At-home meditation for tinnitus management

Abstract

Objective Chronic subjective tinnitus can be severely debilitating. Recently, structured meditation programs have shown to reduce the negative consequences of tinnitus. However, it remains unclear if the structured nature of such meditation programs is required to effectively manage tinnitus. This study investigated if at-home meditation, guided with a free smart device application, could serve as an alternative to structured, in-person programs. Methods We monitored self-reported tinnitus severity and other comorbid disorders in 15 participants reporting bothersome tinnitus over an 8-week period. Subjects were asked to meditate for 30 m/d, 5d/w, for 8 consecutive weeks. Questionnaires were administered at baseline, and after 3 weeks, and 8 weeks of at-home meditation. Results Outcomes indicated at-home meditation practice yielded significant reductions in THI scores after 3 weeks, and significant reductions in THI and TFI scores after 8 weeks. HADS-D scores were significantly reduced after 8 weeks of at-home meditation, but HADS-A scores showed no significant change throughout the study. MAAS scores were significantly enhanced after 3 weeks of at-home meditation practice, and further enhanced at the 8-week time point. Conclusion At-home meditation could serve as an acceptable alternative to in-person meditation programs to manage tinnitus. However, our data also highlight caveats that warrant further investigation.