Technical solutions against tinnitus
Tinnitus is closely linked to some form of hearing impairment. It is presumed, that the reason for tinnitus could be the lack of hearing, which generates an abnormal functioning of the auditory system, a so-called hyperactivity. This malfunction is then perceived by the patient as ringing, buzzing or pulsing. Hearing aids can help to cope with both, hearing loss and tinnitus.
Hearing aids help to relieve tinnitus
“For patients, who have both tinnitus and hearing loss, I recommend using hearing aids. They not only improve hearing but also disburden the brain, retrieve missing speech information and relieve listening effort. Thus, hearing aid wearers don´t have to exert themselves, to understand what has been said, as the hard of hearing without hearing aids. They also distract tinnitus patients from their disorder”, says Ronny Hannemann, research audiologist at Sivantos Germany.
Up until now, there has been no single treatment that can heal tinnitus in every case. To this end, our hearing aid brands offer several high-tech solutions – not only to compensate hearing loss, but also to relieve tinnitus noise. With the help of Sivantos’ tinnitus therapy approaches, the noise can become less present and disturbing, so that people affected by tinnitus can enjoy their daily lives better.
Notch Therapy
Our premium brand Signia is the first to integrate a new tinnitus approach called “Notch therapy” in their hearing devices. This advanced technology reduces the perception of tinnitus without adding extra sounds, like static noise or wave sounds to the hearing aid transmission.
To treat tinnitus with the help of Notch therapy, the hearing care professional identifies the exact tinnitus frequency first by providing different signals during the hearing aid fitting. When the tinnitus-like tone is found, Notch is activated. The Notch filter will then erase the patient’s tinnitus frequency from the hearing aid transmission, resulting in a less loud and prominent tinnitus noise over time.
“The Notch filter is individually customized for every hearing aid wearer – it can be used in every program, or in a special tinnitus program. It can also be combined with other tinnitus solutions, like our noiser, at the same time. Because of its flexibility, the hearing aid professionals can choose the right tinnitus approach for each of their customers”, explains Hannemann.
The therapy’s theoretical background is the principle of the so-called “lateral inhibition”. This neural mechanism reduces the activity of over-stimulated neurons, which are responsible for many types of tinnitus.
Tinnitus Noiser
A noiser provides an additional acoustic sound that is mixed together with the conventional hearing aid signal. Our hearing aids have a feature, which generates a soft therapy signal. This signal distracts wearers from the tinnitus and help them to relax. It is possible to choose between different therapy signals: Pink, White, Speech and High Tone noise. Each of them can be customized to specific customer needs.
Tinnitus Therapy with Ocean Waves
The Ocean Wave concept is similar to a tinnitus noiser, with the difference that the therapy signal replicates ocean waves instead of noise. The hearing aid wearer focuses on the relaxing sound of the waves instead of the tinnitus signal and can even choose between different beach sounds.
A healthy lifestyle can help to prevent tinnitus
The best tinnitus solution is prevention: avoiding unnecessary loud situations, stress, and leading a healthy lifestyle in general helps to prevent tinnitus. “But people affected by tinnitus should not feel ashamed to seek professional help and to test a hearing aid to cope with their problems”, assures Ronny Hannemann.
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