For those with hearing loss, hearing aids can provide some relief from tinnitus. Keep reading to learn more.

Tinnitus 101

People who deal with tinnitus experience ringing or other noises in one or both ears when there is no external sound present. Imagine living your daily life with a constant ringing in your ears that no one else around you can hear. Tinnitus can be very frustrating and disruptive to daily life. As for the cause of tinnitus, age-related hearing loss can sometimes be to blame, as well as an injury to the ear or a circulatory system issue.

When tinnitus occurs in someone who does not have hearing loss, it cannot be improved with a hearing aid. However, if someone has a degree of measurable hearing loss, a hearing aid may be able to improve the symptoms of tinnitus. So in the case of tinnitus, it may actually be helpful to have hearing loss in order to solve the problem.

Treating Tinnitus

If you are experiencing tinnitus, the first step you should take is to make an appointment with a hearing care professional, like an audiologist. The team at Hearing Solution Centers is an excellent place to start as they have experience treating hearing loss as well as hearing maladies like tinnitus. Obtaining an expert’s opinion on your tinnitus and working to learn the root cause of it can go a long way in helping to eliminate it.

Depending on your age, your general health and how severe your symptoms of tinnitus are, a treatment plan can be created. There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are several options to help get rid of, or at least lessen, the noise.

Some options for treating tinnitus include:

• Maskers or sound generators: These can be tabletop or wearable devices that provide white noise to mask, or cover up, the tinnitus you are experiencing. This may be an option for home use, especially in a very quiet environment, but using a masker or sound generator in a public space probably would not be advantageous.

• Medication: There are no FDA approved medications to treat tinnitus, however a doctor may prescribe medication to address or manage symptoms or underlying conditions. Muscle relaxants, anti-anxiety drugs, or antidepressants are sometimes suggested.

• Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT): This type of therapy is provided by an audiologist and includes the patient wearing a sound masking device while receiving directive counseling. The goal is that over time you will notice your tinnitus less and feel less stressed by the symptoms. 

• Hearing Aids: As stated above, if you have hearing loss, wearing a hearing aid may help the symptoms of tinnitus by amplifying the normal sounds in your environment. Making the sounds that you have trouble hearing louder may work to mask the sounds of tinnitus.

While no cure exists for tinnitus, there are courses of action you can take to reduce its effect on your daily life. Tinnitus is not something you have to deal with on your own. Reaching out to a hearing care professional can provide the first step to a solution.

More on Hearing Aids and Tinnitus

Hearing aids can have a positive impact on reducing tinnitus in patients with hearing loss. Clinical evidence has revealed two primary benefits of hearing aids in patients with tinnitus: hearing aids make the patient less aware of the tinnitus and they improve communication by reducing the bothersome sensation that sounds and voices are being masked by tinnitus. Studies have also shown that hearing aids are 70-75% effective in relieving the symptoms of tinnitus in people with hearing loss who wear hearing aids.

Not all hearing aids have features that can help mask tinnitus, so it is very important to discuss your symptoms with an audiologist. The best hearing aid for tinnitus is the one that matches your lifestyle and your hearing needs, that is why it is so important to seek the help of a professional when considering a hearing aid. Over the counter (OTC) hearing aids will not be customized to your personal hearing challenges and may make them worse.

Those who should consider hearing aids for tinnitus include people with mild to moderate hearing loss. Hearing aids for tinnitus are especially helpful for those who struggle to hear in quiet environments, avoid being social because of hearing challenges, and those who are looking for non-invasive ways to manage their tinnitus. An audiologist can help determine if you are a candidate for hearing aids.

Reach out to the team of hearing care professionals at Hearing Solution Centers for your tinnitus concerns and hearing aid needs!
Do Hearing Aids Help Tinnitus?