For people who are suffering from tinnitus, having an artificial sound introduced into the ear can be a good solution to help distract from the constant sound. To determine whether or not this would be a solution for you, put your head near a tap that is turned on fairly hard; if all you hear is the tap then this may be suitable for you. If on the other hand all you hear is the ringing in your ears, then it is unlikely that a masker would be of benefit as the sound that is made by a masker is quite similar to this noise.

The tinnitus masker is worn like a hearing aid or can be included with a hearing aid. It then introduces a sound that is described as narrow or broad-band sound which drowns out the sound of tinnitus.

As tinnitus often occurs with a hearing loss, using a hearing aid can also help those who suffer from tinnitus. This is often the brains way of compensating for the lack of sound from the damaged nerve. Many people find that by enhancing the sounds that are not being sent to the brain, the tinnitus tends to be less noticeable.

Older style hearing aids used to block the ear so that the wearer would often be left feeling as though their ear was ‘plugged up’ which would at times enhance the sound of the tinnitus as well as other sounds like chewing on food. New hearing aids are generally a lot more open allowing for a more natural flow of sound which has been found to be a great improvement particularly among those who have both a hearing loss and tinnitus.

For more information, please call 1300 362 231

Author: Tanya Wilson

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