Most estimates put the number of people impacted by tinnitus in the millions or about one in every seven people. In a few countries, the numbers are even higher and that’s pretty startling.
True, tinnitus isn’t always chronic. But if you’re dealing with persistent tinnitus symptoms it becomes crucial to find a solution as soon as possible. One of the most beneficial of such remedies is already quite common: hearing aids.
Hearing loss and tinnitus are related but distinct conditions. It’s possible to have tinnitus with average hearing or to experience hearing loss without also developing tinnitus. But the two conditions coexist often enough that hearing aids have become a dependable solution, managing hearing loss and ending tinnitus all at once.
How Hearing Aids Can Help Tinnitus
According to one survey, 60% of people with tinnitus observed some measure of relief when they began using hearing aids. Roughly 22% of those surveyed reported significant relief. In spite of this, hearing aids are actually made to deal with hearing loss not specifically tinnitus. The benefits appear to come by association. So if you have tinnitus and hearing loss then that’s when your hearing aids will most successfully treat the tinnitus symptoms.
Here’s how tinnitus symptoms can be decreased with hearing aids:
- Outside sounds are boosted: The volume of some of the wavelengths of the world become quieter when you’re suffering from hearing loss. The ringing in your ears, then, is a lot more obvious. It’s the loudest thing you hear because it is not impacted by your hearing loss. A hearing aid can enhance that surrounding sound, helping to drown out the buzzing or ringing that was so prominent before. Tinnitus becomes less of an issue as you pay less attention to it.
- It gets easier to have conversations: Increasing the volume of human speech is something modern hearing aids are particularly good at. So once you’re using your hearing aids on a regular basis, having conversations gets much easier. You will be more engaged 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. Interacting socially also helps decrease stress, which is associated with tinnitus.
- Your brain is getting an auditory workout: Hearing loss has been proven to put stress on cognitive 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 Numerous Benefits
Smart Technology is incorporated into modern hearing aids. To some degree, that’s because they integrate the newest technologies and hearing assistance algorithms. But it’s the ability to customize a hearing aid to the distinct user’s needs that makes modern hearing aids so effective (they can even detect the amount of background noise and automatically recalibrate accordingly).
Personalizing hearing aids means that the sensitivity and output signals can effortlessly be calibrated to the particular hearing levels you may have. The better your hearings aid works for you, the more likely they are to help you mask the buzzing or humming from tinnitus.
What is The Best Way to End Tinnitus?
This will likely depend on your level of hearing loss. There are still treatment options for your tinnitus even if you don’t have any hearing impairment. Medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, or a custom masking device are some possible solutions.
However, if you’re one of the many individuals out there who happen to have both hearing loss and tinnitus, a set of hearing aids might be able to do the old two-birds-one-stone thing. Managing your hearing loss with a good pair of hearing aids can often stop tinnitus from making your life miserable.
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