Around one out of every seven people are estimated to suffer from tinnitus. That puts the overall number in the millions. That’s… a lot of people, both in actual terms and relative to the overall population, and in a few countries, the amount of the population who experience tinnitus is even more startling.
Sometimes tinnitus is goes away on it’s own. But if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus symptoms it becomes crucial to find a remedy as soon as you can. Luckily, there is a remedy that has proven to be quite effective: hearing aids.
Hearing loss and tinnitus are connected but separate conditions. you can have hearing loss without tinnitus or tinnitus without hearing loss. But if you are going through the two conditions together, which is relatively common, hearing aids can treat both at the same time.
How Hearing Aids Can Treat Tinnitus
Hearing aids have, according to one study, been documented to give tinnitus relief to up to 60% of participants. Approximately 22% of everyone surveyed reported considerable relief. However, hearing aids are not designed specifically to treat tinnitus. Association seems to be the principal reason for this benefit. So if you have tinnitus along with hearing loss then that’s when your hearing aids will most successfully treat the tinnitus symptoms.
Here’s how tinnitus symptoms can be reduced with hearing aids:
- Everything gets slightly louder: The volume of some of the wavelengths of the world become quieter when have hearing loss. When that occurs the ringing in your ears becomes a lot more noticeable. Hearing loss is not affecting the ringing so it becomes the most pronounced thing you hear. The ringing or buzzing that was so obvious will be obscured when your hearing aid boosts the outside sound. Tinnitus becomes less of a problem as you pay less attention to it.
- It becomes less difficult to have conversations: Amplifying human speech is something modern hearing aids are particularly good at. So once you’re wearing your hearing aids on a regular basis, having conversations becomes a lot easier. You can follow the story Fred is telling at happy hour or listen to what Nancy is excited about at work. When you have a balanced interactive social life tinnitus can seem to disappear into the background. Socializing also helps minimize stress, which is associated with tinnitus.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: Hearing loss has been proven to put stress on mental function. Tinnitus symptoms you might be experiencing can be reduced when the brain is in a healthy pliable condition and hearing aids can help maintain this.
The Perks of Modern Hearing Aids
Modern hearing aids are smart. They come with cutting edge hearing assistance algorithms and the newest technology. But the effectiveness of modern hearing aids is attained in part because each device can be refined and calibrated on a patient-by-patient basis (sometimes, they recalibrate based on the level of background noise).
Customizing hearing aids means that the sensitivity and output signals can conveniently be adjusted to the specific hearing levels you may have. The better your hearings aid works for you, the more likely they are to help you drown out the buzzing or humming from tinnitus.
The Best Way to Get Rid of Tinnitus
Your level of hearing loss will dictate 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, cognitive-behavioral therapy, or medication.
However, hearing aids might be able to take care of both situations if you have tinnitus and hearing loss at the same time. Treating your hearing impairment with a good pair of hearing aids can often stop tinnitus from making your life difficult.