Tinnitus help through hearing aids

[braumeister]

I'd wait for this:

https://www.macrumors.com/2024/03/11/airpods-pro-to-gain-hearing-aid-mode-ios-18/

The best part is that it should work with the latest AirPod Pros.

I find that my current AirPods Pro (from almost two years ago) do a pretty good job as hearing aids when using the Conversation mode. So that new update should be excellent.

 

[sailor]

I downloaded it, and it might be useful in some cases.

But Bluetooth headsets just have too much delay for me to tolerate. It was especially bad when I'm talking, I hear my own voice naturally, then like an echo, I hear myself a fraction of a second later (and not a little, it's ~ 1/10 to 2/10ths of a second). So a speaker's lips are a bit out of sync with the amplified sound, but not too terribly so.

Much better with a wired headset.

-ERD50

100% agree for the wired headset, my problem is that all new development is going into Bluetooth headsets and not the wired ones.
On the Bluetooth front - here it actually helps to have newer phone and headset. With low latency Bluetooth 5.3 , it can be down to 40ms ( 0.04 second) ( plus some phone DSP processing time)

 

[Closet_Gamer]

For what it’s worth, I’ve decided I have two types of tinnitus.

1 - frequency fade. This is just from getting older. You can try to mask it but can’t fix it. This manifests as solid tones

2 - TMJ/mechanical. When my jaws/neck are jacked up, this manifests as hissing, static and other non-sustained tones

This can be improved with massage and PT. I have a masseuse who gives aggressive massages. When she works my neck, type 2 calms down.

 

[GenXguy]

For what it’s worth, I’ve decided I have two types of tinnitus.

I have various types of tinnitus, and each can vary in its presence and intensity at different times and on different days.

single tone high frequency (most severe) ~10 Khz
static/hissy high frequency (sometimes broken/crickety)
intermittent chirping high frequency (left ear)
mid frequency (sometimes oscillating, more in right ear) -1250 hz
low frequency continuously variable (left ear) ~100 hz

Most of these are somatic and also have hearing loss, hyperacusis, and TTTS.

It alternates over a day or two between the high frequency single tone and hiss along with intensity changes.

The loud shower sound and water splashing is the only everyday type sound that masks the high frequency. I still hear it over the summer evening crickets, katydids, and cicadas.

Maybe Shore / Auricle could help, but it might not be available for years, especially for wide scale availability.

iPhones, apps, and such won't help lower tinnitus intensity, but some partial masking can help deal with it, which is what I do to enable myself to sleep with severe tinnitus, by blending in some more peaceful cricket, katydid, and cicada sounds. White noise doesn't cut it.

 

[Rianne]

I realized being in extended social situations, lots of talking and engagement makes my tinnitus worse for a couple of days. Then it tones down. It's almost like when my BP rises and I'm actively responding, telling stories, and listening intently, it makes it worse. But watching a movie at home does not make it worse unless the volume is too high. I wonder if BP has anything to do with it.

Edit: I do not have high BP but in stressed situations I'm sure it goes up.

 

[GenXguy]

I realized being in extended social situations, lots of talking and engagement makes my tinnitus worse for a couple of days. Then it tones down. It's almost like when my BP rises and I'm actively responding, telling stories, and listening intently, it makes it worse. But watching a movie at home does not make it worse unless the volume is too high. I wonder if BP has anything to do with it.

Edit: I do not have high BP but in stressed situations I'm sure it goes up.

Blood pressure can affect tinnitus. When mine turned severe over two years ago, I was already on blood pressure meds and wondered if that could be an issue. But my blood pressure was fine. My BP doesn't seem to have much of a correlation with my tinnitus loudness. But exercise can make a difference, particularly when I take an hour bike ride and can take hours to calm down. Some people say that's because of BP, but BP calms down way before my tinnitus does. Ironically, some people have said some blood pressure meds caused their tinnitus. Coming down from a benzo can increase tinnitus even though it may provide some short term lowering of tinnitus.

