Q When I have tinnitus, is a quiet environment better, or is it better to keep some background sound on?
A Complete silence makes the tinnitus sound stand out more. Keeping a gentle background sound that is easy on the ears, such as low-volume white noise, natural sounds, or soft music, helps you focus less on the tinnitus and reduces the bothersomeness.
Detailed Answer
In complete silence, the tinnitus sound feels relatively louder and your fixation on it actually deepens. Instead, keeping low-volume white noise (rain sounds, ocean waves, fan sounds) or soft instrumental music in the background reduces the contrast of the tinnitus signal in the auditory center and eases the bothersomeness. This is the principle behind sound masking and TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy). However, be careful not to try to cover the tinnitus with sound that is too loud, as this can add to hearing damage.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Dongjedang advises tinnitus patients to play low-volume natural sounds before bedtime to reduce the hypersensitive reaction in a quiet environment. We also recommend, as basic lifestyle management, 5-10 minutes of abdominal breathing a day to stabilize the autonomic nervous system, and keeping the area around the ears warm to aid blood flow. These habits create synergy when combined with Korean medicine treatment.
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