Around one in seven people are estimated to suffer from tinnitus. That puts the overall number in the millions. In some countries, the numbers are even higher and that’s pretty startling.
True, tinnitus isn’t always chronic. But if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus symptoms it becomes crucial to find a treatment as soon as you can. One of the most beneficial of such treatments is already rather common: hearing aids.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are related but distinct conditions. It’s possible to have tinnitus with normal hearing or to experience hearing loss without also developing tinnitus. But the two conditions occur together frequently enough that hearing aids have become a dependable solution, managing hearing loss and stopping tinnitus all at once.
How Hearing Aids Can Treat Tinnitus
Hearing aids have, based on one study, been documented to give relief of tinnitus symptoms for up to 60% of participants. For 22% of those people, the relief was considerable. Despite this, hearing aids are actually made to manage hearing loss not specifically tinnitus. Association appears to be the principal reason for this benefit. As such, hearing aids appear to be most practical if you have tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here’s how tinnitus symptoms can be reduced with hearing aids:
- Everything gets a bit louder: The volume of certain wavelengths of the world become quieter when have hearing loss. When that happens the ringing in your ears becomes a lot more noticeable. It’s the loudest thing you’re hearing because it is not decreased by your hearing loss. The ringing or buzzing that was so prominent will be masked when your hearing aid boosts the outside sound. Tinnitus becomes less of an issue as you pay less attention to it.
- Conversations become easier: Increasing the volume of human speech is something modern hearing aids are particularly good at. This means carrying on a conversation can become much easier once you’re regularly wearing your devices. You will be more engaged with your co-worker’s story about their kids and better able to participate with your spouse about how their day went. When you have a healthy involved social life tinnitus can appear to fade into the background. Socializing also helps decrease stress, which is linked to tinnitus.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: When you have hearing loss, those portions of your brain charged with interpreting sounds can frequently suffer from fatigue, stress, or atrophy. Using a hearing aid can keep the audio centers of your brain flexible and healthy, which in turn can help reduce some tinnitus symptoms you may be experiencing.
Modern Hearing Aids Come With Several Benefits
Modern hearing aids are smart. They come with cutting edge hearing assistance algorithms and the newest technology. But the efficiency of modern hearing aids is attained in part because each device can be refined and calibrated on a patient-per-patient basis (sometimes, they recalibrate according to the level of background noise).
Whatever your particular hearing levels are, customized hearing aids can easily be calibrated to them. The better your hearings aid works for you, the more likely they are to help you mask the humming or buzzing from tinnitus.
The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus
Your degree of hearing impairment 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. 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 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 miserable by treating your hearing loss with a good pair of hearing aids.