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Sound Therapy for Tinnitus

January 4, 2012 By

Ringing in Your Ears

Most people use sound masking technology to cover unwanted noises for the purpose reducing distractions to boost productivity or to achieve speech privacy on the work place via a sound masking system like the VoiceArrest.  Home users and frequent travelers often use sound masking in the form of a portable sound machine for better sleep and improved relaxation since they aren’t held captive to neighbors’, kids’, or other guests’ schedules with the aid of a little white noise.  Interestingly, there is a third reason to use sound masking: sound therapy.

Sound therapy is the use of white noise to naturally treat tinnitus, or “ringing in the ears.”  Tinnitus is a frustrating condition millions suffer from in which you intermittently hear “ringing” that can range from soft to buzzing to a persistent, sharp sound in one or both ears.  You never know when it will hit or how long it will last or whether you’ll be able to concentrate at work through it.

What Exactly is Sound Therapy?

Sound therapy is an easy to use, affordable solution for tinnitus that provides relief for any user.  The use of white noise covers the sound spectrum so that you can work or even sleep without the discomfort of tinnitus.  It’s as if the tinnitus has been muted because your brain literally can not process that sound in the midst of the white noise surrounding it.

A common question that frequently arises is how does trading one sound for another solve anything?  Good question.  It may seem counter-intuitive, but white noise covers the sound spectrum in a  peaceful way.  It is not sharp, painful, or even irritating.  It need not be excessively loud to be effective either.  Rather, the very nature of the sound itself provides relief. And if the idea of white noise doesn’t appeal to you, there are plenty of nature sound options available that are even more peaceful, such as a gentle stream, ocean waves, or even a waterfall.

The bottom line is that if tinnitus is affecting your life at all, sound therapy is the most readily available and usable resource you have.  Plus, it’s affordable and many models are portable, making them readily available to travel with you.

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Business New Year’s Resolutions

January 2, 2012 By

Resolutions for Your Business

This is the week for making New Year’s Resolutions.  Don’t worry if you haven’t made any yet- there’s no rule they have to be done on the first.  There’s also no rule about what they have to be about.  Personal resolutions might start with being healthier, greener, happier, etc.  All good goals to shoot for.

But what do you resolve this year for your business?  You can’t write resolutions for all your employees, nor would you want to.  But what do you hope for this year?  What would you like to see better?  Sure, more profit would be nice, but how do you get there?  Simply by saying you want it?  Unfortunately, no.

This year, why not make some specific resolutions for getting off to a better start?  Your New Year’s Resolution{s} mightl look a lot like a mission statement, but they should {hopefully} be a lot less cheesy and a whole lot more effective.  You might resolve to get better ergonomic equipment this year, or to retain repeat business through referrals, or to improve your online presence, or to cut down on work-related stress and/or injuries, or more productivity and less distraction for a better bottom line.  Even the process of thinking through what you want for the next year is beneficial because it makes you evaluate the last year in light of new goals.

It’s truly up to you and your specific business to decide what kind of resolutions to make.  Just take an hour or so to sit down and reflect on the past business year, jotting down the main ups and downs and work from there on what improvements you’d like to make.  However, you’re much more likely to achieve your goals if you focus on a few things that affect everyone, such as distraction, stress, and injuries.  By improving speech privacy or even alleviating work-related stress, everyone office-wide is more able to contribute to the goals and less likely to fritter away hours or call in sick.

There’s something refreshing about January 1st and the newness of a year.  Therefore, make sure you take the time to think through what you want for 2011.

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Sound Masking for Noisy Kids in Churches

December 28, 2011 By

Sound Masking for Confidentiality

Last time I talked about how much churches could benefit from sound masking for confidentiality purposes since sensitive conversations, including counseling sessions, can travel farther than we’d like through ventilation ducts, under doors, out windows, and through thin walls.  Thus, a church or worship facility could use sound masking technology to provide speech privacy by introducing low-level background noise to cover conversations for the purposes of speech privacy. with the result that no one has to look over his (or her) shoulder during a conversation- and that feeling of trust should always accompany a church.

A few applications:

  • Counseling
  • Private telephone conversations
  • Divorce Care classes
  • AA meetings
  • Staff discussions

Now I’d like to look at the benefits the same sound masking system would provide for church classes.

Sound Masking to Cover Distractions

Even happy kids are loud kids.

