- A new app,
MindEar, provides relief to people with tinnitus by leveraging cognitive
behavioral therapy, mindfulness, meditation, and sound therapy.
- An initial clinical trial showed that nearly
two-thirds of users saw an improvement after 16 weeks.
- Tinnitus is not a condition, but a symptom,
characterized by the perception of ringing or noise when none is present.
- Underlying causes can include stress but also
more serious issues.
Tinnitus, a common symptom in
which the brain perceives sound even in quiet environments, affects about 10 percent of adults in the United States.
While most cases are mild, some people can experience debilitating symptoms that can
significantly diminish their quality of life.
Its underlying causes
are multifaceted, ranging from general ear conditions to stress to head
injuries, and that can make it tricky for doctors to treat.
A team of researchers
has developed a smartphone app, known as MindEar, that could help provide relief to those with
tinnitus. The app is available now and researchers say an early clinical trial
has shown promise in helping people overcome their symptoms.
“It’s a big challenge to
provide help to the millions of people who are currently struggling,” Dr. Fabrice Bardy, an audiologist at Waipapa Taumata Rau at the University of Auckland
in New Zealand as well as the lead author of the trial and co-founder of the
app, told Medical News Today.
“What is really encouraging, I think, is finding ways
to leverage technology to allow people who are experiencing distressing
tinnitus to get access to help,” he said.
What to know about tinnitus
Rebecca Lewis, an audiologist and audiology director of the Adult
& Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at Pacific Neuroscience Institute at
Providence Saint John’s Health Center in California who was not involved in the
study, told Medical News Today that tinnitus isn’t actually a
condition on its own, but a symptom of an underlying condition such as hearing
loss or other potential health issues.
“Tinnitus can have a variety
of causes, but most often is associated with some degree of hearing loss,” she
explained. “It’s an increase in spontaneous nerve activity in the absence of
sound. In cases of hearing loss, the brain fills in the gaps where hearing loss
is present with spontaneous neural activity. Instead of hearing silence, you
hear the ringing sound.”
Because tinnitus is a
symptom and not a condition, experts say it can be a challenge for physicians
to root out the condition that’s causing it. That said, experts say it’s well
understood that exposure to loud noises can exacerbate these symptoms.
“Exposure to loud sound
levels such as machinery, explosions, or long concerts can lead to tinnitus,”
Lewis said. “In fact, these noise exposures can lead to a temporary shift in
hearing accompanied by tinnitus, which usually resolves after 16 to 18 hours.
These are not benign events as they can cause long-term damage to the cells of
the inner ear, the cochlea.”
Lewis explained that the
ear ringing associated with tinnitus can also be caused by a host of other
factors, including earwax buildup, ear infection, fluid buildup, head injury,
or as a side effect of various medications.
More serious conditions,
such as blood vessel disorders, joint disorders, and tumors, can also create
conditions that cause a ringing sensation.
“Bilateral tinnitus is very common and should not be a
cause of significant worry or stress,” Lewis said. “However, if the tinnitus
persists, begins suddenly, or increases in severity, an evaluation by a hearing
healthcare provider is strongly advised.”
How to use the tinnitus app
While some cases of tinnitus can be explained by a
treatable condition, others are more difficult to assess. Factors such as
caffeine consumption, lack of sleep, and simply general stress can also
contribute.
For these cases,
physicians often recommend therapy to people with tinnitus, since stress and
tinnitus have a way of feeding off each other.
“If you experience a
high level of stress, it can be a trigger to cause tinnitus, but conversely,
tinnitus can also cause stress,” said Bardy. “It’s a bidirectional effect.”
Bardy explained that
MindEar leverages chatbot technology to act as a virtual cognitive behavioral
therapist for people with tinnitus. The app also utilizes sound therapy along
with mindfulness and meditation exercises as a means to mentally tune out the
the effects of tinnitus.
“The more you want to
get rid of it, the more you’re going to focus on on it, and the more difficult
it’s going to be to stop thinking about it,” he said.
“[MindEar] provides small bites of information, which
is going to help people to think differently about the situation, and develop
this strategy, which will lead them to be able to stop thinking about it,” he
added.
Details from the study on the tinnitus app
The research was funded by a project grant from
the Eisdell Moore Centre, a New Zealand-based institution that supports research into hearing
impairment.
In an initial clinical study of 30 people with tinnitus almost two-thirds of
participants reported a clinically significant improvement. One group of
participants received help from a chatbot. The other group used the chatbot and
telepsychology services. There was no control group.
“It’s incredibly
exciting, both from a research perspective but also as an application,” Bardy
said. “We’re going to continue this research so we can better understand the
needs of each individual and tailor the treatment to their needs.”
Experts note that the
app could be a great help to people who can’t afford or can’t access a
psychologist, or to those who have found benefits from other mindfulness or
meditation apps on their phone.
While many people with
tinnitus benefit from psychology, Bardy emphasizes it’s critical to consult
with a doctor beforehand to rule out more serious underlying conditions.
“It could be that there is a certain medical condition that is treatable and we don’t want to miss that,” he said. “So that’s really important. The first step is always to talk to your doctor.”
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