Hearing Services of Nashville

Man with constant ringing in his ears thinking about getting a hearing aid.

It’s generally not clear what’s causing tinnitus (a buzzing or ringing in your ears). However, there is one thing experts agree on: you are more likely to experience tinnitus if you also suffer from hearing loss. According to HLAA as much as 90 percent of people who have tinnitus also have hearing loss.

Your age, lifestyle, and genetics can all take part in the development of hearing loss as you probably know. And while many people think of hearing loss as being obvious, the truth is that some mild hearing loss can go undetected. Worse, even a slight case of hearing loss increases your risk and likelihood of developing tinnitus.

It’s Not a Cure, But Hearing Aids Can Help Manage Tinnitus

There isn’t a cure for tinnitus. However, your symptoms can be decreased and your life can be improved by wearing hearing aids to address your hearing loss and tinnitus. As a matter of fact, one study showed that up to 60 percent of tinnitus patients experienced relief when they wore hearing aids, with 22 percent showing considerable relief.

A traditional hearing aid can essentially hide the buzzing or ringing caused by tinnitus by improving your ability to hear outside sounds, which basically drowns out the ringing. And, fortunately, traditional hearing aids aren’t the only option as more advanced treatment possibilities are being produced.

Types of Specialty Hearing Aids to Decrease Tinnitus Symptoms

Hearing aids work by gathering natural sounds from the environment around you and boosting them to a level that allows you to hear. Even though it may be simple in design, that amplification of noise, be it the rabble of a dinner party or the clank of a ceiling fan, is critical in teaching your brain to receive certain stimulations again.

You can augment those amplification efforts by the combination of other strategies, like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress reduction for a more complete approach to treatment.

Fractal tones and irregular rhythms are even being used by some hearing aid manufacturers. The persistent tone of tinnitus can be interrupted by the uneven tones of these inconsistent rhythms.

Other specialty devices try to blend your tinnitus in with the natural sounds you’re hearing. Your condition and ear have very personal needs and this technique will use a personalized white noise that will be calibrated by your hearing specialist.

Whether it’s through sound therapy, blending, or a white noise mechanism, all of these specialized technologies have a common objective of distracting the attention away from the ringing or buzzing of tinnitus.

It’s true that there isn’t any cure for tinnitus, but for at least some people, hearing aids help decrease symptoms and improve your quality of life.

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References

  • https://www.hearingloss.org/wp-content/uploads/HLAA_HearingLoss_Facts_Statistics.pdf?pdf=FactStats
  • https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17956798
  • https://www.ata.org/managing-your-tinnitus/treatment-options/hearing-aids
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6197965
The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.
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