The Sound Pillow: tampering with a classic

Open letter to manufacturers of household products: Stop messing with the classic pillow design by trying to get all high tech and cutesy. That means no more MP3 playing pillows, no networked pillows for "communicating" with loved ones, no pillows that record us snoring, no pillows that indicate current surfing conditions, and definitely no pillows with artificial heartbeats. Chillows, however, are still allowed. That is all. Since we'll get in trouble if we don't mention the actual product here:  the Sound Pillow is just a regular pillow with embedded speakers and a stereo plug, designed by the UK's Royal National Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to sooth tinnitus sufferers (which actually makes it sound kind of useful, thus negating our whole introductory rant), and costing about $44.

[unwiseOne @ Jan 18th 2006 4:00AM]

Hope this really helps those tinitus sufferers, that is, if it is ok in engadgets high opinion that a pillow is made for them.

Of course, you guys are free to offer a alternative therapy.

[RFRY @ Jan 18th 2006 4:00AM]

I wholeheartedly agree that I pillow should not tell me the current surfing conditions. However, I think this pillow--if I'm understanding what it does right--will be a tremendous boon to those of us with tinnitus.
I played in a band (too loudly) and now suffer from tinnitus at the ripe old age of 22. I say suffer, I don't really suffer, with the sole exception of when I'm trying to go to sleep. (Computer fan noise actually is useful for me as it drowns out my mild tinnitus during the day.) The ear pressed up against the pillow in a tinnitus sufferer makes no sound except for the tinnitus 'ringing,' and it can be quite bothersome. I compensate for this by falling asleep with the TV on for white-noise, something my partner just really could not love more. So, having a small, personal sound generator that works only where I need it most (on the ear that's on the pillow) is actually going to make my life much better, I think. Or, well, make my wife's life better, at least, and keeping her happy's what I do, you know? This 'messing with a classic' happens to be not just another product to be marketed and sold and consumed and thrown away like so much we see--particularly, it seems, in tech--and will probably do a fair number of people a fair amount of good.

[SB @ Jan 18th 2006 5:19AM]

Almost the same thing can be accomplished with this nifty little thing from RS.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103574

[YankInOz @ Jan 18th 2006 6:34AM]

I suffer from severe tinnitus and am constantly looking for somehting that will help alleviate the situation. I am going to order one and I will let you know. The tinnitus is so loud for me that it is constant and sounds more like a 747 nearby rather than a ringing.

I think the RS pillow speaker thing may be OK but this other appears to be integrated into the pillow - which means that the manufacturere probably bought a whole bunch of the RS pillow speakers and made little pockets for them in the pillow and are now charging you and arm, leg and an ear. :)

[Jake @ Jan 18th 2006 6:56AM]

I suffer from tinnitus, as well! After reading all these comments, I know I have company.

I'm considering this pillow, though I might be more inclined to jump for a speaker in the pillow, as I have one of those special orthopedic pillows.

[Michal @ Jan 18th 2006 8:01AM]

I suffer from tinnitus as well, had it since I was around 7, (currently 17), luckly the sound of my loud computer fans drowns out the ringing when sleeping most of the time, but sometimes when I just want peace and quiet I can't get it because of that damn ringing (actually its pretty bad now even with the sound of my typing and the computer fans) I'm glad, and surprised that I'm not alone, this pillow seems it would be able to help me sleep without having to put my computer fans to full :)

[pedro @ Jan 18th 2006 9:48AM]

Add me to the list. I've got it worse in my right ear than my left, so this pillow is pretty neat, as when my ear is pressed up against the pillow all I can hear is the ringing.
I've actually got an air cleaner that I turn on for white noise which knocks me right out.

Maybe one day engadget will be writing about a cure for it!!!

[UHF @ Jan 19th 2006 5:04AM]

Hello,

I have it worse in my left ear and it seems to have got worse over the last year. It may be heritary in my case. I manage to sleep ok by ignoring it.
Some useful information http://www.tinnitus.org.uk/

[124C41 @ Mar 21st 2007 1:01AM]

Tinnitus always gets worse, just as hearing loss increases with age. At times mine isn't bad; it sounds like a warm summer night on a farm with all the insect noises. Other times it's just a humm that goes on and on. I've heard of one person who committed suicide from tinnitus, which seems a little extreme, though sometimes I'm not sure. Unfortunately, "white noise" doesn't help; I have 3 cheap fans in a computer with the case open and 30" away at ear level, and the noise in my head is louder. But I may try the RS speaker in a pillow to see if that helps.

[jillnova @ Jun 26th 2007 11:22PM]

"Tinnitus always gets worse..."

I beg to differ. It responds dynamically to the emotional state of the sufferer. The more you fear it/are angry at it/etc, the more bothersome it becomes. To the point of becoming suicidal, yes, sometimes.

But once you quit responding to it emotionally, it begins to lose its power over you, and your brain can start to habituate to it (develop internal filters to tune it out). We become our worst enemy when we continue to "feed" the tinnitus with our negative emotional reactions. And when we can remove the emotional response to it, whether by lifestyle changes, or therapy (Cognitive Therapy, or Bio-feedback Therapy, or Tinnitus Retraining Therapy), we begin to get better. And yes, I am speaking from experience.

Tinnitus does comes with age-related hearing loss. But for the rest of us, the "volume" of the tinnitus is in no way related to the degree of hearing loss. I have very slight, hardly noticeable hearing loss, and for some reason developed the worst type of searing tinnitus, Shatner-style. After a few months it peaked, I got my emotional state under control through therapy, and since then it is markedly improved. Certainly it is no louder, and I look forward to it's continued decrease.

Best resource on the net, including links to local tinnitus experts: www.ata.org
Best technical resource on tinnitus retraining therapy: www.tinnitus-pjj.com
Good, clear information on tinnitus from a non-medical perspective (click on Do's and Dont's at the top of the page): www.noiserelief.com

P.S. While for most of us there is no medical "cure", it is a good idea to be evaluated by an Audiologist or Ear-Nose-Throat Specialist to make sure that there isn't an underlying medical cause.