It’s generally unclear what’s causing tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in your ears). But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your chance of experiencing tinnitus goes up. Up to 90 percent of people who are afflicted by tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
As you probably realize, your age, genetics, and lifestyle can all be involved in the development of hearing loss. Often, moderate cases of hearing loss go unnoticed and hearing loss, in general, isn’t always obvious. Even mild cases of hearing loss will increase your chance of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
It’s Not a Cure, But Hearing Aids Can Help Manage Tinnitus
Tinnitus doesn’t have a cure. However, hearing aids can treat both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can reduce symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. Sixty percent of people coping with tinnitus, in fact, saw relief of their symptoms, and twenty-two had substantial improvement.
When you can suddenly hear outside sounds better because hearing aids have raised the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will go into the background. And, fortunately, traditional hearing aids aren’t the only option as more sophisticated treatment possibilities are being produced.
Types of Specialized Hearing Aids to Reduce Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids increase the level of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. This basic technology is critical in teaching your hearing to receive specific stimulation by boosting sounds like the rattle of a ceiling fan or the rabble of a dinner party.
You can augment those amplification efforts by the combination of other methods, like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress reduction for a more complete approach to treatment.
Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being used by some hearing aid makers. The persistent tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the irregular tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Blending the normal sounds you hear with your tinnitus sounds is the objective of other sophisticated hearing aid options. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this technique will use a customized white noise that will be dialed-in by your hearing professional.
Whether you use sound therapy, blending, or a white noise mechanism, all of these specialized devices have a common objective of distracting the user away from the ringing or buzzing of tinnitus.
It’s true that there is no cure for tinnitus, but for at least some, hearing aids help lessen symptoms and improve your quality of life.
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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