Adelaide Hearing Consultants Audiologists are specialists in the assessment and management of tinnitus. When you make an appointment to discuss your tinnitus, you will be asked to complete two or three questionnaires to bring to the appointment. The Audiologist will read the questionnaires and then ask some questions and invite you to describe your experiences and concerns. Some testing might be done, including one or more of the following: a routine tone hearing test, speech listening tests, testing for loudness discomfort, tinnitus masking tests. The Audiologist will explain the findings of these tests and suggest some ways to manage tinnitus. If other specialist opinions or interventions are indicated, the Audiologist will recommend these.

Return to top

There are no guaranteed cures for tinnitus, but there are techniques for reducing tinnitus annoyance. The goal of Tinnitus therapy, including the Neuromonics Desensitisation Protocol, is to help the person habituate to the tinnitus and to stop being aware of it. This is done by an Audiologist in the following ways, by:

• acknowledging the reality of the tinnitus and its impact on the person
• describing the structure and function of the hearing system and explaining the causes and mechanisms of tinnitus awareness
• providing a thorough explanation of the tests and measures already undertaken to determine the location or cause of the tinnitus and why these indicate that there is nothing seriously wrong with the hearing system
• providing advice on techniques for relaxing and dealing with tinnitus, to reduce the impact of stress and anxiety
• identifying and providing different sounds (e.g. white noise, ‘natural’ sound recordings or the individually-programmed Neuromonics sound device) which can assist the habituation process – this helps to de-tune the sound-pattern processors so that they no longer recognise the tinnitus as something which should be attended to
• providing hearing aids for people with hearing loss as well as tinnitus – so that the real world of sound can assume importance over the perceived world of tinnitus
• identifying things which make the tinnitus worse; e.g. jaw-joint or neck problems, anxiety and depression; and recommending other health professionals who can assist with their management

People with tinnitus can attend one of our half-day courses, which provides information on a range of techniques for managing tinnitus annoyance.  See the ‘Events’ page for dates, times and locations of these regualr courses.

The Neuromonics Tinnitus Protocol involves extensive counselling by an Audiologist, the regular use of the Neuromonics sound device, and ongoing assessments and evaluations.

Neuromonics involves desensitisation of the tinnitus signal in the auditory centres of the brain.  (This differs from hearing aid fitting which may assist with distraction from the tinnitus). As a result, the person learns to ignore the tinnitus sounds much of the time, and to be less bothered when they are aware of them.

Presentation of the Neuromonics Protocol is generally divided into two phases and involves the use of a device that is custom-programmed according to the individual’s hearing levels and tinnitus perception.  Phase 1 of treatment provides the individual with a high level of distraction from the tinnitus, using relaxing music and ‘shower sound’.  Phase 2 provides an increased exposure to the tinnitus through the relaxing customised music signal, only. The aim is to assist habituation to the tinnitus signal over a 6 month period.

The starting point is an individual tinnitus assessment to determine what tinnitus help is needed and whether Neuromonics is suitable. Our Audiologists; Judith, David and Holly, are accredited to provide the Neuromonics Tinnitus Protocol.

For more information on Neuromonics: www.neuromonics.com

Return to top

What is Tinnitus?

‘Tinnitus’ is the term for the perception of sounds in the ears or head when there isn’t a sound, that is, other people cannot hear it.  Tinnitus might begin suddenly or gradually, be present in either or both ears, and is often associated with hearing loss.  It is an invisible condition that does not cause hearing loss or damage to the ear.

How Common is Tinnitus?

Most people experience tinnitus at some time in their life.  Sometimes the tinnitus follows an illness or exposure to loud noise, and goes away shortly after.  However, some people experience more persistent tinnitus.

A local survey of adult health indicated that about 11% of South Australian adults reported tinnitus.  Information from other countries suggests that about 15% to 30% of the population experience persistent tinnitus.

What Causes Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease.  Often tinnitus is a symptom of a problem with the auditory system (the ear itself or its connections to the brain). There are many possible causes of tinnitus; the two most common causes are exposure to very high levels of noise and age – both of which can also lead to hearing loss.  When a person has both hearing loss and tinnitus, the hearing loss reduces their perception of external sounds so that they perceive the internal tinnitus sounds to be quite loud.

People with tinnitus are encouraged to have their ears examined by a doctor.  The doctor may also recommend that the patient sees an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist (ENT) to explore and treat the possible cause of the tinnitus.  However, in many cases, no medically treatable cause for the tinnitus can be found.

What Can Aggravate Tinnitus?

There are many factors that can cause or aggravate tinnitus.  Some of these include:

Loud noise – a brief exposure to very loud noise can fatigue the ear and cause short-term tinnitus. Exposure to very loud noise over long periods of time can have a damaging effect on the microscopic hair cells of the inner ear, causing tinnitus to develop.

Ear, nose, sinus infections and allergies – these can affect the middle ear and increase attention to internal sounds, such as tinnitus.

Some medications can affect the inner ear or the hearing nerves which carry sound messages from the ears to the brain. The effect may be temporary, i.e. tinnitus may cease when the person stops taking the drug, or the tinnitus may persist after the drugs are discontinued.

Stress and fatigue – for some people, tinnitus is a sign that they are under stress and need to relax and rest. Many people report their tinnitus is worse when they are anxious, depressed or worried.

Food and drink – a small proportion of people with tinnitus find that alcohol or caffeine in coffee, tea, chocolate or cola drinks makes their tinnitus worse.

What Are the Effects of Tinnitus?

Many people get used to the sound of tinnitus and can ignore it or are not bothered by it. For others, annoying tinnitus has important effects upon their life, including their sleep, mood and communication.

Sleep

Most people with tinnitus report that they are more aware of their tinnitus when it is quiet, especially when they go to bed. Some report that tinnitus prevents them dropping off or returning to sleep.

The consequences of lack of sleep can be disturbed mood, impaired thinking and planning, impaired movement or clumsiness, social discomfort and . . . increased attention to tinnitus!

Mood

The person with tinnitus might also feel isolated and misunderstood because it can be difficult for family members and friends to understand how irritating tinnitus can be. They might experience irritability, anger and depression which require professional attention. Also, tinnitus and other causes of stress can interact.

Concentration

Tinnitus can make it hard to concentrate, especially upon listening activities such as attending a concert or lecture, or focusing on a task in a quiet room.

Communication

For some people, tinnitus is aggravated by noise, e.g. in the car, making it more difficult to communicate in noise. For many people tinnitus is most noticeable in a quiet room and may interfere with listening there. Typically, however, if a person has trouble hearing in noise or in quiet it is more likely to be because they have some degree of hearing loss rather than due to the tinnitus.

For more information about tinnitus and its management, see www.tinnitussa.org.

Also, watch out for free community information sessions run in metropolitan and rural South Australia by Tinnitus SA.

Return to top