 

[tulak]

From an article in the New Scientist:

That is good news because previous work*has shown that fibres and synapses can*be coaxed to regrow by natural signalling molecules called neurotrophins. In the ear, focus has turned to one called neurotrophin-3, which normally promotes synapse formation in the ear in developing embryos, says Gabriel Corfas at the University of Michigan.

One hurdle is that neurotrophins are large*protein molecules, which makes them hard to deliver to the inner ear, but there are*possible workarounds. Corfas and his colleagues have*used gene therapies to boost levels of neurotrophin-3 in the inner ears of*mice, which leads to synapse growth. In one*experiment, they were even able to give the*animals more synapses than normal, which gave them superior hearing.

Niliksha Gunewardene at the Bionics Institute in Melbourne, Australia, and her colleagues have recently shown that in animals, an injection of neurotrophin-3-loaded nanoparticles into the ear releases the compound for several weeks. Further along is a*French firm called Cilcare, which has several drugs in the works that trigger production of multiple neurotrophins. Its lead compound*– which Cilcare isn’t yet identifying publicly*– has already been shown to be safe in people when given orally for a different medical condition. The firm is due to start a trial next*year in people with hidden hearing loss, with or without tinnitus.

Sounds promising. At least it’s good to know that there is research/trials happening.

Unfortunately the article is beind a paywall. I was able to read it through Apple News: https://apple.news/ALM9IRIrGTcqEnUBz_bjVBQ

 

[GenXguy]

From an article in the New Scientist:



Sounds promising. At least it’s good to know that there is research/trials happening.

Unfortunately the article is beind a paywall. I was able to read it through Apple News: https://apple.news/ALM9IRIrGTcqEnUBz_bjVBQ

That was linked to from the tinnitus talk research forum recently. There's always something new there being added. It seems these all take decades, not years, and then usually don't pan out. There's hope, but I think it's going to be a very long time for a highly effective treatment (or cure) that significantly lowers tinnitus for the majority of sufferers. The Shore / Auricle device I mentioned up thread actually goes back a couple decades and still hasn't been FDA approved at this point.

 

[Retired Expat]

I have an appointment next week with Audible a hearing aid office. Has anyone found help for tinnitus with a hearing aid device, maybe a masking tone? I asked about this when I made the appointment and they could not answer before the appt. I'm wondering if this will be a waste of time. My hearing is not bad, tinnitus is steadily getting worse with allergies.

I made the mistake of going to see Dune Part Two at the IMax. I had to leave, the sound was unbearable. I'll see it when it comes to streaming. The effect of those 15 minutes or so made my tinnitus worse. I can't tell if it calmed down.

Wearing my hearing aid has actually helped my tinnitus though no one can say why. One ENT thought it allowed my hearing a break so it wasn’t generating it’s own noise.

I don’t wear them all the time just in social settings or if around other people or where there is disturbing background noise

 

[HGTVFanatic]

DH had tinnitus and state-of-the-art hearing aids from Costco didn't help- but he died 7 years ago so maybe the technology is different.

Another cautionary tale: stupid mistake on my part. I was having a breast MRI and they do give you ear plugs but one may have fallen out during the procedure and I didn't push the button to get their attention. That machine is LOUD. I had occasional ticking noises for a couple of days afterwards. Thank heaven they went away. I asked the tech afterwards how manty decibels the machine produced and he said, "It's loud". I asked him to quantify it. He said, "It's over 90". Really, Dude, don't talk down to me. I looked it up later- 65 to 130. 130 is downright dangerous.

I am shocked and dumbfounded by your story. I have extremely small ear canals and ear plugs will not stay in. When I had my latest MRI, they gave me the earplugs and put headphones on with music. The headphones are mandatory at this facility. There’s no way I could have gone through that noise for 20 minutes without them. I wish you would have notified them immediately.

 

[FedRetired50]

I started wearing hearing aids last year, age 51. Years of mowing lawns as a teen caught up with me. Like someone else described, loud group outings were my biggest problem. The very first day I wore mine - before they were customized to my audiogram - I went out with friends and realized I could understand the people across the table without trying to read their lips. Then I sat in my backyard and did an A-B test and realized I could hear dozens more birds with them on vs. muted.

