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 People with the disorder, known as tinnitus, who slept with the
in-ear devices felt less bothered than patients who used bedside
noise machines, researchers found in a study funded by the device
manufacturer.
Tinnitus is the perception of sound that has no source outside the
head, and it’s often caused by exposure to loud noise. While sound
therapy is one of the treatments doctors recommend, research to date
has offered a mixed picture of how well this works at reducing how
much people notice ringing in their ears.
For the current study, researchers randomly assigned 60 patients
with tinnitus to sleep with one of three sound therapy devices: a
customized in-ear device that played sounds matched to the ringing
sounds patients typically heard; an in-ear device that let patients
select a pre-set sound; or a bedside noise machine.
After three months of treatment, patients with all three types of
sound therapy reported being less bothered by ringing in their ears.
However, people with the customized in-ear device reported a greater
reduction in the perceived loudness of tinnitus than other
participants.
“By listening to this sound while sleeping, the idea is the brain
will learn to ignore the tinnitus,” said lead study author Sarah
Theodoroff, a researcher at the VA Portland Health Care System and
Oregon Health and Science University.
“This study lends additional support that sound-based therapy helps
reduce tinnitus distress,” Theodoroff said by email.
With the customized in-ear device, participants created a tinnitus
“sound print” by using software to identify the sounds that most
closely matched the ringing they heard in their ears. These patients
were asked to listen to the sound print each night and adjust the
volume to match the loudness of tinnitus.
People who got the other in-ear device could choose settings with
white noise, band noise or a combination of the two. They were asked
to select the noise option and volume level that felt most
comfortable.
Similarly, patients who received the bedside noise machine were
asked to choose a comfortable sound and volume. If they shared a
bedroom, they were told it was fine to include their partner in
their selection.
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Both in-ear devices in the study were Levo System products. The
study was funded by Baker Group LLP, which manufactures Levo System
devices.
One drawback of the study is that it lacked a control group of
patients who didn’t receive sound therapy. It also didn’t directly
compare sound therapy to other interventions for tinnitus like
cognitive behavioral therapy or hearing aids.
There’s also no way to objectively measure whether the loudness of
tinnitus is reduced by sound therapy, Theodoroff noted. That’s why
researchers focused instead on reducing reactions to tinnitus, she
said.
The best option for patients with tinnitus is to see a doctor,
advised Dr. Jennifer Derebery, a partner at the House Ear Clinic and
a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles David
Geffen School of Medicine.
“They should get their hearing checked if they have tinnitus and see
if there is an underlying reason that can be identified,” Derebery,
who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email.
Causes might include grinding the teeth at night or taking certain
medications like aspirin or certain anti-inflammatory drugs, she
said.
With time, most patients can adjust to the ringing in their ears to
the point where it’s no longer an issue or they only think about it
some of the time, Derebery added. If sleep is an issue, some sound
in the room at night, even if it’s just ambient noise, may help
people with mild or moderate tinnitus.
In-ear devices might help when symptoms are more persistent or
severe, Derebery advised.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/2EY2BDn American Journal of Audiology, online
December 12, 2017.
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