How Hearing Aids Can Help With Tinnitus

The constant, annoying noise is incredibly distracting at best, downright maddening at worst. Per the Mayo Clinic, it can contribute to anxiety, cause sleep deprivation, make it difficult to concentrate, or even lead to suicidal behavior. 

Sound therapy, a steroid medication, and white noise devices aside, treating your own tinnitus could be as simple as finding the right hearing aid. 

Most commonly, tinnitus manifests as a constant ringing in one or both ears. Although it's usually only perceptible when there's little or no background noise, it can manifest even in louder environments in some severe cases. Occasionally, tinnitus may take the form of buzzing, clicking, or even a dull roar.

As noted by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, tinnitus usually indicates that there's something wrong with the auditory system. It's most frequently a sign of impending hearing loss, but could also be tied to a range of other conditions. These include: 

• Brain tumors
• Hormonal imbalances
• Thyroid issues
• Side effects of medication
• Heart disease
• Ear/sinus infections

According to research published in the National Library of Medicine, the use of a hearing aid can provide several notable benefits to someone struggling with tinnitus. 

First and foremost, if the tinnitus is related to hearing loss, the hearing aid will effectively 'overpower' the condition. Because the user can now focus more on external sound, their tinnitus becomes less of a distraction. Given that hearing loss related tinnitus is usually tied to a condition known as auditory deprivation, it makes sense that addressing said deprivation can help lessen the severity of the condition. 

Additionally, the stimulation provided to the auditory nerve by the hearing aid can occasionally 'reprogram' it, making it less likely to misfire in the future. In plain English, the hearing aid helps the auditory nerve stop malfunctioning by providing it with the input it expects. This, in turn, helps restore things to some semblance of working order.

Some hearing aids also include functionalities such as sound masking, adding a soft layer of white noise to drown out the condition. This is typically configured through a companion app, though some hearing aids may also feature physical controls for that purpose. 

The above benefits are ultimately all tied to the fact that the right level of stimulation can effectively retrain the brain to treat tinnitus as background noise, and eventually ignore it altogether — a process known as habituation. 

Most major hearing aid brands offer at least one model with built-in tinnitus treatment. With that said, we've listed off just a few of the best. Have a look and see if you can find one you like — or ask your audiologist for more advice. 

Oticon's hearing aids include an optional feature known as Tinnitus SoundSupport. Controlled via a companion app, SoundSupport allows you to choose from a wide range of different masks, including ocean waves, rain, and generic white noise. You can even choose between different 'colors' of noise. 

Beltone's solution for tinnitus is a companion app known as Beltone Tinnitus Calmer. Compatible with a wide range of different hearing aids, the app allows users to create a customizable soundscape or simply hear a set of preprogrammed sounds. Most interestingly, it also includes therapeutic features such as guided meditation and a tracker that lets you know when and where you most frequently use it. 

ReSound's Tinnitus Relief app doesn't require any external technology. Instead. It streams a fully-custom soundscape directly to your hearing aid, which can consist of up to five layered sounds. It also features several activities and exercises designed to help you relax and think less about your tinnitus. 

Starkey's tinnitus relief technology, known as Multiflex, was initially integrated into just three of its devices. Since its release, however, the manufacturer now offers Multiflex in all hearing aids. Initially configured by an audiologist, it provides tailored relief that's easy to adjust and customize via a companion app for PC/iOS known as SoundPoint. 

The hearing aid manufacturer Siemens provides tinnitus relief through BestSound Technology. This advanced hearing aid platform includes speech recognition, automatic hearing aid adjustment based on environment, and a therapy signal generator that can be extensively customized and fine-tuned. It's probably one of the most feature-rich options on the list and an excellent choice if your tinnitus is particularly severe. 

The list above is far from comprehensive. There are many hearing aid options for someone struggling with tinnitus. Ask your audiologist to learn more about them.