Around one out of every seven people are estimated to deal with tinnitus. That puts the overall number in the millions. That’s… a lot of people, both in actual terms and relative to the general population, and in some countries, the amount of the population who experience tinnitus is even more startling.
Sometimes tinnitus is goes away on it’s own. But in those situations where buzzing, ringing, or humming in your ears is difficult to shake, finding a reliable remedy can very quickly become a priority. Luckily, there is a remedy that has proven to be rather effective: hearing aids.
There are some links between tinnitus and hearing loss but they are actually distinct conditions. It’s possible to have tinnitus with average hearing or to have hearing loss without also getting tinnitus. But both conditions occur together often enough that hearing aids have become a dependable solution, treating hearing loss and stopping tinnitus all at once.
How Can Tinnitus be Treated by Hearing Aids?
According to one study, 60% of people who suffer from tinnitus reported some amount of relief when they started using hearing aids. For 22% of those people, the relief was considerable. In spite of this, hearing aids are actually designed to manage hearing loss not specifically tinnitus. Association appears to be the principal reason for this benefit. As such, hearing aids seem to be most effective if you have tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here’s how hearing aids can help stop tinnitus symptoms:
- External sounds are boosted: The volume of certain wavelengths of the world become quieter when have hearing loss. The ringing in your ears, in that situation, is a lot more obvious. Hearing loss is not decreasing the ringing so it becomes the loudest thing you hear. The ringing or buzzing that was so prominent will be masked when your hearing aid boosts the external sound. As you tune out your tinnitus, it becomes less of an issue.
- It becomes less difficult to have conversations: Modern hearing aids are particularly effective at identifying human speech and raising the volume of those sounds. So once you’re wearing your hearing aids regularly, having conversations becomes a lot easier. You can follow the story Fred is telling at the restaurant or listen to what Sally is excited about at work. When you have a healthy interactive social life tinnitus can appear to disappear into the background. In some cases, tinnitus is worsened by stress so being able to socialize can helps in this way too.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: Hearing loss has been proven to put a strain on cognitive function. Using a hearing aid can keep the audio regions of your brain flexible and healthy, which as a result can help decrease certain tinnitus symptoms you may be experiencing.
Modern Hearing Aids Come With Several Benefits
Modern hearing aids are intelligent. They come with cutting edge hearing assistance algorithms and the newest technology. But it’s the ability to customize a hearing aid to the distinct user’s requirements that makes modern hearing aids so effective (sometimes, they recalibrate according to the amount of background noise).
Personalizing hearing aids means that the sensitivity and output signals can conveniently be adjusted to the specific hearing levels you may have. The better your hearings aid works for you, the more likely they are to help you cover up the buzzing or humming from tinnitus.
What is The Best Way to End Tinnitus?
Your level of hearing loss will determine what’s best for you. If you haven’t had any hearing loss, you’ll still have available treatment options for your tinnitus. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a custom masking device, or medication are some possible solutions.
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 miserable by treating your hearing loss with a good pair of hearing aids.