It’s generally not clear what’s causing tinnitus (a buzzing or ringing in your ears). But one thing we know for sure is that if you have hearing loss your chance of experiencing tinnitus goes up. Up to 90% of people who experience 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 people think of hearing loss as being obvious, the reality is that some mild hearing loss can go undetected. Even mild cases of hearing loss will raise your chance of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Can Help
There is no cure for tinnitus. However, hearing aids can help you manage both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can minimize symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. Sixty percent of people struggling with tinnitus, in fact, saw relief of their symptoms, and twenty-two had substantial 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 sophisticated solutions beyond just traditional hearing aids to manage the symptoms linked to tinnitus.
Tinnitus Symptoms Will be Decreased by These Types of Specialty Hearing Aids
Hearing aids boost the level of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. Even though it might be simple in design, that amplification of noise, be it the hum of a dinner party or the rattle of a ceiling fan, is crucial in training your brain to receive certain stimulations again.
You can take an even more comprehensive approach to your tinnitus management by enhancing hearing aids with other strategies, like stress reduction, sound stimulation, and counseling.
Some hearing aid manufacturers even utilize the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to decrease the symptoms of tinnitus. The consistent tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the uneven tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Other specialty devices try to blend your tinnitus in with the normal sounds you’re hearing. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this strategy will use a customized white noise that will be dialed-in by your hearing specialist.
Whether it’s through sound therapy, blending, or a white noise mechanism, all of these specialized devices have a common objective of distracting the attention away from the ringing or buzzing of tinnitus.
It’s true that there isn’t any cure for tinnitus, but for at least some individuals, 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