The cause of tinnitus, a persistent ringing or buzzing in the ears, is often ambiguous. However, there is one thing researchers agree on: you are more likely to experience tinnitus if you also suffer from hearing loss. Up to 90 percent of individuals who suffer from tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
As you probably know, your age, genetics, and lifestyle can all be involved in the advancement of hearing loss. And while many people think of hearing loss as being obvious, the reality is that some mild hearing loss can go undetected. 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 is no cure for tinnitus. However, hearing aids will help you manage both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can reduce symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. Sixty percent of people dealing with tinnitus, in fact, experienced relief of their symptoms, and twenty-two had considerable improvement.
A traditional hearing aid can essentially hide the buzzing or ringing caused by tinnitus by improving your ability to hear outside sounds, which effectively drowns out the ringing. And, fortunately, conventional hearing aids aren’t the only option as more sophisticated treatment possibilities are being produced.
Types of Specialty Hearing Aids to Lessen Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids work by collecting natural sounds from the environment around you and amplifying them to a level that allows you to hear. This basic 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 approaches, like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress reduction for a more complete approach to treatment.
Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being used by some hearing aid makers. These rhythmically inconsistent tones can distract from the constant and regular tones tinnitus sufferers hear.
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 customized white noise that will be dialed-in by your hearing professional.
All of these strategies, from white noise therapies to sound therapies, use 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.
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