Around one out of every seven people are estimated to deal with tinnitus. That puts the overall number in the millions. That’s… a lot of people, both in absolute terms and in relation to the overall population, and in several countries, the percentage of the population who experience tinnitus is even more alarming.
Sometimes tinnitus is goes away on it’s own. But if you’re dealing with persistent tinnitus symptoms it becomes crucial to find a treatment as soon as you can. Luckily, there is a remedy that has proven to be quite effective: hearing aids.
There are some links between hearing loss and tinnitus but they are actually distinct conditions. you can have hearing loss without tinnitus or tinnitus without hearing loss. But the two conditions coexist often enough that hearing aids have become a practical solution, managing hearing loss and stopping tinnitus in one fell swoop.
How Can Tinnitus be Helped by Hearing Aids?
Hearing aids have, based on one survey, been documented to give tinnitus relief to up to 60% of participants. For 22% of those people, the relief was significant. But, hearing aids aren’t made specifically to treat tinnitus. Association seems to be the principal reason for this benefit. As such, hearing aids seem to be most effective if you have tinnitus and hearing loss.
Here’s how hearing aids can help reduce 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 noticeable. Hearing loss is not affecting the ringing so it becomes the loudest thing you hear. A hearing aid can boost that surrounding sound, helping to mask the ringing or buzzing that was so forefront before. Tinnitus becomes less of an issue as you pay less attention to it.
- Conversations become easier: Increasing the volume of human speech is something contemporary hearing aids are particularly good at. This means carrying on a conversation can be much easier once you’re regularly using your devices. You will be more involved with your co-worker’s story about their children and better able to participate with your spouse about how their day went. The more you connect with other people, the more social you are, the less you’ll notice your tinnitus. Socializing also helps reduce stress, which is linked to tinnitus.
- The enhanced audio stimulation is keeping your brain fit: Hearing loss has been proven to put a strain on mental function. Tinnitus symptoms you may be experiencing can be decreased when the brain is in a healthy pliable condition and hearing aids can help maintain this.
Modern Hearing Aids Come With Many Benefits
Smart Technology is built into modern hearing aids. They come with innovative hearing assistance algorithms and the latest 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 (they can even detect the level of background noise and automatically adjust accordingly).
Whatever your specific hearing levels are, personalized hearing aids can conveniently be calibrated to them. The better your hearings aid works for you, the more likely they are to help you cover up the humming or buzzing from tinnitus.
What is The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus?
Your level of hearing loss will determine what’s right for you. If you haven’t experienced any hearing loss, you’ll still have available treatments for your tinnitus. That could mean custom-created masking devices, medication, or cognitive behavioral therapy.
However, hearing aids may be able to take care of both situations if you have tinnitus and hearing loss at the same time. Managing your hearing impairment with a good set of hearing aids can often stop tinnitus from making your life miserable.