Tinnitus, a condition that results in a ringing sound in the ear, can be a debilitating problem for anyone who suffers from it. However, a team of researchers have found a possible solution to the problem.
Publishing their findings in the journal Frontiers in Audiology and Otology, the international research team were able to effectively reduce symptoms in just a matter of weeks by using an app that included sound therapy and a variety of training courses.
The initial trial focused on 30 people suffering from tinnitus, with almost two-thirds of them experiencing a ‘clinically significant improvement’ while using the app known as MindEar. Now, the team plans to run larger trials in the UK alongside the University College London Hospital.
“Cognitive behavioural therapy is known to help people with tinnitus, but it requires a trained psychologist. That’s expensive, and often difficult to access,” said Suzanne Purdy, Professor of Psychology at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
“[The app] uses a combination of cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness and relaxation exercises as well as sound therapy to help you train your brain’s reaction so that we can tune out tinnitus. The sound you perceive fades in the background and is much less bothersome."
Pre-birth, our brains are already learning to filter out sounds that we determine to be irrelevant – the sound of blood rushing past our ears, for example. As we grow, our brains continue to do this, filtering out environmental noises like busy roads or the sound of a kettle.
Alternatively, sounds like alarms can bypass this filter, triggering a sense of alertness even when we’re asleep. Unlike an alarm, however, tinnitus occurs when a person hears a sound in the head and ears.
There is no external sound source or risk from the environment, and yet the mind responds with an alert fight or flight style response. This causes the brain to focus on the sound despite its lack of risk.
The new app aims to tune this sound out, equipping the mind and body with the tools to suppress stress hormones and responses, reducing the brain’s tendency to focus on the sound.
The Mindear app is currently available to download for Apple and Android users. While some features are free on the app, many are locked behind a paywall after a seven-day free trial (with a monthly subscription costing £13).
Mindear is not the first app of its kind, with the Oto tinnitus app currently being trialled in the UK.
“About 1.5 million people in Australia, 4 million in the UK and 20 million in the USA have severe tinnitus,” said Dr Fabrice Bardy, an audiologist at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland and lead author of the paper, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Audiology and Otology.
“One of the most common misconceptions about tinnitus is that there is nothing you can do about it; that you just have to live with it. This is simply not true. Professional help from those with expertise in tinnitus support can reduce the fear and anxiety attached to the sound patient's experience."
Tinnitus is not a disease in itself but is usually a symptom of another underlying health condition, such as damage to the auditory system or tension occurring in the head and neck.
Although there is no known cure for tinnitus, management strategies and techniques can help sufferers.
Read more:
