Most estimates put the number of people impacted by tinnitus in the millions or around one in every seven people. In a few countries, the numbers are even higher and that’s pretty startling.
Sometimes tinnitus is goes away on it’s own. But if you’re dealing with persistent tinnitus symptoms it becomes imperative to find a solution as soon as possible. One of the most practical of such treatments is already quite common: hearing aids.
Hearing loss and tinnitus are related but separate conditions. you can have hearing loss without tinnitus or tinnitus without hearing loss. But both conditions coexist often enough that hearing aids have become a dependable solution, treating hearing loss and ending tinnitus all at once.
How Hearing Aids Can Help Tinnitus
According to one study, 60% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus observed some amount of relief when they started using hearing aids. For 22% of those people, the relief was significant. In spite of this, hearing aids are actually designed to deal with hearing loss not specifically tinnitus. Association seems to be the principal reason for this benefit. So if you have tinnitus and hearing loss then that’s when your hearing aids will most successfully treat the tinnitus symptoms.
Here’s how hearing aids can help get rid of tinnitus symptoms:
- External sounds are boosted: The volume of certain wavelengths of the world become quieter when you’re suffering from hearing loss. The ringing in your ears, then, is a lot more obvious. It’s the loudest thing you’re hearing because it is not decreased by your hearing loss. The buzzing or ringing that was so obvious will be masked when your hearing aid enhances the outside sound. Tinnitus becomes less of an issue as you pay less attention to it.
- Conversations become easier: Modern hearing aids are particularly good at identifying human speech and raising the volume of those sounds. So once you’re wearing your hearing aids on a regular basis, carrying on conversations becomes much easier. You can follow the story Fred is telling at the restaurant or listen to what Nancy is excited about at work. The more you socialize with other people, the more social you are, the less you’ll notice your tinnitus. Interacting socially also helps decrease stress, which is related to tinnitus.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: When you experience hearing loss, those parts of your brain charged with interpreting sounds can frequently suffer from stress, fatigue, or atrophy. Tinnitus symptoms you may be experiencing can be reduced when the brain is in a healthy pliable condition and hearing aids can help maintain this.
The Perks of Modern Hearing Aids
Smart Technology is incorporated into modern hearing aids. To some degree, that’s because they integrate the newest technologies and hearing assistance algorithms. But it’s the ability to personalize a hearing aid to the distinct user’s requirements that makes modern hearing aids so effective (sometimes, they recalibrate based on the amount of background noise).
Whatever your specific hearing levels are, customized hearing aids can effortlessly be calibrated to them. 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 Stop Tinnitus
This will probably depend on your level of hearing impairment. There are still treatment options for your tinnitus even if you don’t have any hearing loss. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a custom masking device, or medication are some possible solutions.
But, 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 miserable by managing your hearing loss with a good pair of hearing aids.