It’s often not clear what’s triggering tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in your ears). But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your probability of developing tinnitus goes up. According to HLAA up to 90 percent of people who have tinnitus also have hearing loss.
Your age, lifestyle, and genetics can all play a role in the development of hearing loss as you probably know. And while many people think of hearing loss as being obvious, the reality is that some minor hearing loss can go undetected. 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 isn’t a 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 confirmed that up to 60 percent of people suffering from tinnitus experienced relief when they used hearing aids, with 22 percent showing appreciable relief.
When you can suddenly hear external sounds better because hearing aids have boosted the volume, your tinnitus symptoms will be drowned out. Luckily there are other, more sophisticated solutions beyond just traditional hearing aids to treat the symptoms related to tinnitus.
Types of Specialized Hearing Aids to Decrease Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids increase the level of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. Although it might be basic in design, that amplification of noise, be it the rabble 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 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 manufacturers. These rhythmically inconsistent tones can distract from the consistent and regular tones tinnitus sufferers experience.
Other specialty devices attempt to blend your tinnitus in with the natural sounds you’re hearing. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this technique 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 reduce symptoms of tinnitus even if there isn’t any cure.
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References
- https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/HLAA_HearingLoss_Facts_Statistics.pdf?pdf=FactStats
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17956798
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197965