Tinnitus Counselling and Management

What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the perception of sound within the ear, without actual sound in the environment. It can be perceived in one or both ears, be continuous or intermittent, and with varying loudness. It is usually described as a ringing noise, but may also be perceived in the forms of hissing, humming or roaring sounds.
Approximately one in five adults may experience tinnitus from time to time. Severe cases can have adverse effects on an individual’s lifestyle (i.e. disrupting sleeping patterns and their ability to work properly). Sufferers are advised to seek immediate professional medical advice from Audiologists or ENT specialists. At THSG, we work closely with the ENT Specialists, so patients have access to both ENT and audiological services for tinnitus management.
The exact causes of tinnitus in many cases remain unknown, although some common causes include:
- Loud noise exposure (Noise-induced hearing loss)
- Meniere disease
- Ear infections
- Excessive earwax
- Aging
- Brain or head injury
The aim of tinnitus management is to help you to focus less on your tinnitus, thereby providing you with relief. The effects of tinnitus can be often be minimised by a combination of counselling and sound stimulation. Amplified sound from hearing aids, music or sound from noise generator can help to minimise the contrast between the buzzing or ringing of tinnitus and the surrounding sound environment.
In general tinnitus patients can be classified into two broad categories:
- Patients with tinnitus and hearing loss
About 80% of people with tinnitus also have a hearing loss. This group of patients will benefit significantly from the use of hearing aids. Not only will hearing ability be improved, the amplified environmental sounds will help mask the tinnitus noise.
Some advanced digital hearing aids today are equipped with both hearing aid and noise generator features. Such devices can be programmed to perform both as a hearing aid as well as a sound generator. When programmed as a noise generator, it can create masking sound such as white noise to help in masking off the tinnitus more effectively. This unique two-in-one feature helps to address both hearing loss and tinnitus issues as they can be turned on independently or simultaneously.
Patients with tinnitus (only)
When individual suffers from tinnitus, the ringing sound in the ear is not the only problem. The most common difficulties attributed to tinnitus are sleeping problem, feeling frustrated and depressed, unable to concentrate at work and feeling stress. At THSG clinics we use the latest digital hearing devices that can generate both masking sound and soothing music to help individual to relax and tune off from the tinnitus. Don’t delay the situation. Speak with our experienced audiologists to receive the best advice on overcoming tinnitus