The cause of tinnitus, a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears, is often unclear. But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your probability of developing tinnitus goes up. According to HLAA as much as 90 percent of individuals who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss.
As you probably know, your age, genetics, and lifestyle can all be involved in the advancement of hearing loss. And while many of us think of hearing loss as being obvious, the reality is that some minor hearing loss can go undetected. Worse, even a slight case of hearing loss raises your risk and probability of developing tinnitus.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Will Help
There is no cure for tinnitus. However, your symptoms can be reduced and your life can be improved by wearing hearing aids to manage your hearing loss and tinnitus. Sixty percent of people coping with tinnitus, in fact, experienced relief of their symptoms, and twenty-two had substantial improvement.
A traditional 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 sophisticated treatment possibilities are being produced.
Tinnitus Symptoms Will be Reduced by These Types of Specialty Hearing Aids
Hearing aids boost the level of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. This basic technology is crucial in training your hearing to receive certain stimulation by amplifying sounds like the rattle of a ceiling fan or the hum of a dinner party.
You can take an even more complete approach to your tinnitus treatment by augmenting hearing aids with other techniques, like stress reduction, sound stimulation, and counseling.
Some hearing aid makers even utilize the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to reduce the symptoms of tinnitus. These rhythmically inconsistent tones can distract from the constant and regular tones tinnitus sufferers experience.
Blending the natural 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 technique will use a personalized white noise that will be dialed-in by your hearing specialist.
All of these strategies, 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.
It’s true that there is no cure for tinnitus, but for at least some people, hearing aids help decrease 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