It’s not that churches need to boost their productivity like the average place of business, but they do have noise problems.  Anybody who has ever served in a nursery or Sunday school class knows how loud multiple children can be when together and without their parents.  Babies and toddlers often cry a lot, while older children have more sophisticated means of being heard, such as yelling or screaming.  Whatever class it is and whatever reason the kids are being loud, the volume level can be quite distracting for fellow classes and for those in the worship center.  Plus, nearby parents, especially those of smaller children, tend to hear crying and start worrying.

I know I have had several experiences in smaller churches in which I could literally hear my children making a racket for whatever reason.  As a mother, and certainly as a new mother at the time, I had a hard time restraining myself from collecting my child and either comforting or disciplining him/her that minute.  Responding that way undermines the purpose of a nursery, though, and I knew the volunteers would come get me if they needed me.  Alternatively, when my children struggled with being parted from us, it was difficult to verbally participate in our own class if we were next door, which also happens frequently in smaller buildings.
Thus, another benefit of sound masking for churches and other worship facilities is that it provides a boundary between noisy kids and worshipping adults.
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Confidentiality through Sound Masking for Churches

December 26, 2011 By

Sound masking is often used to cover distracting noises in businesses and other loud facilities, such as hospitals, doctor’s offices, or banks.  Most people don’t think of church along the same lines or needing distractions masked.  However, for those of us who have children, receive counseling, provide counseling, or use a church facility for programs such as divorce care or AA, we do realize that sensitive conversations can travel farther than we’d like.  They drift through ventilation ducts, under doors, out windows, and through thin walls. Even when doors are closed, for the minister wishing to be above reproach, a closed door can open a new door of dangerous possibility with misunderstood words or an inappropriate relationship.  But leaving doors open for good reasons still opens up an avenue for a breach of privacy.

Sound Masking

A simple solution is sound masking.   Instead of covering noisy distractions for the sake of  productivity, a church or worship facility could use sound masking technology to provide speech privacy.   Whether it’s a counseling session or an awkward telephone conversation, every conversation can be protected from the wrong ears.  Sound masking introduces low-level background noise to cover conversations for the purposes of speech privacy.  Speech privacy is not a matter of opinion- it is actually measurable and can be achieved.  This background noise is white noise introduced through speakers in the ceiling tiles.  Those speakers are pre-tuned and provide consistent private and confidential coverage to any treated area.  As a result, no one has to look over his (or her) shoulder during a conversation- and that feeling of trust should always accompany a church.

Possible Applications

There are many areas in worship facilities that could benefit from sound masking.  Here are just a few:

  • Counseling
  • Private telephone conversations
  • Divorce Care classes
  • AA meetings
  • Staff discussions
If your church or worship facility regularly provides counseling or support programs, sound masking can provide the necessary speech privacy for confidentiality.
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SAD in the Work Place

December 21, 2011 By

It’s no surprise that workers are distracted and unproductive at various points in the day.  In fact, the average worker is distracted about 2 hours every day!  However, some times of year are even worse than others.  While some people feel ramped up and motivated during the holidays, others feel down and stressed.  It may be that Thanksgiving is over and the pressure of getting everything done before Christmas, including seeing family and planning trips, hits.  Meeting deadlines and family expectations, not to mention your own expectations, can be quite a task, but doing it while feeling depressed is downright impossible.

Seasonal Affective Disorder & Light Therapy

Many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder, commonly referred to as SAD or winter blues.  How do you know if you’re struggling with SAD or the winter blues?

  • Do you feel depressed, and increasingly so as winter comes round?
  • Do you crave day light?
  • Have you lost interest in things you usually love?
  • Do you wish you lived somewhere warmer and brighter?
  • Do you live far north and have shorter days?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above, you might be suffering from SAD.  Anyone can suffer from SAD, but it’s fairly common for people who live far north and therefore has much less sunlight during the winter.  Winter days are very short, but feel terribly long to someone suffering from depression.  As you may have gathered, winter blues can usually be attributed to lack of sunlight.  A simple answer is light therapy.  Much cheaper than meds, adding a “happy light” allows you to feel the sun you and your body are missing so desperately.  In addition, light therapy is portable in that you can take it with you throughout the house or work place.

SAD in the work place

As many as 1 in 5 Americans suffers from a seasonal form of depression called Seasonal Affective Disorder.  This depression does not get checked at the office door.  In fact, sitting in a cramped cubicle or office in a dreary building only makes matters worse.  Investing in light therapy  for the office could and probably will help reclaim the moods and attitudes of stressed and depressed workers.

 

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Why Sound Masking Works

December 19, 2011 By

The average worker loses two hours of productive work each day as a result of distractions.  That loss of productivity costs businesses around $600 billion a year.   due to distraction.   Thus, it’s no surprise that managers and company owners are looking for cost-effective ways to cut distraction and reclaim their portion of the loss.  A highly effective solution is a sound masking system.

