The cause of tinnitus, a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears, is often unclear. But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your chance of experiencing tinnitus goes up. Up to 90% of people who are afflicted by tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
Your age, lifestyle, and genetics can all take part in the development of hearing loss as you probably know. And while many people think of hearing loss as being obvious, the reality is that some mild hearing loss can go undetected. Worse, even a minor case of hearing loss increases your risk and probability of developing tinnitus.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Will Help
Tinnitus doesn’t have a cure. However, your symptoms can be decreased and your life can be improved by using hearing aids to manage your hearing loss and tinnitus. As a matter of fact, one study revealed that up to 60 percent of tinnitus patients experienced relief when they wore hearing aids, with 22 percent showing considerable relief.
When you can suddenly hear outside sounds better because hearing aids have raised the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will go into the background. Luckily there are other, more sophisticated options beyond just traditional hearing aids to manage the symptoms linked to tinnitus.
Tinnitus Symptoms Will be Decreased by These Types of Specialized Hearing Aids
Hearing aids increase 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 rabble 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 augmenting hearing aids with other techniques, like stress reduction, sound stimulation, and counseling.
Some hearing aid manufacturers even use the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to minimize the symptoms of tinnitus. These rhythmically inconsistent tones can distract from the consistent and regular tones tinnitus sufferers hear.
Other specialized devices try to blend your tinnitus in with the natural sounds you’re hearing. This strategy will generally utilize a white noise signal that a hearing professional can adjust to guarantee proper calibration for your ear and your disorder.
Whether you use sound therapy, blending, or a white noise mechanism, all of these specialized technologies have a common objective of distracting the attention away from the ringing or buzzing of tinnitus.
It’s true that there is no cure for tinnitus, but for at least some individuals, hearing aids help decrease 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