The cause of tinnitus, a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears, is generally ambiguous. However, there is one thing researchers agree on: you are more likely to experience tinnitus if you also are suffering from hearing loss. According to HLAA as much as 90 percent of individuals who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss.
Your lifestyle, age, 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 unnoticed. Even minor cases of hearing loss will increase 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 can help you manage both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can minimize symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. In fact, one study confirmed that as much as 60 percent of people suffering from tinnitus experienced relief when they wore hearing aids, with 22 percent showing appreciable relief.
When you can suddenly hear outside sounds better because hearing aids have boosted the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will be drowned out. The good news is that there are other, more sophisticated solutions beyond just traditional hearing aids to manage the symptoms related to tinnitus.
Types of Specialty Hearing Aids to Decrease Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids increase 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 rabble of a dinner party or the clank of a ceiling fan, is critical in teaching your brain to receive certain stimulations again.
You can take an even more complete approach to your tinnitus management by augmenting hearing aids with other techniques, like stress reduction, sound stimulation, and counseling.
Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being used by some hearing aid manufacturers. The constant tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the irregular tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Blending the natural sounds you hear with your tinnitus sounds is the objective of other advanced hearing aid options. This approach will commonly use a white noise signal that a hearing expert can adjust to guarantee proper calibration for your ear and your condition.
Whether you use sound therapy, blending, or a white noise mechanism, all of these specialized technologies have a common goal of distracting the attention away from the buzzing or ringing of tinnitus.
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