Some here said they would wait more time before investing in hearing aids. Modern research shows the sooner you start, the better off you'll be long-term. Even if you are on the edge, like me. Don't delay. I have a higher-end Jabra which is still below $2k, they program it to your audiogram, and they have a 3-year warranty/replacement/adjustment program. All adjustments are done online.

As for tinnitus, I have it but can ignore it most of the time. I don't hear it most of the time I have my hearing aids in. More info on the devices mentioned above which are undergoing trials (paywall): New Tinnitus Therapy Can Quiet Torturous Ringing in the Ears

 

[GenXguy]

Modern research shows the sooner you start, the better off you'll be long-term. Even if you are on the edge, like me. Don't delay.

That's research sponsored by the hearing aid companies. Personally, I don't care about the hearing loss. The world is too loud as it is. It's the tinnitus that is bad. Hearing aids don't help most people with severe tinnitus

As for tinnitus, I have it but can ignore it most of the time. I don't hear it most of the time I have my hearing aids in.

You must have very mild tinnitus. I hear mine over everything except a loud shower spray.

More info on the devices mentioned above which are undergoing trials (paywall): New Tinnitus Therapy Can Quiet Torturous Ringing in the Ears

I have mentioned the Shore / Michigan / Auricle device multiple times. It's NOT undergoing trial. That ended months ago. It is still not approved by the FDA and may not be available in most of the US for 2 to 3 years and even longer in other countries. But it might help 30% of sufferers with a modest 6 dB drop in tinnitus compared to the placebo side of the study, so while better than nothing, it's not a silver bullet and won't help a lot of people.

There's a long thread/discussion about the Shore / Auricle device on the Tinnitus Talk forum.

 

[FedRetired50]

That's research sponsored by the hearing aid companies. Personally, I don't care about the hearing loss. The world is too loud as it is.

The research I'm referring to is about loss of mental capacity, not additional hearing loss. Also adding more physical activity helps. The sooner you start both, the better.

 

[GenXguy]

The research I'm referring to is about loss of mental capacity, not additional hearing loss. Also adding more physical activity helps. The sooner you start both, the better.

Using your brain and staying engaged helps with mental capacity. People with high hearing loss sometimes become disengaged. Fortunately, I've kept up physical activity over the years and keep my mind engaged. Severe tinnitus is the much bigger issue.

 

[FedRetired50]

Using your brain and staying engaged helps with mental capacity.

Using your brain is only one of the legs of the stool. Physical exercise is another, and the third is restoring lost hearing as early as possible. All proven in recent studies.

 

[GenXguy]

Using your brain is only one of the legs of the stool. Physical exercise is another, and the third is restoring lost hearing as early as possible. All proven in recent studies.

Restoring lost hearing helps keep people engaged, but it's possible to be engaged without good hearing. I can say that first hand from older family that never got hearing aids despite poor hearing and remained sharp at old age.

I already stay physically fit and keep in shape.

 

[FedRetired50]

Restoring lost hearing helps keep people engaged, but it's possible to be engaged without good hearing. I can say that first hand from older family that never got hearing aids despite poor hearing and remained sharp at old age.

I already stay physically fit and keep in shape.

Restoring lost hearing allows your brain to reprogram itself so that it processes speech correctly, again. THAT is what the studies are about. Lots of people that smoked into old age didn't get cancer, but lots of studies prove that there is a direct link. You can ignore the studies, but that doesn't change their validity.

 

[GenXguy]

Restoring lost hearing allows your brain to reprogram itself so that it processes speech correctly, again.

That's nonsense. No study is proving such a thing. I have hearing loss and have no problem processing speech correctly, despite not going through this mythical reprogramming.

People smoking is irrelevant to this topic. Should we start talking about the weather or movies?

 

[FedRetired50]

That's nonsense. No study is proving such a thing. I have hearing loss and have no problem processing speech correctly, despite not going through this mythical reprogramming.

