Symptom relief for tinnitus and hyperacusis

Tinnitus is stressful — and stress can make it worse — so for some people, sedatives, tranquilizers or antidepressants can be helpful. For others, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) works miracles, helping them to change their response and focus away from the noise.

Specialists may also recommend listening to music as a distraction, especially at bedtime. If you have impaired hearing, a hearing aid can relieve tinnitus symptoms because louder and clearer external sounds override the internal noises.

• A tinnitus-masking gadget called a white noise generator produces a soothing, low level sound like "shhh," which you set at a level just below or at the same pitch as your tinnitus. If you listen to it regularly, your brain becomes accustomed to the sound and your tinnitus becomes less noticeable.
• A slightly richer version called pink noise works better for some people.
• You can buy white noise CDs or MP3 downloads for use with ordinary speakers or headphones, or with special pillow speakers at night.
• Some white noise machines offer a choice of soothing sounds, such as light rain, a waterfall, a bubbling stream or birdsong.
• In-ear devices are also available. A bit like a hearing aid, they fit inside the ear and generate white noise.
• If you need a hearing aid anyway, there are combination units that do both — ask your audiologist what's available.
• Around 80 per cent of sufferers find that tinnitus retraining therapy — a combination of white noise and CBT — reduces symptoms dramatically, but you need to persevere: it can take a year or more to achieve full results.

• If you have this uncommon condition, you will probably be referred to an ENT or audiology specialist.
• A hearing test, and perhaps a loudness discomfort test, will gauge the severity of your symptoms.
• If any underlying cause is identified you may be offered treatment; otherwise hyperacusis retraining therapy — auditory desensitization and CBT — is the normal course of action.

• As with tinnitus, noise generators have been successful for many people with hyperacusis.
• "Pink" noise seems to work better with hyperacusis than white noise, because the richer sounds help the ears to become desensitized to the loud sounds of hyperacusis.
• The treatment involves playing a CD or using an in-ear device to generate pink or white noise at just audible levels, gradually building up to eight hours a day.
• This is thought to re-establish tolerance to sound, and while it may take a year or more to work, it appears that perseverance is rewarded, as 90 per cent of people have reported a "substantial improvement."
• Don't avoid sound: It's tempting if you suffer from hyperacusis to avoid sounds that are painfully loud to you.
• But while this makes sense for noises that could damage your hearing, like using power tools or mowing the lawn, it's not great for day-to-day sounds that others don't perceive as unpleasantly loud.
• Experts warn that you shouldn't use earplugs or defenders to make your environment quieter.
• If you do, your auditory system will attempt to compensate for the muffled input by increasing its sensitivity.
• In the long term, this will make your hyperacusis even worse. If you work in a genuinely noisy environment, or have a noisy hobby, ask your audiologist about "active" electronic sound attenuators.