Tinnitus and hearing aids: how modern technology can help

In short

Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease. In most people with ringing in the ears we also find hearing loss, and that is where hearing aids come in: they bring back missing sounds, cover the noise with a noiser and can be set specifically for tonal tinnitus. We cannot cure tinnitus. Whether a fitting helps you, you hear while trial wearing.

What tinnitus is

A whistling, hissing or humming that nobody else hears: millions of people in Germany know tinnitus, many only at times, some day and night. As a master hearing care professional, I sit across from someone almost every day who says: "It is always there, worst in the evening when it gets quiet."

The noise does not come from outside; the brain produces it itself. Why differs from case to case.

Common triggers

• Hearing loss: the most common. If the brain is missing certain sounds, it fills the gap with its own signals.
• Noise: a single bang or years in a loud hall.
• Stress and lack of sleep: rarely trigger tinnitus, but make it louder.
• Earwax: a blocked ear canal, the simplest cause and the one fixed fastest.
• Medication, jaw, blood flow: less common, and they belong in a doctor's hands.

What hearing aids can do for tinnitus

1. Bring back missing sounds

When the hearing aid amplifies the frequencies that have become quieter through the hearing loss, the brain has real sounds to process again. The tinnitus is then no longer the only signal. Some people notice it less as a result, for others it hardly changes. What happens for you, you hear for yourself while trial wearing.

2. Noiser: a sound against the sound

Many hearing aids have a built-in tinnitus noiser: a soft hiss or natural sounds such as ocean waves that cover the tinnitus or push it into the background. We set volume, tone and times so that it feels pleasant to you. You can switch it on via the app when you need it, for example in the evening.

3. Notch setting

For tinnitus with a clear pitch, we can set the hearing aid so that it leaves out exactly this frequency and amplifies everything else. The idea behind it: over time, the brain should turn down the activity at this point. Signia and Oticon offer the function in many models. Whether and how well it works has not been conclusively settled by research; it takes patience and daily wearing. We tell you honestly what we expect from it and what we do not.

4. All of it together

Usually we combine: a good fitting for the hearing loss, the noiser for stressful phases, the notch setting for tonal tinnitus, and advice on sleep, relaxation and dealing with the noise. We can help the tinnitus take up less room in your day.

When you need to see an ENT practice

See a doctor promptly if the tinnitus appears suddenly and in one ear only, if dizziness or sudden hearing loss come with it, if it throbs in time with your pulse, or if your sleep, concentration or mood suffer. The ENT practice rules out causes that need treatment and issues the prescription for the hearing aid fitting.

How we go about it

1. Listening: since when, what does it sound like, when is it worse, what already helps?
2. Measuring: hearing test and determining the pitch and loudness of your tinnitus.
3. Choosing: a device with the right tinnitus functions for your situation.
4. Setting up and trial wearing: noiser, notch if needed, several weeks in daily life.
5. Aftercare: fine-tuning and a sympathetic ear, also after the fitting.

The tinnitus consultation is free of charge with us, in all five stores. Book an appointment, we take our time.