The cause of tinnitus, a constant buzzing or ringing in the ears, is often ambiguous. But one thing we know for certain is that if you have hearing loss your chance of developing tinnitus goes up. Up to 90% of individuals who are afflicted by tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.
As you probably know, your genetics, age, and lifestyle can all be involved in the advancement of hearing loss. And while many individuals think of hearing loss as being obvious, the truth is that some mild hearing loss can go unnoticed. Even slight cases of hearing loss will raise your likelihood of tinnitus, making the situation even worse.
It’s Not a Cure, But Hearing Aids Can Help Manage Tinnitus
Tinnitus has no cure. However, hearing aids will treat 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 showed that as much as 60 percent of tinnitus patients saw relief when they wore hearing aids, with 22 percent showing significant relief.
A traditional hearing aid can essentially hide the ringing or buzzing associated with tinnitus by strengthening your ability to hear other sounds, which basically drowns out the ringing. The good news is that there are other, more sophisticated solutions beyond just conventional hearing aids to treat the symptoms linked to tinnitus.
Tinnitus Symptoms Will be Reduced by These Types of Specialized Hearing Aids
Hearing aids boost the volume of environmental sounds to the point that you can hear them clearly. This simple technology is crucial in teaching your hearing to receive specific stimulation by boosting sounds like the rattle of a ceiling fan or the rabble of a dinner party.
You can augment those amplification efforts by the combination of other methods, like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress reduction for a more complete approach to treatment.
Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being utilized by some hearing aid makers. The consistent tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the irregular tones of these inconsistent rhythms.
Other specialty devices try to blend your tinnitus in with the natural sounds you’re hearing. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this approach will use a personalized white noise that will be dialed-in by your hearing professional.
Whether it’s through sound therapy, blending, or a white noise mechanism, all of these specialized devices have a common objective of distracting the user away from the buzzing or ringing of tinnitus.
It’s true that there is no cure for tinnitus, but for at least some, hearing aids help decrease symptoms and improve your quality of life.
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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.ata.org/managing-your-tinnitus/treatment-options/hearing-aids
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197965