How Hearing Aids Help with Tinnitus

Often when a hearing loss is diagnosed, the damage to the ear is the usually the trigger that has caused the onset of tinnitus. Many people find success in adopting the idea of masking the tinnitus with “sounds.” This includes using hearing aids to amplify normal sounds.

The idea is to cover-up (or mask) the tinnitus. When there is damage to the auditory system, hearing aids amplify the sounds outside of the ear and then help cover up the sound of the tinnitus.

It is important to note that it does not cure tinnitus. It will still be present while wearing hearing aids, but the tinnitus may be reduced or masked completely.

If regular amplification from hearing aids does not reduce the tinnitus to the desired level, Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is another option. This is a method where a person will still be amplified with hearing aids or sound generators (if a person experiences tinnitus but has normal hearing). The objective of TRT is to help the person habituate tinnitus through counselling, sound and time.

Counselling

Counselling will teach you how to cope and live with the tinnitus in a more positive manner by educating you on the auditory system and the role the brain has in tinnitus perception.

Sounds

Using hearing aids or ear level sound generators, your auditory system will be stimulated with sound. When the auditory system is stimulated with environmental sounds, it reduces the ability of the auditory system to be as focused on the actual tinnitus.

Time

TRT takes time to adjust. Each person that suffers from tinnitus will take different amounts of time to adapt to this changed perception of their tinnitus. But the end goal is to perceive their tinnitus in a more positive manner and better cope with the tinnitus. This acclimatization process will not happen overnight and will take some time to adjust.