People smoking is irrelevant to this topic. Should we start talking about the weather or movies?

You are welcome to remain ignorant. Here's just one article on the subject if you'd rather enlighten yourself:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/hearing-aids-slow-cognitive-decline-people-high-risk

You were the one that brought up old people in your family with hearing issues that didn't get dementia. That is entirely relevant to old smokers that don't get cancer. Positive outcomes happen, but studies prove that there is a direct link to negative outcomes. There are 2 ends to every bell curve, and you need to pay attention to both ends.

 

[GenXguy]

You are welcome to remain ignorant. Here's just one article on the subject if you'd rather enlighten yourself:
https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/hearing-aids-slow-cognitive-decline-people-high-risk

Ignorant, huh? Real nice. Did you actually read the study? It even mentions "social engagement" as I was saying in my earlier post. People with significant hearing loss tend to be more disengaged. Remember correlation isn't direct causation. The study also says, "In the main analysis of all study participants, the researchers saw no difference in the rate of change in cognitive functioning between people who received the hearing aids and those who didn’t." And it certainly doesn't prove "brain to reprogram itself so that it processes speech correctly" as you mentioned earlier.

I've seen many contradicting studies at nih also. There's nothing very convincing there, and too little detail. Many people with hearing loss don't have it so bad that they even have problems communicating.

Anyway, feel free to wear your hearing aids. I'm not trying to talk you out of it.

 

[Happy30]

Don't trust anyone trying to make a buck. The audiologist or anyone selling them will tell you they will help are very well could help. Or they will try to sell you TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy) which studies show don't help vs. standard of care.

I have severe tinnitus. It also causes brainfog, insomnia, and anxiety. The tinnitus masking sounds can help ease anxiety, and some people say that hearing aids can help make them less aware of tinnitus.

I've also seen other say they made their tinnitus worse, even after they stopped using them.

I think the masking technology could help some, but others complain that's just another noise on top of their tinnitus.

And always avoid concerts, movies, and other loud environments the best you can so that the tinnitus doesn't just keep getting worse even faster than it would otherwise. For more than 2 years now, I wear earplugs to mow, to use snowblower, power tools, even the blender. For someone that has mild tinnitus, you should still be very careful. A little over 2 years ago, I was in that boat. Things changed suddenly.

I hear my tinnitus over everything. Standard white noise machines are useless for me, but some cricket/cicada videos do some semi-masking.

This sounds just like me! It is 24/7 and I have to do brown noise or rain to be able to sleep at night. So frustrating. I am late 50’s.

 

[FedRetired50]

@GenXguy Did you actually read the study? Right there in black and white:

However, when the analysis focused on people from the heart-health study who had a higher risk of dementia, the benefit of the hearing aids was substantial. Those who received hearing aids had an almost 50% reduction in the rate of cognitive decline compared with people in the health-education group.

“Hearing loss is very treatable in later life, which makes it an important public health target to reduce risk of cognitive decline and dementia,” Lin says.

 

[Aerides]

Maybe take your unpleasant back and forth to PM vs this thread

 

[Sulli]

I have an appointment next week with Audible a hearing aid office. Has anyone found help for tinnitus with a hearing aid device, maybe a masking tone? I asked about this when I made the appointment and they could not answer before the appt. I'm wondering if this will be a waste of time. My hearing is not bad, tinnitus is steadily getting worse with allergies.

I made the mistake of going to see Dune Part Two at the IMax. I had to leave, the sound was unbearable. I'll see it when it comes to streaming. The effect of those 15 minutes or so made my tinnitus worse. I can't tell if it calmed down.

My hearing aids by Resound definitely helps my tinnitus! Just on the normal mode works ok, but on the actual tinnitus mode it helps even more! Especially during a nap!

 

[Rianne]

We spent the last few days at an old (built in the early 1930s) state park lodge. A beautiful place built with stone and wood surrounded by a well-maintained state park. The rooms were dated and had A/C with a slight background noise. I slept so well. Now searching for a night masking sound similar to that.