Around one out of every seven individuals 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 in relation to the general population, and in some countries, the amount of the population who experience tinnitus is even more alarming.
True, tinnitus isn’t always chronic. But if you’re coping with chronic tinnitus symptoms it becomes imperative to find a treatment as soon as possible. Luckily, there is a remedy that has proven to be really effective: hearing aids.
There are some links between hearing loss and tinnitus but they are in fact separate conditions. It’s possible to have tinnitus with normal hearing or to experience hearing loss without also getting tinnitus. But if you’re experiencing the two conditions simultaneously, which is pretty typical, hearing aids can handle both at the same time.
How Can Tinnitus be Treated by Hearing Aids?
According to one survey, 60% of individuals with tinnitus noticed some amount of relief when they began using hearing aids. Roughly 22% of those surveyed went so far as to report significant relief. But, hearing aids are not designed specifically to handle tinnitus. The benefits appear to come by association. So if you have tinnitus along with hearing loss then that’s when your hearing aids will most effectively treat the tinnitus symptoms.
Here’s how hearing aids can help get rid of tinnitus symptoms:
- External sounds are boosted: When you have hearing loss, the volume of the outside world (or, at least, specific frequencies of the world) can fade away and become quieter. When that occurs the ringing in your ears becomes much more noticeable. Hearing loss is not decreasing the ringing so it becomes the loudest thing you hear. The buzzing or ringing that was so prominent will be masked when your hearing aid enhances the outside sound. Tinnitus becomes less of a problem as you pay less attention to it.
- It gets easier to have conversations: Amplifying human speech is something modern hearing aids are particularly good at. So once you’re using your hearing aids regularly, carrying on conversations gets a lot easier. You will be more involved 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 balanced interactive social life tinnitus can appear to fade into the background. Sometimes, tinnitus is worsened by stress so being able to socialize can helps in this way also.
- The increased 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 regions of your brain flexible and healthy, which in turn can help minimize some tinnitus symptoms you might be experiencing.
The Advantages of Modern Hearing Aids
Smart Technology is built into modern hearing aids. To some extent, that’s because they integrate the latest technologies and hearing assistance algorithms. But the efficiency of modern hearing aids is achieved in part because each device can be customized and calibrated on a patient-by-patient basis (they can even sense the level of background noise and automatically recalibrate accordingly).
Whatever your specific 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.
What is The Best Way to End Tinnitus?
This will probably depend on your level of hearing loss. There are still treatment solutions for your tinnitus even if you don’t have any hearing impairment. That could mean custom-made masking devices, medication, or cognitive behavioral therapy.
However, if you’re one of the many individuals out there who happen to have both hearing impairment and tinnitus, a set of hearing aids might be able to do the old two-birds-one-stone thing. Treating your hearing impairment with a good pair of hearing aids can often stop tinnitus from making your life miserable.