The cause of tinnitus, a constant buzzing or ringing in the ears, is generally ambiguous. However, there is one thing experts agree on: you are more likely to experience tinnitus if you also are suffering from hearing loss. Up to 90 percent of people who suffer from tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
As you probably know, your genetics, age, and lifestyle can all be involved in the advancement of hearing loss. And while many individuals think of hearing loss as being obvious, the truth is that some mild hearing loss can go undetected. Even minor cases of hearing loss will increase your likelihood of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
It’s Not a Cure, But Hearing Aids Can Help Treat Tinnitus
Tinnitus doesn’t have a cure. However, your symptoms can be reduced and your life can be improved by wearing hearing aids to treat your hearing loss and tinnitus. Sixty percent of people struggling with tinnitus, in fact, saw relief of their symptoms, and twenty-two had considerable improvement.
When you can suddenly hear external sounds better because hearing aids have raised the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will go into the background. The good news is that there are other, more advanced options beyond just traditional hearing aids to manage the symptoms linked to tinnitus.
Types of Specialty Hearing Aids to Decrease Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids work by collecting natural sounds from the environment around you and amplifying them to a level that lets you hear. Although it may be basic in design, that amplification of sound, be it the hum of a dinner party or the clank of a ceiling fan, is crucial in training your brain to receive certain stimulations again.
You can enhance those amplification efforts by the combination of other methods, like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress reduction for a more complete approach to treatment.
Some hearing aid manufacturers even use the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to decrease the symptoms of tinnitus. These rhythmically inconsistent tones can distract from the consistent and regular tones tinnitus sufferers experience.
Other specialty devices attempt to blend your tinnitus in with the normal sounds you’re hearing. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this technique will use a personalized white noise that will be calibrated by your hearing professional.
All of these strategies, from white noise therapies to sound therapies, use specialized hearing aid technology to distract the attention of the user away from focusing on tinnitus noises.
It’s true that there isn’t any cure for tinnitus, but for at least some, hearing aids help decrease symptoms and improve your quality of life.
References
- https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/HLAA_HearingLoss_Facts_Statistics.pdf?pdf=FactStats
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17956798
- https://www.ata.org/managing-your-tinnitus/treatment-options/hearing-aids
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197965
