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 many individuals think of hearing loss as being obvious, the truth is that some mild hearing loss can go unnoticed. Unfortunately, your risk of developing hearing loss increases with even slight cases of hearing loss.
It’s not a cure, but hearing aids can help manage tinnitus
There is no cure for tinnitus. However, hearing aids can manage both hearing loss and tinnitus in ways that can decrease symptoms and enhance one’s quality of life. There are some fairly remarkable similarities between tinnitus and hearing loss, in fact.
The pitch or frequency of the ringing a person hears when dealing with tinnitus is typically in sync with the type of hearing loss that person encounters. For example, somebody who hears high-pitched ringing from tinnitus may suffer from high-frequency hearing loss. The idea is that the brain tries to compensate for the missing frequencies by creating 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. Luckily, tinnitus symptoms can be treated in other more advanced ways than traditional hearing aids.
Decrease symptoms of tinnitus with specialized hearing aids
Hearing aids pick up environmental sounds and amplify frequencies you have trouble hearing. Even though hearing aids have a simple concept, they help teach your brain to experience certain stimulation again by amplifying noises like the rattling of a ceiling fan or the buzz of a dinner party.
But you can enhance those amplification endeavors with a blend of other techniques like counseling, sound stimulation, and stress management for a more comprehensive approach to treatment.
Some hearing aid manufacturers attempt to decrease tinnitus symptoms with the use of the irregular rhythms of fractal tones. Tinnitus sufferers typically hear tones that are consistent and regular which can sometimes be disrupted by the irregular rhythms of these fractal tones. The ringing is drowned out by soothing, wind chime-like sounds generated by the most common fractal tones instead of simple white noise which can also be helpful in some cases.
Blending natural sounds from your environment with your tinnitus is the goal of other specialized devices. This strategy will generally utilize a white noise signal that a hearing specialist can adjust to ensure correct calibration for your ear and your condition.
The common intent of these methods is to help the user disregard tinnitus symptoms whether it’s by employing white noise mechanisms, sound therapy, or blending.
Though tinnitus can’t be cured, hearing aids can help decrease the intensity of the symptoms and improve quality of life, which is an alluring feature for the 50 million people who use hearing aids.
Have more questions about tinnitus?
If you’re experiencing ringing or buzzing in the ears, check out our tinnitus section for more information on ways to reduce symptoms.