Can Hearing Aids Provide Tinnitus Relief?

Tinnitus is a common hearing condition that causes people to experience ringing in the ears. This ringing or buzzing sensation can be constant or intermittent, mild or severe, and depending on its intensity, it may be a constant source of annoyance or even make it difficult to concentrate. While there is no cure for tinnitus, it is treatable. For many patients, relief comes in the form of a hearing aid. In fact, up to 70 percent of patients experience relief from their tinnitus symptoms by wearing a hearing aid. Let’s take a look at how hearing aids can provide tinnitus relief.

The symptoms of tinnitus

The symptoms of tinnitus are described as being able to hear sounds that other people cannot hear. It is estimated that around 10% of the adult population suffer from some degree of tinnitus. There are two main types of tinnitus known as subjective and objective. The subjective form is more common than the objective form and is thought to be caused by problems with the inner ear or the way in which it sends signals to the brain.

The symptoms of subjective tinnitus can include:

Ringing in one or both ears

Hearing hissing, roaring or buzzing noises instead of your normal hearing

The sounds may come and go. They may also be continuous.

Subjective tinnitus

Subjective tinnitus, or PTS, is a strange condition that affects the way you hear. For some people, hearing loss caused by PTS seems to be permanent. Some people find that their tinnitus gets worse when they get older, and others find that it gets worse when they’re stressed. But for many people with PTS, the sound of their tinnitus goes away on its own after a period of time.

Subjective tinnitus can be a tough nut to crack because there isn’t a lot of research on it. It’s also difficult to compare subjective tinnitus across different people and situations, although studies have found some similarities between objective and subjective tinnitus in terms of their frequency and how they affect quality of life.

Objective tinnitus

Objective tinnitus is tinnitus your doctor can hear when he or she does an examination. Your doctor will use a stethoscope, like the ones doctors use when listening to your heart and lungs, to listen to your blood vessels to see if your tinnitus is vascular in origin.

Objective tinnitus is rare and usually has a vascular cause. This type of tinnitus may be caused by:

Abnormal blood flow through vessels near the ear (vascular)
Abnormal bone growths in the middle ear (bony growths known as otosclerosis)
Some types of muscular spasms
Tumors in the middle ear

Can hearing aids offer tinnitus relief?

It’s estimated that one in 10 people will have some form of tinnitus at some point in their lives. And while there’s no cure, many people find relief through hearing aids.

Many people with tinnitus try to cover up the noise with other sounds: running water, fans, music players and so on. Hearing aids can do the same thing — but they also can be programmed to reduce the ringing itself.

Hearing aids are designed to amplify sounds, which can help mask tinnitus. They also can be programmed to produce “white noise,” which is like a soft hissing that can be helpful for people with ringing in their ears.

Some hearing aids include an additional programming feature called “notch therapy.” This works by canceling out certain frequencies that typically make up the sound of ringing in your ears.

What about specific types of hearing aids?

While the best hearing aid for you will depend on your type and degree of hearing loss, lifestyle, and budget, there are a few generalizations that can be made about particular types of devices. Traditional Behind-the-Ear Hearing Aids Traditional BTE aids are very popular. They’re larger than some other types of hearing aids, but they’re also more powerful and can help with a wider range of hearing loss. Most people can wear them comfortably, but if you have difficulty inserting other objects into your ear canal, you might not be able to wear them comfortably. Also, if you have severe dexterity problems or if your ear canal is very small or malformed, this style may not work for you. Receiver-in-Canal (RIC) Hearing Aids RIC hearing aids are similar to traditional BTEs but feature a smaller case behind the ear that holds the batteries and controls. The speaker (receiver) sits in the ear canal — it’s either connected to the case by a thin wire or is completely wireless. RICs are nearly invisible from behind and are often chosen for their comfort and cosmetic appeal. Some models also have rechargeable batteries. Behind-the-ear (BTE) hearing aids are the most common style. The case sits behind your ear and is connected to a plastic piece that fits in your ear canal by a thin tube. There’s also a variation called an open-fit BTE. These don’t plug the ear canal, so they’re less likely to cause that plugged-up feeling or feedback. In-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids are custom molded to fill most of the outer part of your ear. They can be easier to handle because they have bigger buttons and controls than smaller, in-canal types. Invisible in canal (IIC) hearing aids are custom molded to fit deep inside your ear canal. They’re hard to see when you’re wearing them, and they don’t plug up your ears like BTEs do. But they can be harder to handle and adjust because they’re so small. IICs also may not be right for you if you have severe hearing loss or have trouble keeping track of things. Completely-in-canal (CIC) hearing aids sit very deep in your ear canal but aren’t custom made like IICs are.