If you’ve had a tinnitus evaluation recently, it’s possible that your hearing health specialist recommended you try tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). TRT is considered a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, as it trains the brain and encourages neuroplasticity, or the brain’s and nervous system’s ability to adapt. You may be wondering what TRT is and if it’s effective, so let’s break it down together.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy Explained
TRT uses a process called habituation to desensitize your brain to the sounds of tinnitus. When your brain is desensitized to a stimulus, it begins to ignore it. It does this all the time with background noise (such as the refrigerator humming) and even with the sound of your own voice. The goal of TRT is to teach your brain to treat tinnitus the same way it treats the refrigerator humming.
How It Works
TRT uses white or pink noise played just audibly in the background—never louder than tinnitus itself—through speakers or headphones. After some time of listening to the white or pink noise and tinnitus at the same time, your brain will intertwine the two stimuli together, become used to them and start to tune them out entirely. You’ll also undergo counseling with a counselor to discuss coping techniques and other psychological effects of tinnitus.
Off to a Slow Start
TRT is not a quick fix, and the first few days of this program may be difficult, as your brain starts off feeling overwhelmed and confused by the introduction of the new, constant sound. It takes some time for it to move the pink or white noise to the background, and then the tinnitus with it. Patience and consistent effort are key when undergoing TRT, especially at first. Tinnitus never goes away, but you stop paying attention to it.
Long-Term Benefits of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
You may be wondering if TRT is effective. For those who stick with it, studies show that patients see significant improvement! Here are some long-term benefits you may see from successfully undergoing TRT.
Habituation
Habituation happens slowly, but it brings great comfort to your daily life. As you continue on with TRT, you’ll notice your tinnitus less and less, until one day you realize you no longer really notice it at all. Once the sound isn’t as intrusive as it once was, you’ll feel great relief and increased mental clarity.
Stress and Anxiety Relief
For people with intense, debilitating tinnitus, tinnitus spikes can cause significant distress, including stress and anxiety. Tinnitus can activate a stress response in the body, such as increased heart rate, shortness of breath and sensitivity to sound, which in turn makes tinnitus more noticeable and more stressful.
Habituating to the sound of tinnitus turns off this stress response. As your brain focuses less on the sound of tinnitus, it feels no need to prompt a stress response in the body.
Better Sleep
Related to stress, tinnitus can also make sleeping difficult. Another part of the stress response is sleeplessness, and furthermore, the sound of tinnitus could keep you up at night or, should you manage to fall asleep, wake you up again. TRT can help with this. As your brain starts to ignore tinnitus, sleeping will become easier, meaning you’ll feel well-rested the next morning.
How to Get Started
TRT starts with a tinnitus evaluation with a hearing health specialist. Once that diagnosis is confirmed, you can seek out a clinic that offers TRT and begin a program with them. Contact Valley Audiology today to learn more about TRT or schedule an appointment.