and avoiding social situations where threatening sounds might occur. Hyperacusis= sensitivity or negative reaction to the loudness of sounds which would be perceived as non-threathening to the majority of the population (hyperacusis is highly prevalent in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) population) Misophonia= sensitivity to the content of the sound (e.g. ticking clock, chewing sounds, the washing machine) Phonophonia= fear of a particular sound (but it’s actually a fear of fear itself) Similiar to Tinnitus, Sound Intolerance has impacts on Emotional Well-being, Sleep, Concentration and Anxiety. Hyperacusis can often occur with other co-mordities like PTSD, Depression, Tinnitus or ASD.
Solutions for Tinnitus and Sound Intolerance
There isn’t a single silver bullet solution to help everyone equally. Sorry, we’re not in a Werewolf movie here.
A custom solution plan needs to be tailored to each individual according to their own needs and experience. You may have heard people tell you that nothing can be done and to just get on with life. Whilst there is an element of truth here and you do need to reach a level of acceptance of your condition, there may be some things that can be done to help you manage your level of disturbance, your hypervigilance towards sound and improve your Quality Of Life.
Demystification & Understanding Neuralplasticity
Knowledge is power. Knowing and understand what biological and neural changes are happening in the ear, the central nervous system or brain/limbic system to create a bothersome reaction to internal sounds (tinnitus) or to external sounds (Hyperacusis/Misophonia) is the first and arguably the most important step in any solution plan.
Good Health, Sleep and Mental wellbeing
We hear about the importance of good overall health and the need to be more healthy everywhere we look, but in the case of bothersome or debilitating Tinnitus or Sound Intolerance, they are critical. Having good health, good sleep habits and good mental health together helps us cope with challenges in our lives which includes hearing loss, tinnitus and sound intolerance.
Strategies, Devices & Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Hearing aids, tinnitus maskers, neuromonics, strategies and CBT are just some of the things to consider. CBT is an effective treatment approach for a range of mental and emotional health issues, including anxiety and depression. CBT aims to help you identify and challenge unhelpful thoughts and to learn practical self-help strategies.