Purpose: Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sounds in the absence of extrinsic sound stimuli. Sound therapy is an option for tinnitus rehabilitation, which aims to mitigate the functional and emotional effects of tinnitus. Several studies have reported that a longer duration of sound therapy may result in a greater tinnitus relief effect. However, the relationship between the daily hours of sound therapy and the tinnitus relief effect remains unclear. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the tinnitus relief effect according to the time spent in daily performing sound therapy. Method: Fifty-eight chronic tinnitus participants were randomly assigned to three groups according to their daily hours of sound therapy (1-hr, 3-hr, and 5-hr groups), and mixing point-based sound therapy, which adjusts the volume of the external stimulus to blend with the participant's tinnitus sound, was administered for 3 months. The effectiveness of sound therapy was determined based on changes in the tinnitus loudness level, visual analog scale for loudness score, and the Korean version of the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire (K-TPFQ) score between the baseline and 3-month time points. Results: Longer daily sound therapy hours were associated to a greater effect of sound therapy in the tinnitus loudness level and the total K-TPFQ scores, including the emotion and hearing subcategories. Particularly, the 3-hr and 5-hr groups showed a greater tinnitus relief than the 1-hr group. Conclusion: An increase in the daily sound therapy hours may increase the possibility of improving tinnitus relief effects.

Background Broadband noise (nonnotched) and notched noise are common sound sources in sound therapy for tinnitus relief. Studies on sound therapy using nonnotched or notched stimuli have reported large and small tinnitus improvements depending on the participant. However, the more effective sound source remains unclear given the among-study methodology differences. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the tinnitus relief effects of sound therapy using stimuli with different spectral characteristics. Research Design This was a prospective study involving within-subject (baseline vs. 12-month follow-up) measurements for two groups (notched noise group vs. broadband noise group). Study Sample We enrolled 30 adults with subjective and tonal tinnitus (notched noise group: 16, broadband noise group: 14). Intervention The participants underwent 3-hour daily sound therapy using either notched noise or broadband noise for 12 months. The stimulus level for sound therapy was set to each participant's mixing point. Data Collection and Analysis Tinnitus loudness and the Korean version of the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire score were measured at baseline and at the 12-month follow-up time point. Results Both groups showed a significant improvement in tinnitus loudness and the Korean version of the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire score. Conclusions Notched and nonnotched stimuli are equally effective at the mixing point in sound therapy for tinnitus relief. Individuals with difficulties in tinnitus frequency measurement could easily undergo sound therapy using nonnotched stimuli.

Tinnitus refers to the perception of ringing sounds in the ear that are not heard by others. Counseling plays a vital role in tinnitus intervention. Counseling provides correct information about tinnitus and hearing loss, corrects any misunderstandings related to tinnitus, and suggests precise alternative interventions for tinnitus. In this review, we aimed to examine the counseling contents in Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Tinnitus Activities Treatment (TAT) to identify information that could be useful for counseling approaches and contents for the various tinnitus intervention methods. We searched Web of Science, Embase, Science Direct, and PubMed for relevant articles. Of the 5,283 articles, 31 were included in the final review of counseling contents for TRT, CBT, and TAT. Based on our findings, we were able to summarize the main contents of counseling in TRT, CBT, and TAT. Although the contents of counseling may vary depending on the individuals with tinnitus, our review provided information that may help audiologists or hearing professionals further understand the fundamentals of counseling for each tinnitus intervention. Our review may serve as a guideline for tinnitus counseling according to tinnitus interventions.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of sound therapy according to various types of stimuli for 3 months in people with chronic tinnitus.Methods: Fifty-eight participants with chronic tinnitus based on inclusive and exclusive criteria were randomly assigned to one of the three groups: broadband noise group, nature sound group, and music sound group. Each group received sound therapy for 3 months and the level of stimulus was set to the level of the mixing point. To measure the change in participants’ tinnitus, the Korean version of the Tinnitus Primary Function Questionnaire (K-TPFQ) was used at the initial and 3-month follow-up sessions.Results: In the mixed model analysis of variance, the main effects of time were significant in almost all the K-TPFQ categories, except for the hearing category. However, the main effect of groups was not significant in most of the K-TPFQ categories, except for the sleep category. The main effects of interaction with group × time were not significant.Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that sound therapy for 3 months could be effective in the management of tinnitus. However, no difference in the effect of sound therapy according to the type of stimuli was noted. These results show that sound therapy could be an effective method for people with tinnitus, regardless of the type of stimulus.