Can hearing aids really help tinnitus?

If you’ve ever left a live concert only to spend the rest of the evening battling a ringing sound in your ears, then you already know what tinnitus is.

However, for millions of people around the world, this phenomenon exists outside of an evening of loud music. And for these people, tinnitus can be a debilitating experience – one that can affect their moods, relationships and life. That’s when hearing aids for tinnitus can help.

Tinnitus is mostly referred to as a ringing in one or both of your ears, but it can also manifest as a humming, hissing, buzzing or high-pitched sound. Sometimes, people with tinnitus experience a pulsating or throbbing sensation, known as pulsatile tinnitus.

Tinnitus can sound like many different things, but the true definition is that it’s a perception of sounds that don’t exist.

What are the causes of tinnitus?

Tinnitus seems to be caused by a variety of things, from a change of information to the brain – a sudden loud sound for example – to an ear infection or a reaction to medication. There isn’t one clear answer.

Can tinnitus cause hearing loss?

Because tinnitus can be caused by the same damage to the hair cells in the cochlea as a hearing loss, many people experience both at the same time. It’s understandable then why people assume they’re connected. But tinnitus can’t cause hearing loss, and hearing loss treatments, like hearing aids, can’t cause tinnitus.

Sometimes, errors in tuning hearing aids can briefly exacerbate the symptoms of tinnitus, but it can never cause them. That’s just one of several myths about tinnitus. In fact, hearing aids can actually help manage symptoms.