The sound experienced by individuals with tinnitus can vary to a huge extent. It can range from a mild occasional ringing to a constant, loud noise causing disruption to daily life and sleep. Reassuringly, tinnitus is rarely a sign of a serious health issue.
However, due to its potential to cause significant interference and, in some cases, be quite debilitating, living with tinnitus can greatly impact one’s quality of life. Since tinnitus is so individual to those who experience it, it is useful for people to learn to navigate around it in a way that works for them. Apps offer an easily accessible and cheap way to do this.
MindEar
With an array of innovative features and expert guidance, MindEar provides a holistic solution to help the user find relief from their symptoms. The app aims to train individuals to ‘tune out’ tinnitus through a combination of sound and cognitive behavioural therapy. Several soundbites are available for immediate reprieve and can be personalised by each user to suit their individual preferences.
"Two-thirds of users saw improvement within 16 weeks, which reduced to eight weeks with access to an online psychologist"
MindEar also includes guided meditation sessions, designed to help create a sanctuary of relaxation to alleviate stress, which expert founders argue can help reduce the perceived noise. There is also the option to tune in to the podcast series which covers topics such as breathing exercises, sleep relief strategies, and fostering healthy habits, providing users with valuable insights and practical tips to manage their condition effectively.
Support and guidance on therapeutic activities is available 24/7 via the AI-powered chatbot as well as a 15-minute consultation with a tinnitus expert. This gives the user the advantage of expert insights and tailored advice for their personal journey towards managing their tinnitus.
MindEar uses several techniques to help train the user to ‘tune out’ tinnitus sound.
Tonal Tinnitus Therapy utilises user-personalised stimulus to help cancel out tinnitus sounds.
With promising results – two-thirds of users saw improvement within 16 weeks, which reduced to eight weeks with access to an online psychologist [1] – MindEar is available for trial on smartphones in select countries. It is accessible to all, with a free download offering access to limited features including some soundscapes and podcasts. For those seeking additional features and premium content, a subscription option is available for £13/month or £59.99 for the year, with a generous one-week free trial period to experience the full benefits of the app.
Tonal Tinnitus Therapy
This app is an exciting option, using the principles of acoustic neuromodulation. This is a technique in which the pitch, frequency and intensity of an individual’s tinnitus is assessed to help generate a specific stimulus to effectively ‘cancel out’ the characteristics of the tinnitus sound, thus reducing the severity of symptoms. Currently Tonal Tinnitus Therapy can only be used with a tinnitus frequency of less than 15000 Hz and requires the user to know whether they fall into this category before investing in the app! It is also important to note that effects of tonal therapy can be hit and miss, with some people benefitting greatly and others not so much.
"The app provides interactive tonal mapping, allowing you to develop customised sound therapy for your specific type of perceived sound"
If you think it’s worth a try, and it just might be with a one-off cost of only £2.49, the app provides interactive tonal mapping, allowing you to develop customised sound therapy for your specific type of perceived sound. It also includes tools for tracking and monitoring progress, allowing users to monitor changes in their symptoms and adjust their sound therapy characteristics over time.
Oto App
Also of note is the Oto App which has been discussed in this section previously [2]. Interestingly, the app is currently undergoing a trial called ‘DEFINE’ [3] which should be completed and published by 2025 – something to look out for should you require another option for apps aiding the management of tinnitus.
References
1. Bardy F, Jacquemin L, Wong CL, et al. Delivery of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy combined with human-delivered telepsychology in tinnitus sufferers through a chatbot-based mobile app. Front Audiol Otol 2024;1.
2. Falls C, LeBlanc E. Tinnitus apps (revised). ENT & Audiology News 2021;30(1):59.
3. Muzaffar J, Smith M. Digital therapy for improved Tinnitus Care Study (DEFINE). PLoS One 2024;19(1):e0292562.
Declaration of competing interests: None declared.
