Scientists still haven’t determined the cause of tinnitus, a ringing or buzzing in the ears. Hearing specialists, however, do agree that tinnitus is more prevalent in people who also have hearing loss.
Some of the main factors that play a role in hearing loss are genetics, age, and lifestyle. And while it might seem as if the symptoms of hearing loss would be rather obvious, when it’s still in the early stages, it often goes unnoticed. Worse, even a slight case of hearing loss raises your risk and likelihood of developing tinnitus.
Hearing aids can’t cure tinnitus, but they can help treat the symptoms
There is no cure for tinnitus. However, hearing aids can treat both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can minimize symptoms and enhance one’s quality of life. There are some fairly remarkable similarities between tinnitus and hearing loss, as a matter of fact.
The frequency range that a person loses hearing in is usually in sync with the pitch of their tinnitus symptoms. As an example, if someone has hearing loss in the high-frequency range, they will frequently hear a high-pitched ringing from tinnitus. The concept is that the brain tries to compensate for the missing frequencies by generating tinnitus sounds in the same frequency range.
A traditional hearing aid can effectively hide the ringing or buzzing associated with tinnitus by replacing it with the appropriate sounds. The good news is, there are other, more advanced options beyond just traditional hearing aids to manage the symptoms produced by tinnitus.
Decrease symptoms of tinnitus with specialized hearing aids
Hearing aids work by collecting natural sounds from your environment and boosting them to a level that allows you to hear. Even though hearing aids have a simple concept, they help teach your brain to receive particular stimulation again by amplifying noises like the rattling of a ceiling fan or the din of a dinner party.
But other combinations of methods like sound stimulation, counseling, and decreasing stress can also be used to enhance those amplification efforts and supply a more comprehensive treatment approach.
Some hearing aid manufacturers attempt to reduce tinnitus symptoms by using irregular rhythms of fractal tones. Tinnitus sufferers usually hear tones that are constant and regular which can sometimes be interrupted by the irregular rhythms of these fractal tones. While white noise devices are available, the most common fractal tones are similar to wind chimes that supply a pleasant sound that overwhelms the ringing.
Other specialty devices try to mix your tinnitus in with the environmental sounds you’re hearing. This approach will typically utilize a white noise signal that a hearing specialist can program to ensure proper calibration for your ear and your condition.
The common goal of these approaches is to help the user ignore tinnitus symptoms whether it’s through the use of white noise mechanisms, sound therapy, or blending.
It’s true that there is no cure for tinnitus, but for at least some of the 50 million dealing with the condition, hearing aids provide an attractive possibility to reduce symptoms and live a better quality of life.
Have more questions about tinnitus?
If you’re struggling with ringing or buzzing in the ears, check out our tinnitus section for more information on ways to decrease symptoms.