If you’ve ever been to a concert or worked on a construction site, you may have woken up the next day with a ringing in your ears. Most of the time, this will disappear after a while. However, if it does not, it could be a sign that you are experiencing tinnitus.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the name for the ringing or buzzing sound experienced in your ears following exposure to high noise levels. Usually, these noise levels have reached potentially unsafe heights, which is over 85 decibels.
You can determine whether you have tinnitus by trying to identify an outside source. There could be construction work going on nearby, or there could be a small ringing noise emitted from the television when watching a show or movie. If you cannot identify the source, especially after turning the television off or moving away from the construction work, you are likely experiencing tinnitus symptoms.
Is Tinnitus Permanent?
Tinnitus can be permanent, but most people will only experience tinnitus for a short amount of time. This could be a few hours or a few days. Most will experience ringing or buzzing after watching live music, especially if they are close to the public address (PA) system. Other reasons for tinnitus could be prolonged exposure to heavy machinery or loud vehicles like airplanes. It can also be caused by an ear infection.
If you experience extended tinnitus, you should speak to your audiologist. They will carry out tests to identify how much the symptoms affect you.
Continued exposure to loud noises will increase the risk of tinnitus being permanent. Because of this, it is crucial to wear ear protection, such as earplugs or defenders, when in loud environments. You can mitigate the symptoms even more by distancing yourself from excessive noise levels.
How Can Hearing Aids Stop Ringing in Your Ears?
While there are many treatments for tinnitus, many people prefer to use hearing aids to overcome the issue and prevent the problems associated with hearing loss. Hearings can help stop the ringing in your ears by.
Decreasing Background Noise
Hearing aids have proven effective in treating and reducing tinnitus symptoms by decreasing the background noise. Modern hearing aids are more advanced than ever, meaning they come with a wide range of functions designed to increase your experience and improve your hearing ability in a range of environments. As tinnitus can be more severe in busy places like noisy offices or restaurants, your hearing aid will reduce outside noise and allow you to focus solely on the people around you.
Sound Masking
Your hearing aids can also provide sound masking qualities that will dull the ringing caused by tinnitus. Speaking with your audiologist to identify hearing aids that boast a sound masking feature to reduce the symptoms and make speech and other sounds easier to hear and follow.
Amplifying Sounds
Some hearing aids can amplify sounds that drown out the ringing or buzzing caused by tinnitus. Rather than masking the noise, these hearing aids will pick up more important environmental sounds to provide a pleasant listening experience. These amplified sounds give you more things to focus on at once, which is designed to distract you from any tinnitus that you may encounter in your daily life.
Will Hearing Aids Cure Tinnitus?
Hearing aids cannot entirely cure tinnitus, but rather provide a solution that masks or eliminates the symptoms to help you live a normal life. Some tinnitus symptoms are not permanent. Instead, they will go away after a few days or follow treatment such as removing earwax or taking antibiotics to overcome an ear infection.
Audiologists can treat your tinnitus through sound therapy, but you can also carry out self-care practices to ease the ringing. These self-care practices include calm breaths or listening to soft music, which is another type of sound therapy. If you are feeling stressed or anxious, try to reduce these feelings, as this could be another reason for your tinnitus symptoms.
Get in Touch
A ringing in your ears can impact many aspects of your day-to-day life. Tinnitus can make it difficult to hold conversations or focus on what people are saying. It can also interfere with your comprehension hearing when watching TV. In more severe cases, tinnitus could affect your focus at work, which impacts your performance.
If you are experiencing tinnitus and want to find out what an audiologist can do for you, you can learn more about Natural Hearing Centers by contacting us at (888) 221-9156. An audiologist will be happy to help find the right solution for your needs and offer treatment and advice to help overcome tinnitus.
