Hearing Aids for Tinnitus

Tinnitus is often related to hearing loss. Addressing the hearing loss can help to relieve the tinnitus and hearing aids are one of the best solutions for any type of hearing loss. Even when you don't have hearing loss, there are some types of hearing aid available that help to mask tinnitus sounds. If you have tinnitus, it's worth exploring the option of hearing aids if you want to find a way to treat it. With the right help from an audiologist, you can find the best solution for your tinnitus. Keep reading to find out more about how hearing aids can help tinnitus sufferers.

The link between tinnitus and hearing loss

Hearing loss is one of the most common things linked to tinnitus. Although the exact cause of tinnitus can be difficult to pinpoint, many people with tinnitus have some form of hearing loss. Sometimes, this might be temporary, caused by wax or an ear infection. Permanent hearing loss is also a possibility and something that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If you don't pick up on hearing loss sooner, it can mean the auditory processing part of your brain starts to lose function and hearing aids might no longer be as effective as they could have been.

How hearing aids help

If you have tinnitus, hearing aids can help you in a couple of ways. Firstly, hearing aids address the hearing loss that could be resulting in your tinnitus. If you have hearing loss, your brain is requesting information that your ears are unable to give, which can cause them to provide false information in the form of tinnitus sounds. But when you use hearing aids, you help your ears pick up more sound. Being able to hear more clearly can help to relieve your tinnitus. Hearing aids can also include sound devices, which play sounds to help you get used to or mask tinnitus.

Types of hearing aids for tinnitus

There are some different types of hearing aid that can help you if you have tinnitus. While any hearing aids might work for some people, you can also take a look at two types of hearing aid that can be especially helpful for people with tinnitus.

Open-fit hearing aids

Open-fit hearing aids are hearing aids that don't feature an ear mold that fits into your ear. Instead, they use a fine tube or a speaker placed into the ear canal so that external sound isn't blocked out. This can be helpful for people who have tinnitus because the external noise helps to provide more sound to the ear. It also means you avoid the feeling of your ears being blocked, which can amplify the sound of yourself chewing or speaking.

Combination devices

Another type of hearing aid that can be useful for people with tinnitus is the combination device. These hearing aids feature a sound generator, which plays low-level sounds to help habituate you to your tinnitus. Sound devices are also used on their own to help cover up tinnitus sounds or to help train people to ignore them.

Combine hearing aids with other treatments

Hearing aids can be very helpful for people with tinnitus, but they're not the only option to relieve tinnitus symptoms. You can use them together with other treatment options to relieve tinnitus. For example, you can use sound machines, cognitive behavioral therapy or tinnitus retraining therapy as just some of the possibilities for dealing with tinnitus. You can speak to your audiologist about the best ways to treat your tinnitus symptoms so you can find the solutions that work for you. Hearing aids alone might not be the best option for you.

Hearing tests

If your tinnitus is linked to hearing loss, it's important to have your hearing tested. Testing your hearing will give you the information needed to see if hearing aids will be beneficial for you and make sure that you get the right hearing aids too. Testing your hearing can involve everything from physically examining your ears to seeing which sounds your ears can register and how well you can understand speech. If your audiologist knows that you have tinnitus, they can help you to find the right hearing aids.

Find out more about hearing aids for tinnitus from Audiology Associates by calling (573) 332-7000. Get professional help from an audiologist who can recommend the best way to approach the treatment of hearing loss and tinnitus and get you the relief that you need.