Can online therapy and sound ease ringing ears?
NCT ID NCT05963542
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This completed trial tested whether combining online acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) with customized sound therapy helps people with tinnitus and insomnia. 164 adults were split into two groups: one received both therapies, the other only sound therapy. The goal was to see if the combination reduces tinnitus-related distress and improves sleep better than sound therapy alone.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and customized sound therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a practical, at-home way to reduce tinnitus distress and improve sleep without medication.
- What could go wrong
- This is a single, completed trial with 164 participants. The results may not apply to everyone, and the benefits might be modest or not last long-term.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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164 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Sep 2023
- Finished
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Mar 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 80 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Adults aged between 18 and 80 years old. 2. Experiencing subjective tinnitus for at least 3 months. 3. A score of 38 or more on THI. 4. A score of 8 or more on ISI. 5. 55 dB HL or less on the average pure tone threshold (0.5, 1, 2kHz) of the worse ear. 6. Ability to read and write in Chinese and use a smartphone with an internet connection to work with text material. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pulsatile tinnitus and objective tinnitus. 2. Organic sleep disorders. 3. Other diseases that need to be treated first (e.g., infections, tumors, otosclerosis, Meniere's disease, the acute stage of sudden sensorineural hearing loss). 4. Severe mental illness. 5. Undergoing other research that may affect tinnitus and sleep.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Fudan University Eye Ear Nose and Throat Hospital, Otorhinolaryngology Department
Shanghai, Shanghai Municipality, 200031, China
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