Tinnitus habituation therapy, also known as tinnitus habituation therapy, refers to the adaptation or habituation to tinnitus. The main components of this therapy include incomplete masking of noise, relaxation training, psychological adjustment and distraction. Tinnitus is a subjective sensation, and its pathogenesis is unclear. It may be due to vascular ischemia in the inner ear, abnormal increase in auditory nerve firing activity, imbalance of calcium internal environmental homeostasis, etc. Clinically, physicians are not yet able to objectively determine whether a patient actually has tinnitus. The etiology of tinnitus is also very complex and can be caused by both ear and systemic diseases. Moreover, sometimes tinnitus occurs without any possible cause being identified. There are no specific medications available to treat tinnitus, so doctors are often unable to help tinnitus patients. People with tinnitus often receive answers such as “tinnitus is not treatable”, “there is no good way”, “try taking some medicine”, etc. Tinnitus is often accompanied by psychological and vegetative symptoms; people with normal hearing can also have chronic tinnitus; and in some cases, tinnitus remains long after recovery from inner ear disease. It is customary to treat tinnitus with medications, such as vasodilators, neurotrophic drugs, and drugs to regulate the vegetative nerves. Tinnitus habituation therapy requires tinnitus patients to adhere to training for 1 to 2 years to achieve complete adaptation or habituation. Tinnitus incomplete masking Masking of tinnitus with external noise is called tinnitus masking therapy. Commonly used external noise generating devices include tinnitus masking devices, hearing aids, walkman, home video recorders, etc. The noise emitted can be white noise with various frequency components, or narrow band noise with a central frequency. The latter has the best masking effect. However, since many people have difficulty matching tinnitus tones, the noise produced by tinnitus maskers is mostly white noise. Incomplete masking means that the tinnitus is not completely masked by low-intensity noise, and the noise intensity is as strong as just heard, not too strong. The purpose is to allow the patient to gradually get used to and adapt to external noise similar to tinnitus, and to avoid aggravating the noise or causing new damage. It is recommended to mask for at least 6 hours a day, with each masking lasting no more than 1 hour and resting for 10 to 20 minutes before the next masking. Since the noise intensity is very low, it is possible to mask while working, studying and other activities. Relaxation training Mental or emotional tension can lead to tinnitus, and tinnitus can aggravate emotional tension. Tinnitus patients are often accompanied by tension, anxiety or depression. Tinnitus practice therapy emphasizes relaxation training, which aims to relax the patient physically and mentally, and is therefore also called relaxation therapy. The method is to sit quietly or lie down with eyes closed and control the tension of nerves and muscles with intention, starting with relaxing the scalp, forehead and facial muscles, and gradually relaxing the muscles of upper and lower limbs, chest and even the whole body. Psychological adjustment and counseling Patients often worry: Is my tinnitus caused by a serious disease such as a brain tumor? Is tinnitus a sign of deafness, dementia or stroke? In this regard, in addition to conducting the necessary examinations, doctors should provide patients with patient and detailed explanations and guidance. For example, the doctor should explain the physiology of hearing and the possible causes of tinnitus; instruct the patient to ignore, get used to, forget and adapt to tinnitus, and strive to live peacefully with it; eliminate the patient’s misconception that tinnitus is incurable and has to be endured for life, and build up confidence that tinnitus is curable. Shift your attention This is a very crucial step, that is, once you think of tinnitus, no matter when, where and under what circumstances, you can immediately shift your attention to other things, such as listening to music, reading books, newspapers, etc., to distract yourself from tinnitus, so that it will soon become a less important and less annoying thing. When tinnitus is caused by Meniere’s disease, auditory neuroma, otosclerosis, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cervical spondylosis, etc., the primary disease should be treated first. The so-called objective tinnitus caused by abnormalities in the muscle activity or vascular structure and function of the middle ear will disappear quickly after the middle ear disease is cured. This therapy is only considered when the cause is unknown or when tinnitus remains after the cause is cured.