The cause of tinnitus, a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears, is generally ambiguous. However, there is one thing experts agree on: you are more likely to experience tinnitus if you also suffer from hearing loss. Up to 90 percent of people who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
As you most likely know, your genetics, age, and lifestyle can all be involved in the advancement of hearing loss. Frequently, moderate cases of hearing loss go undetected and hearing loss, in general, isn’t always obvious. Even minor cases of hearing loss will increase your chance of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Can Help
Tinnitus doesn’t have a cure. However, hearing aids will help you manage both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can minimize symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. Sixty percent of people dealing with tinnitus, in fact, saw relief of their symptoms, and twenty-two had significant improvement.
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 advanced options beyond just traditional hearing aids to treat the symptoms associated with tinnitus.
Tinnitus Symptoms Will be Decreased by These Types of Specialty Hearing Aids
Hearing aids work by collecting natural sounds from the environment around you and amplifying them to a level that allows you to hear. Even though it may be simple in design, that amplification of noise, be it the hum of a dinner party or the clank of a ceiling fan, is critical in training your brain to receive certain stimulations again.
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.
Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being utilized by some hearing aid makers. The constant tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the irregular tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Other specialized devices try to blend your tinnitus in with the normal sounds you’re hearing. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this technique will use a customized white noise that will be calibrated by your hearing professional.
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 paying attention to tinnitus noises.
It’s true that there isn’t any cure for tinnitus, but for at least some individuals, 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