Will White Noise Hearing Aids Help My Tinnitus?
- Sally Jackson RHAD
- 10 hours ago
- 3 min read
I’ve had a few people ask the same question in my support group recently, so I’ll do a deep dive here.
White noise - this is like radio static, or water running. A pssshhhh noise which has equal sound energy at every audible frequency (pitch).
Hearing Aid - a device that amplifies sound selectively. If you have hearing loss of 60 decibels at the 4kHz frequency, it will boost sounds of that frequency by 60dB (in a nutshell, it’s actually more complicated than that!).
Some devices are hearing aids which also have the ability to let the wearer play white noise. Many current aids offer this, the audiologist just needs to switch it on and show you how to use it.
Some devices simply play white noise when you want it. They have no function as regards hearing loss, and are suitable only for those who don’t need help with hearing. They may superficially look like hearing aids, but are very cheap and simple to use/wear.
So, does it help?
For Those With Hearing Loss. My opinion is that amplifying natural sounds is best when you have a hearing loss (ie a hearing aid). There should rarely be a need to play white noise, but it can be used as a tool to help you concentrate with some success. The hearing aid, amplifying ambient noise, will deliver missing environmental sounds to your brain and, for approx 80% of tinnitus sufferers, this helps a great deal with tinnitus. So if you have hearing loss, even if it’s fairly mild, I recommend amplification plus the option to occasionally play white noise.
I don’t recommend being dependent on white noise, and I strongly recommend learning about tinnitus and your brain. Learning about your triggers and why they occur. Learning why/how to “let go” of tinnitus so you don’t perceive it as often. Then, when you have one of those super stressful days when the tinnitus can’t be ignored (or an exam that you need to concentrate for), switch on the white noise.
For Those Without Hearing Loss
White noise can help blot out the particular frequency of your tinnitus, but in essence you are just introducing a new type of tinnitus! The only difference is that this one is controlled by you. It is this intriguing fact that tells me you can learn a lot about tinnitus and benefit from that training! I would strongly suggest you take time to have a one to one training session - with this you may never feel the need to use a device. Your brain is highly capable of putting tinnitus in the background all by itself, with a little help! If you still feel that white noise, or a heartbeat, or water etc would be soothing to you, then go ahead at that point!
So, Does It Help Tinnitus?
No. It has been proven time and again that white noise does nothing to alleviate tinnitus distress. It does not and cannot change how you feel about tinnitus in the long term.
Some find it an effective tool to distract them in the short term, which is great! But they are still just as dominated by tinnitus and tinnitus distress when they switch it off.
The only studies, on the whole, that show white noise making a difference, are when the white noise is combined with something else. That something else may be:
Information
Training
Counselling
CBT
Mindfulness
Relaxation exercises
Peer support
Hearing aids
Time - if people were in a study for 6 months, they may be habituating themselves towards the end.
It’s obvious then, that if you want lasting change, you should be doing the “something else”, rather than just white noise!
Bottom line. White noise can be a tool to distract your ears/brain for minutes/hours. If you want to feel better in the long term, you either need an intervention such as one of the above, or you need to wait it out and habituate on your own over time.
Sally Jackson
Audiologist/Owner at Hearing and Tinnitus Care
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