Tinnitus Retraining Therapy & CBT Treatment
Services
If you’re living with tinnitus you may hear a constant ringing in your ears. Other people may experience tinnitus as a buzzing, hissing, roaring or whizzing noise. What’s clear is that tinnitus can have a huge impact on your quality of life, interfering with your ability to concentrate, to interact with others and even to sleep.
At The Hearing Clinic, we have helped people to manage tinnitus and reduce symptoms and regain control of their lives by using tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) and also CBT. While there is no cure for tinnitus, customised tinnitus management can make a huge difference to improving your hearing and reducing your symptoms
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is not a disease or illness, but a condition often associated with hearing loss or problems with the hearing pathway. In some cases, it may be linked to exposure to loud noises, damage to the inner ear, or Ménière’s disease.
For some people, tinnitus comes and goes, while others experience it continuously. The NHS estimates that approximately six million people in the UK experience persistent tinnitus and around 600,000 people experience it to a degree that affects their quality of life. It can affect people of all ages, though is more common in adults over 65.
Managing tinnitus
If you are suffering from tinnitus, The Hearing Clinic can provide you with the tinnitus management and support you need to move forward. The journey begins with a thorough assessment and evaluation. We’ll understand how tinnitus affects your life before conducting a full diagnostic assessment. We’ll then develop a tailored management plan that fits your needs.
Tinnitus specialists – Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) and CBT
Consultant Audiologist and Founder of The Hearing Clinic, Bridgitte Harley, is trained in Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) as well as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) skills for audiologists. These approaches can help to reduce and manage stress associated with tinnitus. You can change how you think about, relate to, and understand tinnitus and its effects.
As tinnitus can be triggered by hearing loss, we will also assess your hearing to determine your hearing levels. Wearing hearing aids can correct hearing loss and may reduce the impact of tinnitus. Hearing technology is expertly fitted and programmed to align with your hearing needs. Sound enrichment or sound therapy can also complement treatment and alleviate tinnitus.
We offer CBT therapy for our patients with distressing tinnitus and will discuss this option with you at your appointment.
Sound therapy for tinnitus
We use the latest hearing technology to wirelessly stream relaxing sounds into the ears, masking the tinnitus and allowing you to feel calm and in control.
These gentle sounds can be played during the day or at night for relief while sleeping. There are independent left and right volume controls for even more customisation. This innovative technology combines multiple sound therapy approaches in one system and is flexible enough to be incorporated as part of almost any treatment program.
Other sound therapy strategies can be used as well, including listening to white noise, nature sounds, or soothing music to make tinnitus less noticeable. Stress has also been found to impact tinnitus symptoms, so relaxation techniques may be recommended. Engaging in deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and other strategies can help reduce stress and increase comfort.
Effectively managing tinnitus and changing lives
At The Hearing Clinic we take a holistic approach to treating tinnitus – and it works. Scores of clients say that their treatment has changed their life for the better. Managing tinnitus really is possible, helping you to rediscover quality of life. Call us today to book your appointment.
Awards
Prices
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
QHow to cope with tinnitus?
AIt’s thought that around 10% of adults have tinnitus – experiencing ringing in the ears, buzzing, humming or clicking – which can be triggered by changes in hearing, and hearing loss. Mild tinnitus can prevent you from concentrating or hearing clearly. Severe tinnitus can affect your sleep and seriously impact your quality of life.
While there’s no cure for tinnitus, there are ways to take back control of the condition. The team at The Hearing Clinic provide specialist tinnitus support, including:
- Managing your response to the condition
- Correcting any hearing loss
- Using sound enrichment/sound therapy
QWhat is pulsatile tinnitus?
AWhile most types of tinnitus involve hearing sounds from inside the body, pulsatile tinnitus is caused by your ears picking up a physical source of sound – your blood circulating. You may have a conductive hearing loss caused by an infection or inflammation of the middle ear, which will amplify any internal head noises — like breathing, or blood flowing through the ear.
Two large blood vessels travel through each ear, the carotid artery and the jugular vein, which circulate blood to and from the brain, and it’s likely to be the blood flowing through these vessels that you can hear.
If you experience pulsatile tinnitus see your doctor as soon as possible so that hearing, circulation and other tests can be performed.
QPulsatile tinnitus when lying down?
AKey blood vessels – the carotid artery and the jugular vein – circulate blood to and from the brain. You are more likely to be aware of the flow of blood through these vessels, particularly if you have turbulent blood flow, when you’re quiet and lying down.
If you experience pulsatile tinnitus see your doctor as soon as possible so that hearing, circulation and other tests can be performed.
QHow to sleep with tinnitus?
AIf you are living with tinnitus, chances are you have trouble getting to sleep, particularly in a very quiet room. However, there are different tactics for managing tinnitus to help you to rediscover quality of life. To help you to get to sleep, consider:
- White noise or calming sounds to mask tinnitus
- Meditation or relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing
- Practising Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a form of talking therapy, which can help you change your personal response to tinnitus, reducing anxiety.
Tinnitus support and management is one of our key services at The Hearing Clinic. Talk to us about sound therapy.