Can Hearing Aids Help with Tinntius? The Evidence Explained

Author: Sandra Lee (BA, BSci, MClAud CCP), Victorian Hearing Audiologist

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a ‘phantom noise’ that people can hear in their ears that no one else can. Tinnitus can sound different to everyone; ringing, buzzing, hissing, a combination of sounds, or something entirely unique. It is not always permanent, although people with permanent tinnitus learn to adapt to it over time. Tinnitus is a very common phenomenon, and most people will experience some form of tinnitus in their lifetime. There are lots of reasons why tinnitus happens, and the majority of causes for tinnitus are harmless and no cause for concern.

Is There a Cure For Tinnitus?

As tinnitus is an internal noise that the brain can disproportionately fixate on, there is currently no ‘cure’ for tinnitus. Problematic tinnitus is often managed with techniques for gradually shifting the tinnitus to the periphery of awareness. This makes it less of a threat, less annoying, and easier to deal with when it flares up. Audiologists can be helpful with tinnitus management because they are experts in hearing health and can guide people with tinnitus to a strategy that works for them.

One of the strategies that audiologists have at their disposal is ‘sound enrichment’ or ‘masking.’ Simply put, masking is playing another sound with the tinnitus at the same time to distract the parts of the brain concentrating on the tinnitus. This can be done cheaply and effectively with headphones/speakers and any type of relaxing, distracting noise (eg. music, podcasts, white noise or soundscapes). Hearing aids can be a useful masking/sound enrichment option for people with and without hearing loss, as they provide a more customised sound for masking, and also amplify sounds in the natural world to provide sound enrichment.

The Evidence: Can Hearing Aids Help?

Scientific research into how helpful hearing aids can be for managing tinnitus is still ongoing. There have been many studies into the topic, and most show that hearing aids are effective at assisting clients with tinnitus in several ways:

1. Helping the brain distinguish between true sounds and the tinnitus by amplifying noises in the real world. Amplified sound from a hearing aid challenges the brain to reevaluate the importance of the internal sound of the tinnitus compared to other noises it can hear1.

2. Increasing neural activity in the ears and brain, which assists the brain in correcting any adaptations the brain has made to ‘boost’ the tinnitus signal in the nerves from the ear to the auditory cortex in the brain1.

3. Providing temporary relief by masking the sound of tinnitus when hearing aids are being worn by stimulating regions of auditory system that are deprived of auditory stimulation1. This can help people feel more in-control of their tinnitus in the short-term, allowing a break from the sound.

4. Improving the ability to cope with tinnitus by reducing communication stress1. Often people with even mild hearing loss can cause their tinnitus to spike from straining to hear and increasing mental effort to overcome hearing problems.

The Verdict:

Most participants in many research studies report that hearing aids improve living with tinnitus1. However, it is important to know that results can vary, and some people report no improvement whatsoever when hearing aids are trialled2. Hearing aids are also safe to use, as they can be worn as needed, and removed if they don’t lead to positive results1.

Hearing aids contribute to the improvement of tinnitus especially when combined with other management strategies (eg. psychological counselling)2. The best results were when patients received some kind of guidance about the tinnitus from a professional2.

Despite all the research to suggest that hearing aids are a helpful part of a wider tinnitus management plan, it’s not a ‘magic bullet’. There is currently no evidence to support (or refute) that hearing aids should be the first and only type of intervention for people with both tinnitus and hearing loss3. They should only be offered as an option as part of a broader tinnitus management plan.

What Other Help is Available?

• Audiologists can perform a hearing assessment with an idea to determine if the tinnitus is due to noise damage or other types of ear conditions.
• Knowledge is power: understanding the mechanisms behind how tinnitus changes from a ‘sometimes audible’ to an ‘always audible’ noise can help people know their tinnitus triggers.

This then helps people discover ways to soothe the tinnitus, manage flare-ups, and eventually coexist with it.

• Provide trustworthy information, helping patients avoid unreliable sources of information online promising tinnitus cures.
• Suggest ways of managing the tinnitus better, including
  ◦ Sound generation apps to help “mask” the tinnitus.
  ◦ Tailored sound therapy programs for encouraging the brain to rewire over time to improve its ability to ignore the tinnitus.
  ◦ Refer to other medical specialists for further investigation and interventions (eg. ENT specialists, psychologists, dentists, and physiotherapists).

Tinnitus Help Is Available

If you feel like tinnitus is becoming an issue for you or a loved one, please contact the team at Victorian Hearing for more advice on tinnitus treatments available. Call (03) 9558 8842 or book online.

References:

1. Shekhawat GS, Searchfield GD, Stinear CM. Role of hearing AIDS in tinnitus intervention: a scoping review. J Am Acad Audiol. 2013 Sep;24(8):747-62.
2. Effectiveness of the use of hearing aids in the rehabilitation of patients with tinnitus: a systematic review . Research, Society and Development, [S. l.], v. 11, n. 1, p. e11211124266, 2022.
3. Hoare DJ, Edmondson-Jones M, Sereda M, Akeroyd MA, Hall D. Amplification with hearing aids for patients with tinnitus and co-existing hearing loss. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Jan 31;2014(1):CD010151