Around one out of every seven people are estimated to suffer from tinnitus. That puts the total number in the millions. That’s… a lot of people, both in absolute terms and relative to the general population, and in a few countries, the amount of the population who experience tinnitus is even more startling.
True, tinnitus isn’t always chronic. But if you’re dealing with persistent tinnitus symptoms it becomes imperative to find a solution as soon as you can. One of the most effective of such remedies is already rather common: hearing aids.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are related but separate conditions. It’s possible to have tinnitus with normal hearing or to experience hearing loss without also getting tinnitus. But the two conditions coexist often enough that hearing aids have become a practical solution, managing hearing loss and stopping tinnitus in one fell swoop.
How Hearing Aids Can Treat Tinnitus
Hearing aids have, according to one study, been reported to give relief of tinnitus symptoms for up to 60% of participants. Roughly 22% of everyone surveyed reported considerable relief. However, hearing aids are not designed specifically to handle tinnitus. The benefits seem to come by association. As such, hearing aids appear to be most effective if you have tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here’s how tinnitus symptoms can be reduced with hearing aids:
- Outside sounds are enhanced: The volume of some of the frequencies of the world become quieter when you’re suffering from hearing loss. When that happens the ringing in your ears becomes a lot more noticeable. Hearing loss is not affecting the ringing so it becomes the loudest thing you hear. A hearing aid can enhance that surrounding sound, helping to mask the buzzing or ringing that was so prominent before. Tinnitus becomes less of a problem as you pay less attention to it.
- Conversations become less difficult: Contemporary hearing aids are particularly good at identifying human speech and amplifying those sounds. This means having a conversation can be much easier once you’re routinely using your devices. You can follow the story Carl is telling at the restaurant or listen to what Nancy is excited about at work. The more you connect with others, the more social you are, the less you’ll notice your tinnitus. Sometimes, tinnitus is worsened by stress so being able to socialize can helps in this way too.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: When you experience hearing loss, those parts of your brain charged with interpreting sounds can often suffer from stress, fatigue, or atrophy. Tinnitus symptoms you might be experiencing can be decreased when the brain is in a healthy pliable condition and hearing aids can help keep it that way.
The Perks of Modern Hearing Aids
Smart Technology is incorporated into modern hearing aids. They come with cutting edge hearing assistance algorithms and the latest technology. But it’s the ability to customize a hearing aid to the specific user’s needs that makes modern hearing aids so effective (they can even detect the level of background noise and automatically recalibrate accordingly).
Whatever your particular hearing levels are, personalized hearing aids can effortlessly be calibrated to them. The better your hearings aid works for you, the more likely they are to help you cover up the buzzing or humming from tinnitus.
The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus
Your degree of hearing loss will dictate what’s best for you. If you haven’t had any hearing loss, you’ll still have accessible treatment options for your tinnitus. That could mean custom-made masking devices, medication, or cognitive behavioral therapy.
But, if you’re one of the many individuals out there who happen to have both hearing loss and tinnitus, a set of hearing aids could be able to do the old two-birds-one-stone thing. Stop tinnitus from making your life difficult by managing your hearing loss with a good set of hearing aids.
