Most estimates put the number of individuals impacted by tinnitus in the millions or around one in every seven people. That’s… a lot of people, both in absolute terms and in relation to the general population, and in a few countries, the percentage of the population who experience tinnitus is even more startling.
True, tinnitus isn’t always recurring. But if you’re dealing with persistent tinnitus symptoms it becomes crucial to find a remedy as soon as you can. One of the most effective of such remedies is already rather common: hearing aids.
Tinnitus and hearing loss are connected but distinct conditions. you can have hearing loss without tinnitus or tinnitus without hearing loss. But if you’re going through the two conditions together, which is pretty typical, hearing aids can handle both at the same time.
How Hearing Aids Can Help Tinnitus
According to one study, 60% of individuals with tinnitus noticed some measure of relief when they began using hearing aids. Approximately 22% of those surveyed went so far as to report considerable relief. But, hearing aids are not manufactured specifically to treat tinnitus. The benefits seem to come by association. As such, hearing aids seem to be most effective if you have tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here’s how tinnitus symptoms can be decreased with hearing aids:
- External sounds are enhanced: The volume of some of the frequencies 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 affecting the ringing so it becomes the loudest thing you hear. A hearing aid can increase that surrounding sound, helping to mask the buzzing or ringing that was so forefront before. As you tune out your tinnitus, it becomes less of an issue.
- Conversations become less difficult: Contemporary hearing aids are particularly effective at identifying human speech and raising the volume of those sounds. This means having a conversation can become much easier once you’re routinely wearing your devices. You can follow the story Fred is telling at happy hour or listen to what Sally is excited about at work. When you have a balanced interactive social life tinnitus can seem to fade into the background. At times, tinnitus is worsened by stress so being able to socialize can helps in this way also.
- The enhanced audio stimulation is keeping your brain fit: Hearing loss has been shown to put stress on cognitive function. Wearing 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.
The Advantages of Modern Hearing Aids
Smart Technology is built into modern hearing aids. They come with cutting edge hearing assistance algorithms and the newest technology. But the efficiency of modern hearing aids is achieved in part because each device can be refined and calibrated on a patient-by-patient basis (they can even detect the level of background noise and automatically recalibrate accordingly).
Customizing hearing aids means that the sensitivity and output signals can conveniently be adjusted to the particular hearing levels you might 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?
This will probably depend on your degree of hearing impairment. There are still treatment solutions for your tinnitus even if you don’t have any hearing loss. Medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, or a custom masking device 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 difficult by managing your hearing loss with a good pair of hearing aids.