Most estimates put the amount of individuals affected by tinnitus in the millions or about one in every seven people. That’s… a lot of people, both in actual terms and relative to the general population, and in several 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 practical of such solutions is already quite common: hearing aids.
There are some links between hearing loss and tinnitus but they are actually distinct conditions. It’s possible to have tinnitus with average hearing or to experience hearing loss without also developing tinnitus. But both conditions occur together frequently enough that hearing aids have become a dependable solution, treating hearing loss and ending tinnitus all at once.
How Can Tinnitus be Managed by Hearing Aids?
According to one study, 60% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus reported some amount of relief when they started using hearing aids. Approximately 22% of everyone surveyed reported considerable relief. However, hearing aids aren’t made specifically to handle tinnitus. The benefits seem to come by association. So if you have tinnitus and hearing loss then that’s when your hearing aids will most effectively treat the tinnitus symptoms.
Here’s how hearing aids can help stop tinnitus symptoms:
- Everything gets a little bit louder: When you experience hearing loss, the volume of the world (or, at least, specific wavelengths of the world) can fade away and become more silent. The ringing in your ears, in that situation, is a lot more noticeable. Hearing loss is not affecting the ringing so it becomes the most pronounced thing you hear. The ringing or buzzing that was so obvious will be masked when your hearing aid boosts the external sound. Tinnitus becomes less of an issue as you pay less attention to it.
- It becomes less difficult to have conversations: Amplifying human speech is something contemporary hearing aids are particularly good at. So once you’re using your hearing aids regularly, carrying on conversations becomes a lot easier. You will be more engaged with your co-worker’s story about their children and better able to participate with your spouse about how their day went. When you have a balanced involved social life tinnitus can seem to fade into the background. Socializing also helps decrease stress, which is associated with tinnitus.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: Hearing loss has been proven to put stress on cognitive function. Tinnitus symptoms you might be experiencing can be reduced when the brain is in a healthy flexible condition and hearing aids can help keep it that way.
The Advantages of Modern Hearing Aids
Modern hearing aids are smart. They come with innovative 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 sense the level of background noise and automatically recalibrate accordingly).
Personalizing hearing aids means that the sensitivity and output signals can effortlessly be calibrated to the specific hearing levels you might have. The humming or buzzing is more likely to be successfully hidden if your hearing aid is dialed in to work best for you.
The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus
Your degree of hearing impairment will dictate what’s right for you. If you haven’t experienced any hearing loss, you’ll still have accessible treatments for your tinnitus. Cognitive behavioral therapy, a custom masking device, or medication are some possible options.
But, if you’re one of the many individuals out there who happen to suffer from both hearing impairment and tinnitus, a set of hearing aids might be able to do the old two-birds-one-stone thing. Stop tinnitus from making your life miserable by managing your hearing loss with a good set of hearing aids.