What is a sound masking system?

In its simplest terms, sound masking is a system that employs white noise as a low-level background noise to cover ambient noise.  Since conversational distraction is one of the largest contributors to worker-cited distractions, covering those conversations by creating speech privacy is an innovative means of dealing with them. The white noise itself is not unlike an HVAC, except that it is much more consistent.

Adding noise to cover noise seems counter-intuitive at best.  Why is white noise is better than typical office noise?  An easy way to explain that is to imagine how irritating an oncoming car’s bright lights are when not turned off at night.  However, imagine those same lights on during the day- you may still notice them, but they certainly aren’t dazzling or blinding.  The same thing is true in the office.  Loud noises can be almost muted with the use of consistent sound (like bright lights losing their luster during the day).

Why use sound masking?

The main two reasons to use sound masking technology are to achieve speech privacy for the purpose of improving confidentiality and productivity.

  • Less distraction at work: By masking conversations and excess noise, the average worker can be up to 25% more productive with their work hours. Sound masking installed in the entire office space will benefit the entire office.
  • Improved privacy and confidentiality: Many office situations need confidentiality – human resources, government services, medical facilities, counseling, and many more. Sound masking significantly improves privacy and confidentiality throughout an entire office. It uses white noise to make human speech unintelligible to those beyond the immediate conversation.
  • Decreased stress for workers: Most of us are not aware of the stress we experience from trying to block excess noise around us. Think about trying to write an important email, or work through a complicated problem, all the while there is a noise, maybe a conversation or a horn honking, that is trying to gain your attention.  According to a study by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), even a small acoustic treatment can reduce worker stress by more than 25%.

The appropriate use of white noise in a work place, even on an individual scale, can lower stress and increase concentration by masking background conversations and noise. Quality office-wide, sound masking provides effective privacy and confidentiality, while decreasing office distractions.

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Why Everyone Needs a Portable Sound Machine for the Holidays

December 14, 2011 By

Holiday Travel

I usually talk about sound masking systems and how they benefit businesses and offices by achieving speech privacy for reducing distractions, as well as for providingconfidentiality.   Today, however, I am going to focus in on how a portable sound machine can benefit any holiday-goer.  We all usually do some sort of travel to see parents, grandparents, kids, grandkids, friends, extended family, in-laws, etc..  If you’re not the travelers, you might be the host of said family members and/or friends.

Regardless of who goes to whom, traveling is typically a stress-invoking venture that involves a lot of communication and planning and usually very little sleep.  For me, that’s the stressful part.  I either worry about my 3 kids getting the sleep they need without waking everyone else at dawn:30, or conversely, I worry about others keeping us all awake.  Grouchy kids who need an early nap are not my idea of what Christmas is all about.

Thus, I’d like to discuss several applications of a portable sound machine and why they’re so very helpful during this road-ridden holiday season because, even if you’ve never needed one before, having a little white noise as a boundary between you and your guests/hosts provides a little bit of freedom so no one feels badly about the extra noise.

Sound Machine App #1

If your company is making noise, use a sound machine for your own family.  It will help cover the added noise of extra people so that you (and your children) can still get good sleep.

Sound Machine App #2

If it’s your own children making too much noise for grandma or other visiting kids, why not offer a sound machine to your company?  They can choose a nature sound they like and tune out your own rowdy kids.

Sound Machine App #3

If you find yourself traveling for the holidays, it’s time to consider a portable sound machine.  Chances are, you’ll feel more relaxed and more at home.

Whether it’s for you or your guests, sound machines are a wise investment because they protect everyone’s number one concern: sleep.

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5 Holiday Tips for Avoiding Stress

December 12, 2011 By

Loving & Hating the Holidays

The holidays bring on a mix of emotional reactions for most of us.  It’s great to be off work, to spend time with loved ones, and to participate in parties and events we usually don’t have.  However, we still have the same amount of time and work deadlines don’t go away- in fact, for some of us, being “off work” means we just have less time to get done what we usually have more time to do.  Throw in shopping, parties, school programs, visiting family, and we can get pretty stressed during a time that is supposed to bring us all together.

 

Holiday stress may seem like a compound word and totally inseparable, but if you follow these 5 simple steps, you can avoid a lot of it.

