It’s generally unclear what’s causing tinnitus (a buzzing or ringing in your ears). But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your probability of experiencing tinnitus rises. According to HLAA up to 90 percent of people who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss.
As you most likely 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 unnoticed. Even worse, even a slight case of hearing loss increases your risk and probability of developing tinnitus.
Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Can Help
Tinnitus has no cure. However, your symptoms can be decreased and your life can be improved by wearing hearing aids to treat your hearing loss and tinnitus. In fact, one study showed that as much as 60 percent of tinnitus patients saw relief when they wore 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. And, fortunately, conventional hearing aids aren’t the only option as more advanced treatment methods are being produced.
Types of Specialized Hearing Aids to Decrease Tinnitus Symptoms
Hearing aids work by collecting natural sounds from the environment around you and boosting them to a level that allows you to hear. This simple technology is critical 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 augment those amplification efforts by the combination of other strategies, like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress reduction for a more comprehensive approach to treatment.
Some hearing aid makers even use the irregular rhythm of fractal tones to reduce the symptoms of tinnitus. 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 natural sounds you’re hearing. 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 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, 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