Masking devices work on the principle of trying to ‘hide’ the perceived tinnitus using a different type of sound. They are sometimes called white noise machines as the sound they produce is a broad band of sound. These are often small machines that are worn in or near the ear, like a hearing aid. Or the masking sound can be played through a speaker for bed-time tinnitus masking (see section on Bed-time Tinnitus Masking).
Some people distract themselves from their tinnitus by playing music or having the TV or radio on in the background. This is generally more successful as recent research suggests that tinnitus annoyance is not helped by ‘hiding’ it but benefits from reducing the ‘annoyance’ of it using a more interesting or relaxing sound. One small research study found that 4 in 10 people improved while using a masking device, compared with 3 in 10 people getting a dummy (placebo) treatment. However, 1 in 10 people got worse tinnitus while using a masking device. The study looked at just 17 people, so may not be very reliable.
If tinnitus maskers are used during the day, they are best used in conjunction with other techniques to reduce tinnitus annoyance.