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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
EXPLORING THE FEASIBILITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF A NON-INVASIVE SOUND THERAPY DEVICE IN REDUCING SYMPTOMS OF TINNITUS IN MILITARY VETERANS
1
Combat Stress, Tyrwhitt House, Leatherhead, UK
2
King’s Centre for Military Mental Health, King’s College London, UK
A - Research concept and design; B - Collection and/or assembly of data; C - Data analysis and interpretation; D - Writing the article; E - Critical revision of the article; F - Final approval of article;
Submission date: 2025-07-16
Final revision date: 2026-01-05
Acceptance date: 2026-01-12
Online publication date: 2026-02-02
Publication date: 2026-02-02
Corresponding author
J Hear Sci 2025;15(4):19-29
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Introduction:
The prevalence of tinnitus in veterans is higher than in the general population and can profoundly affect daily life. Tinnitus has been associated with psychological difficulties and may result in functional impairment. Currently, no sound therapy has been widely validated as an effective option for tinnitus management. Given the profound impact of tinnitus, and its economic burden and treatment barriers, it is important to explore new approaches. Sound therapy technologies are readily accepted due to their simplicity and non-invasiveness, but there is limited research exploring sound therapy in veterans. Here we explore the feasibility and acceptability of a non-invasive management option.
Material and methods:
This feasibility and acceptability study included 20 UK military veterans who trialled a non-invasive device, TinniSoothe, for 1 or 2 months. The device is a small sound-generating module designed to be worn on a lanyard or clip during the day and placed in a docking station at night. It allows users to adjust both frequency and volume according to personal preferences, and while docked at night it continues to emit sound into the nearby environment. Participants were instructed to complete a pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 2-month follow-up questionnaire which included measures of tinnitus, mental health, and physical health.
Results:
All participants (20 veterans, mean age = 51.3, SD = 7.7, 80% male) used the device for the 1-month intervention period, with no dropouts or serious adverse events. The majority (75%) elected to keep the device after 1 month, and 80% said they would recommend it to friends and family. However, at 2 months, just 13 participants reported ongoing device use. From baseline to post-intervention and follow-up, participants reported significant reductions in tinnitus symptoms. Although there was a significant overall effect of time on sleep disturbances, pairwise comparisons did not show significant changes between specific timepoints. No significant differences were observed in the remaining outcomes.
Conclusions:
This study indicates that the TinniSoothe device shows a degree of feasibility and acceptability for tinnitus management in veterans and there is some evidence supporting its efficacy. However, after 2 months 65% of the participants were still active users, indicating that further research exploring its effectiveness is necessary.
The prevalence of tinnitus in veterans is higher than in the general population and can profoundly affect daily life. Tinnitus has been associated with psychological difficulties and may result in functional impairment. Currently, no sound therapy has been widely validated as an effective option for tinnitus management. Given the profound impact of tinnitus, and its economic burden and treatment barriers, it is important to explore new approaches. Sound therapy technologies are readily accepted due to their simplicity and non-invasiveness, but there is limited research exploring sound therapy in veterans. Here we explore the feasibility and acceptability of a non-invasive management option.
Material and methods:
This feasibility and acceptability study included 20 UK military veterans who trialled a non-invasive device, TinniSoothe, for 1 or 2 months. The device is a small sound-generating module designed to be worn on a lanyard or clip during the day and placed in a docking station at night. It allows users to adjust both frequency and volume according to personal preferences, and while docked at night it continues to emit sound into the nearby environment. Participants were instructed to complete a pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 2-month follow-up questionnaire which included measures of tinnitus, mental health, and physical health.
Results:
All participants (20 veterans, mean age = 51.3, SD = 7.7, 80% male) used the device for the 1-month intervention period, with no dropouts or serious adverse events. The majority (75%) elected to keep the device after 1 month, and 80% said they would recommend it to friends and family. However, at 2 months, just 13 participants reported ongoing device use. From baseline to post-intervention and follow-up, participants reported significant reductions in tinnitus symptoms. Although there was a significant overall effect of time on sleep disturbances, pairwise comparisons did not show significant changes between specific timepoints. No significant differences were observed in the remaining outcomes.
Conclusions:
This study indicates that the TinniSoothe device shows a degree of feasibility and acceptability for tinnitus management in veterans and there is some evidence supporting its efficacy. However, after 2 months 65% of the participants were still active users, indicating that further research exploring its effectiveness is necessary.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
No direct funding was provided by the makers of the TinniSoothe device to support this project, although we acknowledge their generous support in donating the TinniSoothe devices to the study team. We extend deep gratitude to all the veterans who participated in this research.
FUNDING
This study was funded by The Watson Trust. TinniSoothe Ltd donated the tinnitus devices free of charge but had no input in the study design, analysis, or write-up.
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