The Role of a Hearing Specialist in Tinnitus Management

It is estimated that over 25 million Americans experience some form of tinnitus, including two million who have debilitating symptoms. If you are one of them, a dedicated hearing specialist can play a vital role in helping you regain control of the situation. From trouble sleeping to anxiety, there are a host of unwelcome conditions that can accompany tinnitus if it remains untreated. Ready to start the path to getting the relief you deserve? Consider the following ways your audiologist can help you combat tinnitus.

Finding the Cause of Tinnitus

Identifying the cause of your symptoms is the first step toward building an effective management plan. An experienced hearing specialist is the best person to do this by far. An audiologist can check for earwax, infections or abnormalities with the ear. They can also learn about any medications, injuries or lifestyle habits that may have caused tinnitus symptoms to surface. Tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying issue. Once the root cause is found, a tailored management plan can be made.

Removing Wax

A little earwax is 100% natural and necessary for proper ear function. The ears are naturally self-cleaning. Nevertheless, excess volumes will contribute to tinnitus. Even if wax is not the primary cause of your issues, removing excess earwax will provide relief. Aside from reducing the impact of tinnitus, professional wax removal courtesy of an audiologist will leave you feeling more comfortable. It may also stop you from experiencing muffled hearing and other issues attributed to blockages.

Testing for Hearing Loss

Tinnitus symptoms may also surface or become exacerbated by hearing loss. When the brain fails to detect external noises, it may try to compensate by “hearing” internal sounds. As a part of the assessments into your hearing loss, the audiologist will investigate potential hearing loss. Managing mild, moderate, severe or profound hearing loss will often reduce the frequency of experiencing tinnitus symptoms as well as allowing the wearer to recognize more sounds from external sources.

Choosing Hearing Aids

Whether tinnitus accompanies hearing loss or not, hearing aids are often one of the most effective ways to manage the symptoms. But only if the right devices are selected. Many hearing aids can now be equipped with masking features. This drowns out the noises “heard” during moments of experiencing tinnitus. In addition to making buzzing and chiming less noticeable, hearing aids that sit snug in the ear can reduce the sound of the wind. An audiologist will ensure that you have the best products for your requirements.

Other Useful Technologies

When you have tinnitus, masking the noise with other sound sources is a very effective solution. Hearing aids aren’t the only suitable product. Sound machines can include wearables but standalone products are also very popular, particularly at night. If you find that tinnitus is more noticeable at night when everything is quiet, the gentle sounds provided by the equipment will put you at ease. An audiologist can help determine if this is a good choice and point you toward the best products.

Getting Tinnitus Therapy

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) might not remove the presence of tinnitus, but it helps thousands of individuals break free from the control it has on their lives. Through a combination of psychological therapy and masking techniques, successful candidates will learn to virtually ignore tinnitus symptoms. TRT is often used in-tandem with traditional therapy to help individuals better cope with the onslaught of additional symptoms.

Encouraging Lifestyle Changes

In many cases, lifestyles play a significant role in a person’s experiences of tinnitus. An experienced hearing specialist will make suggestions on how you can improve yours. The most common lifestyle changes include quitting cigarettes and reducing your alcohol intake. This impacts the blood pressure and blood vessels to ultimately aid your hearing and help reduce tinnitus. In some cases, your audiologist may also speak to your physician about the prospect of changing medications used to treat other health complaints.

Keeping Your Mind at Ease

If left unmanaged, tinnitus will have a telling impact on your quality of life. Not least because it will play havoc with your overall mental wellness. Working with an audiologist to manage the symptoms is a crucial step that puts you on the right path. When combined with the direct benefits of your personalized strategy, the knowledge that you are taking control of the situation feels like a major breakthrough. Your experiences of tinnitus will begin to have a far smaller impact on your life.

If you have tinnitus and want to regain control of the situation with the help of an experienced audiologist, call Professional Hearing Aid Associates at (785) 940-4101 today.