New Widex SoundRelax offers soothing sounds for all hearing aid wearers

In today’s busy world, stress can take a heavy toll on our minds and bodies. Finding fresh and innovative ways to relax has never been more important for our sense of inner peace. That’s why, with Moment Sheer, we’ve expanded our fractal sound stimulation universe with Widex SoundRelax. It offers a great new palette of relaxing sounds designed to help hearing aid wearers with and without tinnitus deal with anxiety, soothe the mind and aid concentration.

Simply select new relaxing sounds in Compass GPS

As a hearing care professional, you can select and adjust these sounds with ease using the Compass GPS fitting software, in dialogue with the hearing aid wearer. A total of eight new sounds includes both relaxing music and nature sounds and combinations of the two in complete soundscapes tailored to the individual wearer’s preferences. The wearer can then activate the programs, using the app, hearing aid button, or remote control. You also have the option to combine SoundRelax with PureSound, providing the best sound quality for all hearing losses.

Users rate Widex SoundRelax very highly

SoundRelax is intended for any hearing aid wearer who is looking for sounds that help relaxation, well-being, and concentration. In order to understand users’ experiences, a study was conducted in which 20 participants with and without tinnitus rated the new sounds. They listened to each sound over headphones for at least 10 minutes and then rated them for how well they liked them and to what extent they support relaxation, concentration and general well-being.

The results, illustrated in this table, are striking: While not every hearing aid wearer likes every sound, the mean rating of each listener’s favorite sound is around 9 on a 10-point scale, which is a very high level for something so personal as taste in tones and soundscapes. (The diamonds show the mean rating and the whiskers +/- 1 standard deviation.) The study was conducted with the sounds played over headphones, which means the sound quality can be expected to be even better when listening to them on the hearing aids.

The unique advantages of fractal sound stimulation

Coined by mathematician Benoît Mandelbrot in 1975, the term ‘fractal’ refers to geometrical shapes that contain unfolding levels of detail as the viewer zooms in. Similar shapes can be found in nature including river forks, coastlines, mountain ridges, leaf veins, and clouds. 

With Moment Sheer, we build on our strong legacy in tinnitus management and expand our Zen fractal sound stimulation universe with Widex SoundRelax. It uses the same principles of fractal mathematics to create relaxing sounds, but the tones are softer than the Zen tones and with improved synchronization between the ears. The user group is also broader, SoundRelax catering to all hearing aid wearers – with or without tinnitus.

Because the sounds in SoundRelax and Zen are based on our unique approach of using fractal mathematics, they generate changing, soothing tones and meditative chimes that become familiar but never repeat themselves and so relax the mind.

Elevating tinnitus therapy to new heights

With Moment Sheer we also give you as a hearing care professional the option to combine Zen and SoundRelax with PureSound. This can be beneficial for your tinnitus patients with mild hearing losses: With PureSound, they get the best sound quality for their mild hearing loss, which may make them more likely to wear a hearing aid. The more likely they are to wear their hearing aids, the more relief from tinnitus they are likely to experience, since it is well known that amplification is a very effective tinnitus treatment.

Even for hearing aid wearers who may not view their hearing loss as the primary problem, amplification of soft sounds will act as a partial masker of tinnitus and may therefore produce some relief. Amplifying very soft sounds requires a hearing aid with a low compression threshold and a high sound quality, which are both characteristics of Widex hearing aids.

For more information about the new Widex SoundRelax solution, our proven Zen tinnitus management and the proven benefits of our PureSound technology, contact your Widex representative.