FAQ

FAQ.

We’ve put together some of our most frequently asked questions for you to learn more about our treatment. Select from the list below or if you cannot find your question please contact support.

Q: Is Tinnitus Treatment suitable for me?
It is suitable for all sufferes of tinnitus regardless of the cause.

Q: What is the new sleep mode?
The new sleep mode was designed to make treatment even easier. A 2 hour treatment block can be listened to every night whilst you sleep. This can also be combined with sound therapy both at the start and end of your treatment package. Sound therapy at the start of your treatment will help you go off to sleep by reducing the apparent loudness of your tinnitus. Once your selected sound therapy is finished it will seamlessly fade into your pre-set Tinnitus Treatment. It can also be used once your Tinnitus Treatment has finished.
Sound therapy helps even out unexpected night time noises that cause you to wake, prolonging restful periods of REM or dream sleep that is required for you to wake up feeling refreshed.

Q: Will listening to the treatment use a lot of data/bandwidth?
No. Whether you are using the App or accessing treatment using the website on your mobile, portable, or desktop device there will be minimal overall data usage. Once your treatment starts, the narrow band noise is generated for you and played on your device, there is no ongoing data stream (large downloads) required.
Q: When should I use it? It can be used whenever it is convenient and certainly should not interfere with your daily activities. You do not specifically have to concentrate on your customised narrow band treatment, so performing other tasks whilst listening is encouraged. Alternatively why not sleep away your tinnitus! If you are too busy during the day try our new sleep mode. Designed for the convenience of a busy modern life, it treats whilst you sleep.
Q: Do I need to see a doctor for my tinnitus first?
Everyone with tinnitus should ideally see a doctor to exclude any reversible or serious underlying conditions. The doctor can be either your local GP or an ENT specialist.
Q: How soon after developing tinnitus should I start Tinnitus Treatment?
You can start as soon as you have symptoms. Early therapy for tinnitus has been shown to prevent its chronicification.
Q: If I can only hear my tinnitus in one ear should I listen in both ears or just the affected ear?
If the tinnitus is truly perceived in the one ear then identifying this when going through the calibration process that develops your specific treatment will lead to the narrow band noise only being played in the affected ear. This will still lead to effective treatment.
Q: How often do I need to use it?
The more you use it, the quicker your brain will learn to ignore your tinnitus. Initially, it should be used daily for at least 2 hours a day. This can be done in one block or in 15-minute increments. If you use our new sleep mode, you can listen to the entire 2 hour Tinnitus Treatment while you sleep, book ended with our sound therapy. This makes it easier to get to sleep and improves your quality of sleep, leaving you more refreshed when you wake up in the morning. Ideally, this should be used every night. We recommend using sleep headphones for maximum comfort & treatment effectiveness. As your tinnitus becomes less bothersome, you may reduce the amount of time Tinnitus Treatment is used daily.
Q: What is the best way to listen to the treatment?
We have found users are getting much better results with regular over the ear headphones. In ear and noise reduced headphones may be creating a closed acoustic circuit which may even aggravate your tinnitus. So we strongly encourage over the ear headphones. If using our sleep mode try wearing bluetooth sleep headphones. Click on the link for examples of good quality affordable ones!
Q: How will I know it is working?
Before starting treatment you will need to answer five simple questions (FiveQ) about how your tinnitus affects your quality of life. This will give you an overall score out of 100. The higher the score the worst your tinnitus affects you. You will need to complete the FiveQ weekly. We will monitor how often you listen to your customised narrow band acoustic signal and monitor your FiveQ responses. From there we will analysis your FiveQ responses and the amount you listen and provide advice if you need to make any changes to your listening. We will provide this advice after the first month and then weekly. Time used and FiveQ response will also be available to you in graphical form for ease of self-monitoring.
Q: How long does it take to work?
The process of auditory neuromodulation is different in every patient, but results show 75% of users improve in about 6 weeks with regular listening, with ongoing gains each week once treatment is used regularly. You will be able to track your own progress weekly with our unique Five Q quality of life score.
Q: Why do I need to complete the FiveQs?
These questions have been designed to determine the impact tinnitus is having on your quality of life. By completing these questions weekly we can monitor the impact the treatment is having and make recommendations on treatment duration. This may lead to you changing your listening time, depending on the affect it is having.
Q: If I wear a hearing aid, do I keep it in to set my frequency?
Yes, you should keep your hearing aid in. You may need to wear headphones (rather than earphones) to facilitate this.
Q: If I wear a hearing aid, do I keep it in when listening to the treatment?
Yes, you should keep your hearing aid in.

