It’s generally not clear what’s causing tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in your ears). However, there is one thing researchers agree on: you are more likely to develop tinnitus if you also suffer from hearing loss. Up to 90% of individuals who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
As you probably realize, 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 reality is that some mild hearing loss can go undetected. Even slight cases of hearing loss will raise your chance of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
It’s Not a Cure, But Hearing Aids Can Help Manage Tinnitus
There isn’t a cure for tinnitus. However, hearing aids will treat both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can decrease symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. As a matter of fact, one study showed that as much as 60 percent of people suffering from tinnitus experienced relief when they used hearing aids, with 22 percent showing significant relief.
When you can suddenly hear outside sounds better because hearing aids have boosted the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will go into the background. Luckily there are other, more advanced solutions beyond just traditional hearing aids to treat the symptoms associated with tinnitus.
Tinnitus Symptoms Will be Decreased by These Types of Specialty Hearing Aids
Hearing aids boost the volume of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. Even though it may be simple in design, that amplification of noise, be it the hum of a dinner party or the rattle of a ceiling fan, is critical in training your brain to receive certain stimulations again.
You can take an even more comprehensive approach to your tinnitus management by augmenting hearing aids with other strategies, like stress reduction, sound stimulation, and counseling.
Some hearing aid makers even utilize the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to minimize the symptoms of tinnitus. The persistent tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the uneven tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Blending the normal sounds you hear with your tinnitus sounds is the goal of other advanced hearing aid options. This approach will generally use a white noise signal that a hearing professional can adjust to ensure correct calibration for your ear and your condition.
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 people, 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