Tinnitus Clinic Leeds
Tinnitus assessment and treatment
What is tinnitus?
Welcome to our Tinnitus Clinic in Leeds. First, let’s explain tinnitus. Put simply, tinnitus is the name given to ringing, buzzing, hissing, or pulsating sounds in the ears that are heard in the absence of any external sound.
At our Tinnitus Clinic in Leeds, our clinical audiologist offers advice and support.
While mildly annoying to some people, tinnitus can also be highly troublesome and can sometimes severely impact a person’s life.
You may notice that your tinnitus appears worse during stress or was first noticed during a particularly stressful period.
Explaining the links between stress and tinnitus is one component of our support.
What causes tinnitus?
There is no single cause, however if you have any degree of hearing loss, you are more likely to experience tinnitus.
Often, tinnitus occurs alongside some degree of hearing loss. This is why it is essential to seek the advice of a hearing professional if you feel your hearing has changed. Hearing test Leeds.
You may notice these internal sounds before you notice problems with your hearing. The delicate microscopic hair-like structures within the cochlea can quickly become damaged due to noise exposure.
For some, impacted ear wax can increase awareness of internal sounds, which often resolves after the ear wax is removed.
If you have tinnitus and have ear wax, it is best to find an ear wax removal clinic with dedicated audiologists who can advise on all aspects of hearing. Ear wax removal Leeds
For many, tinnitus is often noticed after an evening out at a music event. Typically, this goes away by the following morning.
However, repeated episodes of these loud auditory events will eventually lead to some damage to the hearing mechanism.
Testing for tinnitus
If you are experiencing tinnitus, it is necessary to fully assess your hearing to determine whether you have any hearing loss or if any ear wax is blocking your ears.
We offer a ‘Tinnitus Assessment’ appointment, the first step in treating your tinnitus.
A complete history will also be taken to examine your tinnitus’s impact on your life.
Following this, we will recommend solutions for you. This may be the use of hearing devices or we may recommend our ‘Tinnitus Habituation Program’ in partnership with Oto (see Oto webiste for more details)
If you want to check your hearing quickly, please use our online screening check. Free online hearing test
Solutions for tinnitus
Following your tinnitus assessment, we will agree on a personalised treatment plan.
This may involve the use of amplification (hearing aid technology) to manage any hearing loss that is found.
Research has shown that wearing hearing devices can often lessen the impact of tinnitus and coupled with tinnitus habituation, results are often achieved quicker.
Cognitive-based therapies
Tinnitus, for many people, can both be a cause of stress and be caused by stress.
We live in an age where stress seems everywhere, and managing stress is helpful for a wide range of health-related conditions.
Tinnitus can lead to anxiety or depression or can at least make these conditions worse.
For this reason, approaches like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) have proven very successful with many people who experience tinnitus.
We are delighted to have partnered with the team behind Oto, which is a personalised CBT program delivered through an app.
Tinnitus Habituation Program
Our partnership with Oto, a world leading CBT program, developed by tinnitus experts, will allow you to access a full CBT program at a much reduced cost. After assessing you in clinic, we will provide access to your presonalised ‘Tinnitus Habituation Program’ and support you as you start to re-wire your brain’s responses and reactions to your tinnitus.
Over time, your tinnitus should be noticed less and have less of an impact on your life. This program does require your comittment and daily practice is required.
Many people have benefited from this program, and we are confident that, with effort, you will see results.
Sound therapy for tinnitus
In addition to the above approaches, sound enrichment or sound therapy can be used to complement amplification and habituation.
Many of the latest digital hearing aids we provide in our Leeds practice have special tinnitus features.
The Oto app for the CBT program, also has many different audio files to help you both relax and distract you from your tinnitus.
Our Clinical Director has personal experience with tinnitus and has been interested in its negative effect on mental health for many years. He has a wealth of experience and provides care in a calm, relaxing environment.
The Hearing Space looks forward to helping you regain some control over your tinnitus and ultimately improve your quality of life.
Book your Tinnitus Assessment with our audiologist