Q: How do I get the mobile App?
The app is available on both Apple App Store and Google Play, click on link below to download the app for your device.

Q: What do I need for this treatment?
This treatment has been designed to be affordable and accessible. So you can use your tablet/iPad, mobile phone or listen from your computer. You should also use sleep headphones when in sleep mode or over the ear headphones. Thanks to the Tinnitus Relief App, you can listen to the treatment whilst sleeping or performing other activities; you don’t have to concentrate on your customised narrow band acoustic treatment. It really should not interfere with your daily routine.
Q: I have more than one frequency, is this treatment suitable?
We suggest you focus on the most annoying or intrusive frequency, match that frequency and when that reduces following treatment focus on the next one.
Q: I cannot identify my tinnitus frequency, what should I do?
​Begin by identifying the sound (A,B,C or D) that most closely replicates your tinnitus. Start at the lowest frequency and slowly increase it all the way to the maximum. Make a note of the frequency that most closely resembles your tinnitus. Start the process again in reverse, starting at the highest frequency and working your way down to the lowest. Again make a note of the frequency that most closely resembles your tinnitus. Add the two frequencies together and divide by 2, use this as your tinnitus frequency.
Q: I know my frequency, why can’t I just enter it?
If you know the frequency of your tinnitus this will provide a useful starting point. It may be slightly different from external audiological equipment as it may vary in the accuracy of its calibrations. Make sure you can hear your frequency before joining. Check your frequency here.

Q: Can my frequency sound different if I change device or earphones?
Yes, you just need to recalibrate prior to treatment on a new device or earphones.

Q: Do I need to listen to my saved frequency at the saved volume?
Yes, if you increase the volume you may drown out your tinnitus, reducing the impact of this treatment.
Q: Can I download and use the App on more than one device?
Yes, you can download the App and use it on as many devices as you need.
Q: Should I see an audiologist as well?
90% of people with tinnitus will have an underlying hearing loss. This is important to identify as treating it can play an important role in your management of this condition. If your hearing loss is conductive (a blockage of sound getting to the inner ear), then treating this, as well as helping you hear better, will sometimes alleviate your tinnitus. If your hearing loss is sensorineural (the inner ear not working properly), then using hearing aids can be a useful daytime masker of your tinnitus.
Q: My tinnitus is affecting my sleep, what should I do?
Tinnitus is often worse at night time as our bedrooms are so quiet. That’s why we added sound therapy to our Tinnitus Treatment package. Sound therapy at the start of your treatment will help you fall to sleep by reducing the apparent loudness of your tinnitus. It can also be used once your Tinnitus Treatment has finished. Sound therapy helps even out unexpected ringing or other night-time noises in the ear that cause you to wake, prolonging restful periods of REM or dream sleep that is required for you to wake up feeling refreshed.
Q: My tinnitus is making me anxious, what should I do?
It would be unusual for a person’s tinnitus to not cause some degree of anxiety, which should be managed in tandem with the tinnitus. The local GP should be involved in this process and will have useful contacts with local psychologists as well as knowing when to use medications.

Useful links
www.tinnitussa.com.au
www.tinnituseprogramme.org
www.depressionet.com.au
www.bluepages.anu.edu.au
www.beyondblue.org.au
www.sane.org
www.moodgym.anu.edu.au
www.happier.com
www.thehappinessinstitute.com

The psychological management of chronic tinnitus by Henry & Wilson

Lifeline (open 24hrs/day, 7 days/week, all year round) 131 114