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 absolute terms and relative to the general population, and in a few countries, the amount of the population who experience tinnitus is even more startling.
True, tinnitus isn’t always chronic. But in those cases where ringing, buzzing, or humming in your ears is tough to shake, finding a reliable treatment can very quickly become a priority. One of the most effective of such remedies is already quite common: hearing aids.
There are some connections between hearing loss and tinnitus but they are in fact separate conditions. It’s possible to experience tinnitus with normal hearing or to have hearing loss without also getting tinnitus. But if you are going through the two conditions simultaneously, which is relatively common, hearing aids can treat both at the same time.
How Can Tinnitus be Managed by Hearing Aids?
According to one study, 60% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus noticed some amount of relief when they started using hearing aids. For 22% of those people, the relief was considerable. Despite this, hearing aids are actually made to deal with hearing loss not specifically tinnitus. The benefits seem to come by association. As such, hearing aids seem to be most practical if you have tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here’s how hearing aids can help get rid of tinnitus symptoms:
- Everything gets a little bit louder: The volume of certain wavelengths of the world become quieter when have hearing loss. The ringing in your ears, in that situation, is much more obvious. Hearing loss is not decreasing the ringing so it becomes the most pronounced thing you hear. A hearing aid can enhance that ambient sound, helping to drown out the ringing or buzzing that was so prominent before. As you pay less and less attention to your tinnitus, it becomes less of a problem.
- It becomes less difficult to engage in conversations: Modern hearing aids are particularly good at identifying human speech and amplifying those sounds. This means carrying on a conversation can be much easier once you’re regularly wearing your devices. You can keep up with the story Fred is telling at happy hour or listen to what Sally is excited about at work. The more you interact with other people, the more social you are, the less you’ll notice your tinnitus. At times, tinnitus is intensified by stress so being able to socialize can helps in this way too.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: Hearing loss has been confirmed to put a strain on mental 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.
Modern Hearing Aids Come With Several Benefits
Modern hearing aids are smart. They come with innovative hearing assistance algorithms and the newest technology. But the effectiveness of modern hearing aids is attained in part because each device can be customized and calibrated on a patient-by-patient basis (they can even detect the level of background noise and automatically recalibrate accordingly).
Whatever your specific hearing levels are, personalized hearing aids can effortlessly be calibrated to them. The better your hearings aid works for you, the more likely they are to help you drown out the buzzing or humming from tinnitus.
What is The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus?
This will likely depend on your level of hearing impairment. If you haven’t experienced any hearing loss, you’ll still have available treatment options for your tinnitus. That could mean custom-created masking devices, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or medication.
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 miserable by treating your hearing loss with a good set of hearing aids.