5 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Stress

  1. Make lists and prioritize daily.  Make a specific to-do list of activities you have to do for the holidays.  Rather than broad goals like “plan the party,” try to break down the actual tasks {menu planning, grocery shopping, party favors, etc…}  Then, set dates for when it all has to be completed.  .Always set the dates early so you’re not in a frenzy to get the task complete.  Review and update your list on a daily basis.
  2. Shop online.  A lot of time is spent driving all over town as you shop.  Make your shopping list early.  Almost anything on your list can be found online. Sit down one evening, take your list, get focused only on shopping, and begin. You’ll be amazed just how much shopping you can get done in only one evening.  Plus, you can supply lists for those who ask you what you want or what to get your kids and avoid a lot of unwanted gifts. On a personal note, we love to shop online because we’re in the UK.  That way we can send stuff via amazon.com to the US and they can send us stuff via amazon.co.uk, which gets the best prices and is less to pack.
  3. Make time for yourself. Even if it is only one or two hours per week, take time for yourself.  Make a list of things you’d like to do that relax and refresh you. Read a book.  Get a massage. Watch a movie.  Whatever it takes to clear your mind and refresh you… do it!  You’ll have a better attitude.
  4. Don’t over-commit.  During the holiday season there are lots of things to do and many organizations and groups clamoring for your time. Choose your activities wisely and commit only to the ones you consider most important. Otherwise you’ll be anxious for the holidays to be over so you can get some rest.
  5. Get a portable sound machine.  Whether you’re the one traveling or you’re hosting, be sure to have a portable sound machine so everyone can sleep.  I find it makes even jet lag more bearable if privacy and boundaries are kept and no one is worrying about how much noise they’re making.

By following these simple tips, like shopping online and having a portable sound machine, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary holiday stress.

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How to Work on the Road During the Holidays

December 7, 2011 By

How do you work from “home” on the road

It’s not unusual to have to travel a lot for the holidays to visit family.  From parents to grandparents to in-laws to kids who have moved away, there are a lot of family members to see and not much time to do it in.  And if you work from home, unfortunately there’s not a lot of “home” to work in.  It’s difficult to set up and get any work done away from home base, not that home is un-distracting in and of itself.  There are so many distractions just waiting to capture your attention.  Take it all and multiply it by 100 when you travel.  Your mind wanders even more in unfamiliar territory.

Tips for Working from Home on “Vacation”

  • Set realistic expectations for what you can get done.  It’s important to have expectations, but for them to be reasonable.  Allot enough time to honor any deadlines you have, but allot down time, too.  It is vacation after all.

  • Find a spot to work where you can set up and have everything you need to be productive. You may not love your spot, but it’s important you have somewhere to work.
  • Talk to whomever you’re staying with and discuss your needs, even your preferences.  Often, your family just doesn’t know what you need (or don’t need) to be able to work.
  • Similarly, it may be helpful to talk with each other and even your kids if they’re old enough to understand what and when you need to work.  It’s never good to assume everyone understands what you need if you haven’t actually said it.
  • Use a fan or a portable sound machine to mask distracting noises, including your own flesh and blood.

With realistic expectations and a good sound machine in place, here’s to returning home having accomplished all that you hoped to!

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Giving the Gift of Productivity with Sound Masking

December 5, 2011 By

Holiday Stress

The Christmas season is, unfortunately, is packed full of activities, services, and events that end up making the holiday season quite stressful.  Trying to get it all done, and done well, while still accomplishing all the normal daily stuff we have to do is pretty difficult.  That’s probably why many dread it and feel so distracted by all the hustle and bustle instead of focusing on time with family and friends.

Sound Masking

If you feel distracted, you can bet your employees are just distracted, too.  From shopping lists and grocery bills to child care and visiting family, your workers struggle to stay focused, which is hard to judge.  The bad news is that it’s not just the holidays that are distracting.  Even January to October, the average worker loses up to 2 hours every work day as a result of distraction.  Distractions aren’t always daydreaming or thinking of gift lists.  In fact, at work one of the main culprits is conversational distraction.  It may seem that conversations are almost impossible to avoid unless you ban any and all chatter, which is not only an unwise managerial move, it’s also impossible.  However, what you can do is reduce the effect of conversational and noise-related distractions by using sound masking.  Sound masking is the use of white noise to cover other noises, which may seem an odd choice.  Adding noise to cover noise may seem counter-intuitive, but white noise combines sounds from the entire spectrum so that the brain can tune out less consistent, more distracting noises.  It’s kind of like how the dinner conversation fades when you start to wash the dishes…not that dinner conversations are annoying, but they don’t stand a chance against the steady rush of water at the sink.

If distracted workers are an issue in your office, give sound masking a shot- a better, more productive work environment is the best gift you can give your employees this year.

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