It’s often unclear what’s triggering tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in your ears). But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your probability of experiencing tinnitus rises. According to HLAA as much as 90 percent of individuals who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss.
As you probably realize, your genetics, age, and lifestyle can all play a role in the development of hearing loss. Frequently, moderate cases of hearing loss go undetected and hearing loss, in general, isn’t always evident. Even minor cases of hearing loss will increase your likelihood of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Will Help
There is no cure for tinnitus. However, your symptoms can be minimized and your life can be improved by wearing hearing aids to manage your hearing loss and tinnitus. As a matter of fact, one study revealed that as much as 60 percent of tinnitus patients experienced relief when they wore hearing aids, with 22 percent showing considerable relief.
When you can suddenly hear external sounds better because hearing aids have raised the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will be drowned out. Luckily there are other, more sophisticated solutions beyond just conventional hearing aids to manage the symptoms related to tinnitus.
Tinnitus Symptoms Will be Reduced by These Types of Specialized Hearing Aids
Hearing aids work by collecting natural sounds from the environment around you and boosting them to a level that lets you hear. This basic technology is critical in training your hearing to receive specific stimulation by boosting sounds like the rattle of a ceiling fan or the hum 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 manufacturers even utilize the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to decrease the symptoms of tinnitus. The persistent tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the irregular tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Blending the normal sounds you hear with your tinnitus sounds is the objective of other advanced hearing aid options. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this strategy will use a personalized white noise that will be dialed-in by your hearing professional.
Whether it’s through sound therapy, blending, or a white noise mechanism, all of these specialized devices have a common aim of distracting the user away from the ringing or buzzing of tinnitus.
It’s true that there is no cure for tinnitus, but for at least some, hearing aids help reduce 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