Hearing aid one solution
Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, is a very common condition.
For many Americans, the ringing just won’t stop.
This condition is called tinnitus, a very common phenomenon.
It has a wide range of causes such as ear infections, impacted wax, certain medications, noise exposure and hearing loss. There are many different versions of tinnitus and each individual’s perception of their tinnitus can vary.
Some say it sounds like a ringing in their ears, others say it is more of a humming, buzzing or roaring sound. Others describe it to be more like rushing water or pulsing. Loudness and frequency also varies. Tinnitus may range in volume from a barely noticeable sound to loud enough to be heard over conversation.
Tinnitus that is persistent and loud enough to interfere with daily life can cause anxiety, fatigue, depression and frustration.
Causes
The direct cause of tinnitus is unknown, however, it can be thought of as a “phantom” sound that comes from the firing of the auditory nerves in the presence of hearing loss. Often in cases of sensorineural hearing loss, the loss originates in the cochlea, or inner ear.
The cochlea has tiny hair cells that vibrate in response to sound and send the signals to the auditory nerve, which then sends them to the brain. The aging process, noise exposure, some medications, or diseases can cause these hair cells to die, thus leaving nothing to respond to the introduction of sound in the inner ear. However, often times, the auditory nerve is still functioning and will continue to fire even though they are not receiving information from the hair cells. You can think of it like an overcompensation of the auditory nerve due to the loss of sound.
The most effective treatment for tinnitus is to eliminate the underlying cause. Unfortunately, the cause often cannot be identified so, in some cases, the tinnitus itself may need to be treated. There have been many purported tinnitus treatments introduced, each with varying levels of success.
Treatments
Monitoring medications that could potentially cause tinnitus, cleaning impacted wax, medications that claim to reduce tinnitus, and surgical options should be discussed with your doctor and hearing healthcare professional. The simplest self remedy for hiding tinnitus is to mask it out with constant sound such as a fan, television or radio. Keep in mind that you do not want to cause hearing loss, so your masking sound should be kept at a safe listening level. This will not eliminate your tinnitus, but will make it less noticeable to you.
There are multiple tinnitus retraining therapies available that work to end a person’s negative reaction to tinnitus and eventually eliminate the tinnitus itself. The use of a hearing aid has been proven to reduce tinnitus in about 50% of all cases.
Reintroducing sound via hearing aids to ears that have hearing loss has shown to often times not only act as a masker for the tinnitus making it less noticeable, but sometimes reduces it or eliminates the tinnitus completely. It is unknown beforehand whether or not hearing aids will reduce or eliminate tinnitus for each patient and requires the patient to be fitted with the appropriate hearing aid for them and their hearing loss.
If you have hearing loss and or tinnitus, it is highly encouraged that you visit your hearing healthcare professional to determine if hearing aids are right for you.
