If you suffer with tinnitus, sleep time can be particularly difficult as the tinnitus noise is often louder and more distracting. So a lot of sufferers use a tinnitus masker and sleep CDs which replace the silence in the room with relaxing neutral sounds that displace attention away from ringing in the ears. Although, most people can benefit from the relaxing sounds of tinnitus masking, in some situations they can cause disruption to the partners of sufferers.

A sound sleep pillow or sound asleep pillow as it otherwise known, can connect to tinnitus masking devices so that the user can listen to music playback devices in comfort and without overly  disturbing his or her partner. They are used widely used amongst tinnitus sufferers who complain of tinnitus insomnia.

Sound sleep pillows are fitted with stereo speakers that are embedded deep in the pillow so that they are not felt by the user. Using a sound sleep pillow in conjunction with an MP3 player loaded with tinnitus masker MP3s can be a very effective form of self treatment for tinnitus, at home or away.

Acupuncture for tinnitus has been used to treat tinnitus for some time now. Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine needles into specific ‘energy points’ on the body for therapeutic purposes. The technique has been practised for over two thousand years and is billed by practitioners as a method of improving the flow of energy around the body and restoring the ying and yang balance and promoting general well being in the body. There have been a number of studies investigating the link between acupuncture and tinnitus, noted below.

A study of 98 patients receiving a 3 weekly course of acupuncture, 11 were reportedly ‘cured’ and 64 had marked improvement.  These appear like good results but there was no comparison with a no treatment or placebo group so these results are meaningless .

Researchers at the speech therapy department at the University of Sao Paulo have recently reported that tinnitus patients who receive acupuncture at the correct pressure points when compared to patients receiving random needle insertion, had significantly improved cochlear hair cell function. This suggests that acupuncture has a physical effect, but does not shed light on whether tinnitus was reduced as a result .

Another study demonstrated that sham acupuncture has not been effective at tinnitus reduction when compared to acupuncture at the recognized pressure points .

Although there are some trials that indicate positive association between acupuncture and tinnitus, there remains no conclusive evidence supporting the use of acupuncture for tinnitus and there is a need for large clinical trials.

Tinnitus laser therapies involve low level laser therapy (LLLT) devices which emit certain wavelengths of light that can reportedly improve cochlear cellular function and induce regeneration.

There are a number of soft laser devices currently available for treating tinnitus, with Tinnitool being best recognised. In their brochure, they boast that their device ‘leads to rapid regeneration of the hearing cells, improved circulation to the cochlear, stimulation of the immune system, acceleration of cell division and activation of specific defensive cells.

The Tinnitool device is billed as 100% safe without any side effects or pain, and no expertise required to operate it. The device is fastened on to the head and a fibreglass cable transmits the laser beam into the ear.

The Tinnitool brochure quotes two studies which report that 60% of patients with tinnitus patients showed moderate to marked improvement in tinnitus after using the device.

However, a recent study conducted by the ENT department of San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy provided strong evidence that tinnitus laser therapy demonstrates no therapeutic benefit for tinnitus.

Tinnitool’s Earlaser is available from the Swiss manufacturer for EUR 330.00 ($465), or on a rental scheme which will costs EUR 229.00.