Around one in seven individuals are estimated to deal with tinnitus. That puts the overall number in the millions. That’s… a lot of people, both in absolute terms and relative to the general population, and in some countries, the percentage of the population who experience tinnitus is even more startling.
Sometimes tinnitus is goes away on it’s own. But if you’re coping with persistent tinnitus symptoms it becomes imperative to find a treatment as soon as you can. Luckily, there is a remedy that has proven to be really effective: hearing aids.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are connected but distinct conditions. It’s possible to have tinnitus with normal hearing or to have hearing loss without also getting tinnitus. But the two conditions occur together frequently enough that hearing aids have become a dependable solution, treating hearing loss and stopping tinnitus all at once.
How Can Tinnitus be Helped by Hearing Aids?
Hearing aids have, based on one survey, been reported to give relief of tinnitus symptoms for up to 60% of participants. Approximately 22% of everyone surveyed reported significant relief. Despite this, hearing aids are actually designed to manage hearing loss not specifically tinnitus. Association seems to be the main reason for this benefit. As such, hearing aids appear to be most practical if you have tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here’s how hearing aids can help stop tinnitus symptoms:
- Everything gets slightly louder: The volume of some of the frequencies of the world become quieter when have hearing loss. The ringing in your ears, then, is much more obvious. It’s the loudest thing you’re hearing because it is not impacted by your hearing loss. The ringing or buzzing that was so obvious will be obscured when your hearing aid boosts the outside sound. Tinnitus becomes less of an issue as you pay less attention to it.
- It gets easier to have conversations: Amplifying human speech is something modern hearing aids are particularly good at. So once you’re wearing your hearing aids regularly, carrying on conversations gets a lot easier. You can follow the story Fred is telling at the restaurant or listen to what Sally is excited about at work. The more you connect with other people, the more social you are, the less you’ll notice your tinnitus. Socializing also helps decrease stress, which is linked to tinnitus.
- The increased audio stimulation is keeping your brain fit: Hearing loss has been proven to put stress on cognitive function. Tinnitus symptoms you might be experiencing can be decreased when the brain is in a healthy limber condition and hearing aids can help maintain this.
Modern Hearing Aids Come With Several Advantages
Modern hearing aids are smart. They include cutting edge hearing assistance algorithms and the newest technology. But the effectiveness of modern hearing aids is attained in part because each device can be refined and calibrated on a patient-by-patient basis (sometimes, they recalibrate based on the amount of background noise).
Personalizing hearing aids means that the sensitivity and output signals can effortlessly be adjusted to the particular hearing levels you might have. The humming or buzzing is more likely to be effectively masked if your hearing aid is dialed in to work best for you.
The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus
This will most likely depend on your degree of hearing impairment. There are still treatment solutions for your tinnitus even if you don’t have any hearing loss. That could mean custom-made masking devices, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or medication.
However, hearing aids may be able to take care of both situations if you have tinnitus and hearing loss at the same time. Stop tinnitus from making your life difficult by treating your hearing loss with a good pair of hearing aids.