It’s generally unclear what’s triggering tinnitus (a buzzing or ringing in your ears). But one thing we know for sure is that if you have hearing loss your chance of experiencing tinnitus rises. Up to 90 percent of people who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
Your lifestyle, age, and genetics can all play a role in the development of hearing loss as you probably know. Frequently, mild instances of hearing loss go unnoticed and hearing loss, in general, isn’t always obvious. Even slight cases of hearing loss will increase your chance of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Will Help
Tinnitus has no cure. However, your symptoms can be decreased and your life can be improved by wearing hearing aids to address your hearing loss and tinnitus. In fact, one study confirmed that up to 60 percent of people suffering from tinnitus saw relief when they wore hearing aids, with 22 percent showing significant relief.
A traditional hearing aid can basically hide the buzzing or ringing associated with 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 advanced treatment methods are being produced.
Types of Specialized Hearing Aids to Reduce Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids work by gathering natural sounds from the world around you and boosting them to a level that lets you hear. This simple technology is critical in training 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 take an even more comprehensive approach to your tinnitus management by enhancing hearing aids with other strategies, like stress reduction, sound stimulation, and counseling.
Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being utilized by some hearing aid manufacturers. These rhythmically inconsistent tones can distract from the constant and regular tones tinnitus sufferers hear.
Other specialty devices try to blend your tinnitus in with the natural sounds you’re hearing. This strategy will commonly utilize a white noise signal that a hearing professional can adjust to guarantee 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 goal 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 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
