{"id":579,"date":"2020-09-04T08:40:01","date_gmt":"2020-09-03T23:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/what-is-a-tinnitus-masker-how-does-it-help-tinnitus\/"},"modified":"2020-12-01T10:03:49","modified_gmt":"2020-12-01T01:03:49","slug":"what-is-a-tinnitus-masker-how-does-it-help-tinnitus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/tinnitus\/what-is-a-tinnitus-masker-how-does-it-help-tinnitus\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Tinnitus Masker? How does it Help Tinnitus?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tinnitus is notoriously difficult to treat, mainly because there is no universal \u2018cure\u2019 and everyone\u2019s tinnitus experience is different. Medications and treatments often let people down to much disappointment. It can be incredibly frustrating when you\u2019ve invested time and energy into something that doesn\u2019t give you the results you were hoping for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortunately, there are some things that are more likely to help with your tinnitus to some extent.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tinnitus maskers have had great success in helping people with their tinnitus symptoms, and are advanced enough to be able to offer almost everyone at least some relief. They\u2019re often used on the side of other therapies and treatments or are relied on by those that have exhausted most of their other options.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, you might be thinking \u2014 what even is a tinnitus masker, and how does it work? This article will explain the ins and outs of tinnitus masking as a simple yet effective method of tinnitus management.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#What_Does_Tinnitus_Masker_Mean\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> What Does Tinnitus Masker Mean?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_Does_Tinnitus_Masking_Work\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> How Does Tinnitus Masking Work?\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#What_Does_a_Tinnitus_Masker_Sound_Like\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> What Does a Tinnitus Masker Sound Like?\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Tinnitus_Maskers_Hearing_Aids_and_PSAPs\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">4<\/span> Tinnitus Maskers, Hearing Aids, and PSAPs\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#What_Are_the_Limitations_of_Tinnitus_Maskers\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">5<\/span> What Are the Limitations of Tinnitus Maskers?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#The_Best_Way_to_Use_a_Tinnitus_Masker\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">6<\/span> The Best Way to Use a Tinnitus Masker<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"What_Does_Tinnitus_Masker_Mean\">What Does Tinnitus Masker Mean?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tinnitus maskers (or tinnitus noisers) are small machines that drown out or mask the sounds experienced as a result of your tinnitus. Many people find that by using a masker, they are better able to focus, relax, and fall asleep.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Depending on the device, maskers can be worn in the ear, combined with hearing aids, or placed in a room as a speaker.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_Does_Tinnitus_Masking_Work\">How Does Tinnitus Masking Work?\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tinnitus maskers generate and emit broad-band or narrow-band noise at low levels, designed to drown out the auditory sensations of tinnitus. They produce this white or pink noise to add an artificial sound to your environment. These noises don\u2019t work in the same way as music however, as they are specific tones that are effective in dampening the noise in your ears.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The perceived loudness of tinnitus, or the sensation level (SL), is how much louder your tinnitus is above the ambient noise of the environment. Maskers work by raising the ambient level of noise by producing white noise, reducing the loudness of tinnitus as a result.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The aim of tinnitus maskers is that both the ringing in your ears and the masking sound will be delegated to the background of your attention, giving you a break from relentless internal noise. For many people, they are very effective. In 2013, one study found that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3830003\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">71 &#8211; 88% of masker users found their device to be helpful<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in reducing their tinnitus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A good way of testing whether a masker might work for you is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.signia-hearing.com\/blog\/how-and-why-tinnitus-maskers-work-for-people-with-tinnitus\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">turning on your faucet and seeing if the running water drowns out your tinnitus<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If it does, a tinnitus masker has a good chance of doing the same thing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_Does_a_Tinnitus_Masker_Sound_Like\">What Does a Tinnitus Masker Sound Like?\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The noise produced by a tinnitus masker is normally a low-level white noise or natural sound but depends on the specific product you opt for.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Tinnitus_Maskers_Hearing_Aids_and_PSAPs\">Tinnitus Maskers, Hearing Aids, and PSAPs\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hearingloss.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HLAA_HearingLoss_Facts_Statistics.pdf?pdf=FactStats\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">estimated 50 million Americans experience tinnitus, 90% of these individuals also have hearing loss<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s no exaggeration to say then, that tonal tinnitus and hearing loss (generally) go hand in hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because of this, you\u2019d think that it would be useful for some hearing aids to have masking capabilities, and luckily, technology has allowed this to happen.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some (but not all) hearing aids have tinnitus maskers, effectively doubling as a masker. When they do, they often offer a range of sounds to mask your tonal tinnitus.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2013, another clinical study looking at <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karger.com\/Article\/FullText\/349979?id=pmid:2175858#\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the effectiveness of combined hearing and masking devices on the severity and perception of tinnitus<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> found them to be an effective tinnitus treatment alternative.