It’s often not clear what’s triggering tinnitus (a buzzing or ringing in your ears). But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your chance of experiencing tinnitus rises. According to HLAA up to 90 percent of people who have tinnitus also have hearing loss.
As you most likely realize, your age, genetics, and lifestyle can all play a role in the development of hearing loss. Often, moderate instances of hearing loss go unnoticed and hearing loss, in general, isn’t always obvious. Even worse, even a minor case of hearing loss raises your risk and probability of developing tinnitus.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Can Help
There is no 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. 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 boosted the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will be drowned out. And, fortunately, conventional hearing aids aren’t the only solution as more sophisticated treatment possibilities are being produced.
Types of Specialized Hearing Aids to Lessen Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids boost the volume of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. This simple technology is critical in teaching your hearing to receive specific stimulation by amplifying sounds like the clattering of a ceiling fan or the rabble of a dinner party.
You can augment those amplification efforts by the combination of other approaches, 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 consistent tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the uneven tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Other specialized devices attempt to blend your tinnitus in with the natural sounds you’re hearing. This strategy will generally use a white noise signal that a hearing professional can adjust to ensure correct 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 objective of distracting the user away from the buzzing or ringing 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
