Ringing in Your Ears? You Might Have Hearing Loss Too

Most people with tinnitus—that persistent ringing, buzzing, or humming in the ears—don't realize they're dealing with two conditions at once. Research shows that approximately 80% of tinnitus cases also involve some degree of hearing loss. At Greentree Hearing & Audiology in Kirkwood, we regularly see St. Louis area patients who come in frustrated by ringing in their ears, only to discover that addressing their underlying hearing loss significantly reduces their tinnitus symptoms.

If you're experiencing persistent sounds that no one else can hear, there's a good chance your auditory system is working harder than it should. Understanding the connection between tinnitus and hearing loss can help you find the relief you've been searching for.

Why Tinnitus and Hearing Loss Often Appear Together

Your brain is remarkably efficient at processing sound. When hearing loss occurs, certain sound frequencies stop reaching your brain clearly. In response, your auditory system sometimes generates its own signals to compensate for this missing input. This is one reason why tinnitus frequently accompanies hearing loss.

The sounds of tinnitus vary from person to person, but common descriptions include ringing, buzzing, chirping, humming, or even whooshing. What remains consistent is that these sounds originate within your auditory system rather than from your environment. For many people in the St. Louis area dealing with both conditions, the tinnitus becomes more noticeable in quiet settings, which can make relaxing at home or sleeping particularly challenging.

The good news? When we address the hearing loss component through proper amplification, many patients experience significant tinnitus relief. By restoring the input your brain expects to receive, hearing aids can reduce your brain's tendency to create phantom sounds.

How Hearing Aids Help Manage Tinnitus

Modern hearing aids serve a dual purpose for people with both tinnitus and hearing loss. First, they amplify the external sounds you've been missing, which helps your brain refocus on real environmental input rather than internal tinnitus signals. Second, many advanced devices now include dedicated sound therapy features specifically programmed to provide tinnitus relief.

At our Kirkwood practice, we fit hearing aids from multiple premium manufacturers, giving us flexibility to match you with technology that addresses your specific needs:

Starkey Omega AI includes TeleHear AI technology that can help troubleshoot tinnitus-related concerns in real time, along with exceptional speech clarity that keeps you engaged with your environment. The Omega AI platform also features health tracking capabilities, adding wellness monitoring to your hearing solution.

Phonak Infinio offers the Tinnitus Balance feature across multiple performance levels, providing sound therapy options that can be customized to your preferences. With up to 18 hours of battery life and universal Bluetooth connectivity, you'll have consistent relief throughout your day.

Widex Allure uses their proprietary PureSound technology with ZeroDelay processing, creating natural sound quality that many find particularly soothing for tinnitus management. The Widex Allure app includes AI-powered adjustments that can help optimize your sound settings for both better hearing and tinnitus relief.

ReSound Vivia combines Deep Neural Network processing with up to 30 hours of battery life, ensuring you have all-day support. The intelligent sound processing helps your brain focus on meaningful sounds while minimizing the prominence of tinnitus.

Oticon Intent features user-intent sensors that adapt to your listening environment and behavior, providing seamless support that adjusts as you move through your day. This intuitive adaptation helps maintain consistent tinnitus management across different settings.

We perform real ear measurements on every hearing aid fitting to verify that amplification reaches your eardrum at precisely the right levels. This best-practice approach helps us maximize both your speech understanding and tinnitus relief.

Sound Therapy Options Beyond Hearing Aids

For some St. Louis area residents, tinnitus management requires more than amplification alone. Sound therapy introduces carefully selected sounds that can mask or reduce the perception of tinnitus. Many of today's hearing aids include built-in sound masking features that generate soothing sounds like white noise, ocean waves, or soft tones.

These therapeutic sounds don't eliminate tinnitus directly. Instead, they give your brain alternative sounds to process, which can make tinnitus less noticeable and bothersome. Over time, some people find that consistent sound therapy helps their brain habituate to tinnitus, meaning the sounds become less intrusive even when the therapy isn't active.

Your tinnitus experience is unique, which is why we take time during consultations to understand what sounds you're hearing, when they're most bothersome, and how they affect your daily life. This information helps us recommend the most appropriate combination of amplification and sound therapy for your situation.

What to Expect During Your Tinnitus Evaluation

When you visit our Kirkwood office concerned about tinnitus, we start with a comprehensive diagnostic hearing test in our sound booth. This painless evaluation measures your hearing sensitivity across different frequencies and assesses your speech understanding in various conditions. We also perform tympanometry testing to check your middle ear function, which helps rule out other potential causes of tinnitus.

During your consultation, John Scarlas, M.S., CCC-A will discuss your tinnitus symptoms in detail. How long have you noticed the sounds? Are they constant or intermittent? Do certain situations make them worse? This conversation helps us understand the full picture of your hearing health and develop an appropriate treatment plan.

If your hearing test reveals hearing loss alongside your tinnitus, we'll explain how the two conditions relate and discuss how hearing aids with tinnitus management features could provide relief. We'll review different device options, demonstrate how various sound therapy programs work, and answer all your questions in our relaxed, non-rushed environment.

Many patients leave their first appointment feeling relieved just to understand what's happening and to know that effective treatment options exist. With over 20 years serving the St. Louis community, we've helped countless people find relief from both hearing loss and tinnitus.

Getting Help for Tinnitus in the St. Louis Area

Living with persistent ringing in your ears doesn't have to be your new normal. If you're experiencing tinnitus, particularly if you've also noticed difficulty hearing in restaurants, meetings, or other social situations, addressing both conditions together often provides the best results.

At Greentree Hearing & Audiology, we combine advanced diagnostic testing with personalized treatment recommendations and ongoing support. Our patients consistently mention our unhurried approach and comprehensive aftercare in their reviews, reflected in our 4.9 out of 5-star rating based on over 200 online reviews.

Schedule a consultation with our Kirkwood practice to discuss your tinnitus concerns and receive a complete hearing evaluation. We'll help you understand the connection between your symptoms and explore treatment options that can bring you relief. Contact Greentree Hearing & Audiology today to take the first step toward quieter, clearer hearing.