Around one in seven individuals are estimated to suffer from tinnitus. That puts the total number in the millions. That’s… a lot of people, both in actual terms and in relation to the general population, and in some countries, the percentage of the population who experience tinnitus is even more startling.
Sometimes tinnitus is goes away on it’s own. But if you’re coping with chronic tinnitus symptoms it becomes imperative to find a treatment as soon as you can. One of the most beneficial of such solutions is already rather common: hearing aids.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are related but distinct conditions. you can have hearing loss without tinnitus or tinnitus without hearing loss. But if you’re experiencing the two conditions simultaneously, which is pretty typical, hearing aids can treat both at the same time.
How Can Tinnitus be Helped by Hearing Aids?
Hearing aids have, based on one study, been reported to give relief of tinnitus symptoms for up to 60% of participants. For 22% of those people, the relief was considerable. However, hearing aids are not made specifically to treat tinnitus. The benefits appear to come by association. So if you have tinnitus and hearing loss then that’s when your hearing aids will most effectively treat the tinnitus symptoms.
Here’s how hearing aids can help stop tinnitus symptoms:
- External sounds are boosted: The volume of certain frequencies of the world become quieter when you’re suffering from hearing loss. When that happens the ringing in your ears becomes much more noticeable. Hearing loss is not affecting the ringing so it becomes the loudest thing you hear. A hearing aid can enhance that surrounding sound, helping to drown out the buzzing or ringing that was so forefront before. Tinnitus becomes less of an issue as you pay less attention to it.
- It becomes less difficult to have conversations: Amplifying human speech is something modern hearing aids are particularly good at. This means having a conversation can become much easier once you’re regularly using your devices. You can keep up with the story Fred is telling at the restaurant or listen to what Sally is excited about at work. The more you socialize with others, the more social you are, the less you’ll detect your tinnitus. Interacting socially also helps decrease stress, which is associated with tinnitus.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: Hearing loss has been proven to put stress on cognitive function. Wearing a hearing aid can keep the audio regions of your brain flexible and healthy, which as a result can help decrease some tinnitus symptoms you might be experiencing.
The Advantages of Modern Hearing Aids
Smart Technology is incorporated into modern hearing aids. They come with cutting edge hearing assistance algorithms and the latest technology. But it’s the ability to personalize a hearing aid to the specific user’s needs that makes modern hearing aids so effective (they can even detect the amount of background noise and automatically adjust accordingly).
Personalizing hearing aids means that the sensitivity and output signals can effortlessly be calibrated to the specific hearing levels you might have. The buzzing or humming is more likely to be successfully masked if your hearing aid is dialed in to work best for you.
The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus
Your level of hearing impairment will determine what’s best for you. There are still treatment solutions for your tinnitus even if you don’t have any hearing impairment. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a custom masking device, or medication are some possible options.
However, if you’re one of the many individuals out there who happen to suffer from both hearing loss and tinnitus, a set of hearing aids might be able to do the old two-birds-one-stone thing. Managing your hearing impairment with a good set of hearing aids can often stop tinnitus from making your life miserable.