It’s often not clear what’s triggering tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing in your ears). However, there is one thing researchers agree on: you are more likely to experience tinnitus if you also are afflicted by hearing loss. Up to 90 percent of people who experience tinnitus also have hearing loss according to HIAA.

Your lifestyle, age, and genetics can all take part 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 mild hearing loss can go unnoticed. Worse, even a minor case of hearing loss increases your risk and probability of developing tinnitus.

Hearing Aids Won’t Cure Tinnitus But They Can Help

Tinnitus doesn’t have a cure. However, hearing aids can treat both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can minimize symptoms and improve one’s quality of life. Sixty percent of people coping with tinnitus, in fact, experienced relief of their symptoms, and twenty-two had significant improvement.

A traditional hearing aid can basically hide the ringing or buzzing caused by tinnitus by improving your ability to hear other sounds, which basically drowns out the ringing. And, fortunately, conventional hearing aids aren’t the only solution as more sophisticated treatment methods are being produced.

Types of Specialty Hearing Aids to Lessen Tinnitus Symptoms

Hearing aids work by collecting natural sounds from the world around you and amplifying them to a level that allows you to hear. This simple technology is critical in training your hearing to receive certain 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 comprehensive approach to treatment.

Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being utilized by some hearing aid manufacturers. The constant tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the uneven tones of these inconsistent rhythms.

Other specialized devices attempt to blend your tinnitus in with the natural sounds you’re hearing. This strategy will generally use a white noise signal that a hearing professional can adjust to guarantee proper calibration for your ear and your condition.

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 people, hearing aids help reduce 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