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For people with hearing loss and tinnitus, having to switch between devices would be incredibly annoying, but by having a combined technology in one device, they can benefit from multiple functions. When you have hearing loss and tinnitus, they\u2019re generally there for good, so this is a very worthwhile investment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t have hearing loss, a customizable Personal Sound Amplification Product (PSAP) such as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/products\/smart-ear\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Olive Smart Ear<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> might be able to distract you from your tinnitus by amplifying the environment noises around you. These products aren&#8217;t guaranteed to be suitable for everybody, but they\u2019re something to look into.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_Are_the_Limitations_of_Tinnitus_Maskers\">What Are the Limitations of Tinnitus Maskers?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Masking as a sound therapy can alleviate your symptoms of tinnitus but certainly isn\u2019t a one-time solution. This isn\u2019t necessarily a limitation of tinnitus maskers because there is currently no FDA-approved medication or \u2018cure\u2019 for tinnitus, so no other treatments can offer this either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nevertheless, using a tinnitus masker can have a powerful and long-lasting effect on your tinnitus, just by relieving you of your symptoms. If you use your masker regularly or have one integrated into your hearing aid, you can feel like your tinnitus isn\u2019t there most of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are no harmful effects of masking on hearing. Unlike medications that can have harsh side-effects, maskers are a risk-free way to reliably block out your tinnitus, helping to improve your relaxation time, concentration when working, personal relationships, and general enjoyment in life.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Masking devices have even received <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tinnitus_masker\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Class II approval from the FDA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, although they are still labeled as \u201cexperimental, investigational, or unproven.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How well you react to using a masker may depend on how easy it is for you to experience residual inhibition \u2014 the ability to temporarily suppress tinnitus in response to the masking sounds.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"The_Best_Way_to_Use_a_Tinnitus_Masker\">The Best Way to Use a Tinnitus Masker<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has also been claimed that <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tinnitus.org.au\/Management\/Habituation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it is beneficial to hear your tinnitus slightly as well as the masking sound<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to assist habituation (adapting) to your tinnitus. Those making this claim believe that you should not swamp out your tinnitus for prolonged periods of time because habituation is a normal reaction to a persistent stimulus (in this case, your tinnitus).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Habituation is thought to be important as it allows you to ignore your tinnitus over time, and emotionally accept it. The thought is that masking might hinder your progress, by shielding your exposure to your tinnitus, which you need to face.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There does seem to be a benefit to thinking about tinnitus as neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but whether masking hinders habituation in this way is not yet fully known. Habituation is an aim of tinnitus therapies such as Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), and its benefits are not in question. However, that masking is incompatible with habituation doesn\u2019t necessarily square with reports of the long-term benefit of masking for tinnitus sufferers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Seeing as it is important to treat tinnitus if you have it (or else it can cause frustration, fatigue, and sometimes depression), using a masker either on its own or alongside other therapies is likely to bring you some restorative relief. If you are concerned about habituation, it is recommended that you do some further research before making any treatment decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the best advice, it is recommended that you talk through your treatment options with your doctor or audiologist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about tinnitus treatments, find more articles <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/blogs\/the-olive-branch\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on our blog<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><b>The information in this guide has been written using the following reliable sources:<\/b><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.signia-hearing.com\/blog\/how-and-why-tinnitus-maskers-work-for-people-with-tinnitus\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.signia-hearing.com\/blog\/how-and-why-tinnitus-maskers-work-for-people-with-tinnitus\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3830003\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3830003\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.hearingloss.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/HLAA_HearingLoss_Facts_Statistics.pdf?pdf=FactStats<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.karger.com\/Article\/FullText\/349979?id=pmid:2175858\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.karger.com\/Article\/FullText\/349979?id=pmid:2175858<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tinnitus.org.au\/Management\/Habituation\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.tinnitus.org.au\/Management\/Habituation<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tinnitus_masker\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tinnitus_masker<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><meta charset=\"utf-8\"><\/p>\n<style type=\"text\/css\"><!--\ntd {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}\n--><\/style>\n<p><span data-sheets-value='{\"1\":2,\"2\":\"A Tinnitus masker is a simple device that helps you manage your tinnitus symptoms by masking the sound. We break down how they work and the best way to use them.\"}' data-sheets-userformat='{\"2\":8961,\"3\":{\"1\":0},\"11\":4,\"12\":0,\"16\":10}'>A Tinnitus masker is a simple device that helps you manage your tinnitus symptoms by masking the sound. We break down how they work and the best way to use them.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.oliveunion.com\/ustest\/tinnitus\/what-is-a-tinnitus-masker-how-does-it-help-tinnitus\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is a Tinnitus Masker? 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