In the US, tinnitus affects 20 percent of the entire population, and hearing loss exists in 90 percent of the cases.
With such a substantial connection between tinnitus and hearing loss, you would think that people would be much more likely to seek out treatment for one or both conditions.
But believe it or not we find the exact opposite. Of those who bypass treatment for hearing loss, 39 percent (9 million people) do so because they believe that nothing can be done about their tinnitus.
That’s 9 million people that are suffering needlessly when a treatment program exists that could both improve hearing and alleviate tinnitus at the same time.
That treatment method is the professional fitting of hearing aids.
In a recent survey of hearing health experts, it was discovered that 60 percent of patients confirmed some extent of tinnitus relief when utilizing hearing aids, while 22 percent claimed considerable relief.
Based on these figures, if the 9 million who have given up on tinnitus utilized hearing aids, 5.4 million would realize some extent of relief and about 2 million would enjoy significant relief.
But how do hearing aids minimize the intensity of tinnitus?
The scientific consensus is that hearing loss leads to decreased sound stimulation reaching the brain. In reaction, the brain experiences maladaptive neurological changes that trigger the perception of sound when no external sound source is present.
It’s this personal nature that makes tinnitus so hard to diagnose and treat, and why medications or surgical procedures generally have little to no effect. There’s simply no physical tissue to repair or chemistry to influence.
But there is a way to reach the perception of sound, a way to help the brain adjust or reverse its reaction to diminished sound stimulation.
With hearing aids, amplified sound can help readjust the brain to standard levels of sound stimulation and at the same time supply a masking effect for the sounds of tinnitus.
For patients with hearing loss, tinnitus is more bothersome because the tinnitus is louder relative to the volume of external sound. By turning up the volume on external sound, tinnitus can fade into the background.
On top of that, some hearing aids can furnish sound therapy directly to the individual, which can be tailored for each patient.
Hearing aids, combined with sound and behavioral therapy, are at this time the best tinnitus options available. Most patients report some measure of relief and many patients report significant relief.
Are you ready to give hearing aids a chance? Schedule an appointment today!