The cause of tinnitus, a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears, is often ambiguous. But one thing we know for sure is that if you have hearing loss your chance of experiencing tinnitus rises. Up to 90 percent of individuals who are afflicted by tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
As you most likely realize, your genetics, age, and lifestyle can all play a role in the advancement of hearing loss. Frequently, moderate instances of hearing loss go undetected and hearing loss, in general, isn’t always apparent. Worse, even a minor case of hearing loss increases your risk and likelihood of developing tinnitus.
It’s Not a Cure, But Hearing Aids Can Help Treat Tinnitus
There isn’t a cure for tinnitus. However, hearing aids will help you manage both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can decrease symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. In fact, one study revealed that up to 60 percent of people suffering from tinnitus experienced relief when they used hearing aids, with 22 percent showing appreciable relief.
A conventional hearing aid can essentially hide the buzzing or ringing caused by tinnitus by improving your ability to hear outside sounds, which basically drowns out the ringing. And, fortunately, conventional hearing aids aren’t the only solution as more advanced treatment possibilities are being produced.
Types of Specialized Hearing Aids to Lessen Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids increase the volume of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. This simple technology is crucial in training your hearing to receive certain stimulation by boosting sounds like the clattering of a ceiling fan or the rabble of a dinner party.
You can enhance those amplification efforts by the combination of other strategies, like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress reduction for a more comprehensive approach to treatment.
Some hearing aid makers even utilize the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to decrease the symptoms of tinnitus. These rhythmically inconsistent tones can distract from the consistent and regular tones tinnitus sufferers experience.
Blending the natural sounds you hear with your tinnitus sounds is the goal of other sophisticated hearing aid options. This strategy will commonly use a white noise signal that a hearing specialist can adjust to ensure proper calibration for your ear and your condition.
All of these approaches, from white noise therapies to sound therapies, utilize specialized hearing aid technology to distract the attention of the user away from focusing on tinnitus noises.
Hearing aids can improve quality of life and decrease symptoms of tinnitus even if there isn’t any cure.
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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