Hearing aids for tinnitus

Tinnitus (ringing in the ears or head) is a common symptom of hearing loss. Did you know that an estimated 90% of people with tinnitus have some degree of hearing loss?1

There are many ways to alleviate tinnitus symptoms, and hearing aids can be one of the most effective tools for that.

Take the Online Tinnitus Quiz Tinnitus symptoms

Hearing aids can help alleviate tinnitus

In a 2017 study, nearly all participants with both hearing loss and tinnitus experienced a reduction in tinnitus symptoms with the use of hearing aids.2

Hearing aids help you access meaningful sounds by amplifying them, which allows you to shift your attention from the tinnitus to what's important to you and living the life you want.

Also, some of today's hearing aids have sound therapy programs built into them, which can provide additional relief for those who experience tinnitus.3

Causes of tinnitus

How can hearing aids help with tinnitus?

Hearing aids amplify the sounds around you,4 allowing the brain to more easily focus on meaningful sounds from your environment and making your tinnitus less noticeable. Simply put, the better you hear, the less your tinnitus stands out.

Some hearing aids today also come specially equipped with tinnitus relief sounds (sound therapy) that can be adjusted directly from your phone, giving you full control of the type of relief you seek.

Learn about the different ways to get relief from tinnitus:
Tinnitus treatment.

What are the best hearing aid styles for tinnitus?

1. Behind-the-ear hearing aids

Hearing aids that sit behind your ears are one of the best types of hearing aids for people with tinnitus because they do not block the ear canal, which is important for tinnitus management. BTE hearing aids sit behind the ear and have a wire that enters the ear canal. 

The smallest behind-the-ear hearing aid style is called miniRITE. It has a small, soft silicone cap that fits comfortably in the ear, allowing sound to move naturally and comfortably into the ear canal.

2. Hearing aids with built-in sound therapy

Modern hearing aids can do so much, including helping you take control of your tinnitus. Many of today's hearing aid models can help relieve your tinnitus in an additional way—that is with built-in sound therapy.

Oticon's SoundSupport™ is one of the latest tinnitus support technologies, providing a range of soothing, customizable tinnitus relief sounds, such as white, pink, and red noise, as well as natural, ocean-like sounds.

Browse our selection of hearing aids that offer tinnitus features:

If you experience sudden onset of hearing
loss or tinnitus, contact an ENT doctor today.

Sources

1. https://hearinghealthfoundation.org/hearing-loss-tinnitus-statistics

2. Henry, J. A., McMillan, G., Dann, S., Bennett, K., Griest, S., Theodoroff, S., & Saunders, G. (2017). Tinnitus management: Randomized controlled trial comparing extended-wear hearing aids, conventional hearing aids, and combination instruments. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, 28(06), 546-561.

3. Simonetti, P., Vasconcelos, L. G., & Oiticica, J. (2018). Effect of fractal tones on the improvement of tinnitus handicap inventory functional scores among chronic tinnitus patients: an open-label pilot study. International archives of otorhinolaryngology, 22(04), 387-394

4. McNeill, C., Távora-Vieira, D., Alnafjan, F., Searchfield, G.D., Welch, D. (2012). Tinnitus pitch, masking, and the effectiveness of hearing aids for tinnitus therapy. International Journal of Audiology, 51, 914-919.