I have tinnitus, is my hearing loss related to my tinnitus?

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Hearing loss and tinnitus are both common abnormal auditory manifestations. Tinnitus can cause headaches, insomnia, dreaminess and other troubles, and can cause people to have negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. Hearing loss can affect speech communication, causing people to have problems such as communication difficulties and slow reactions. .


I have tinnitus, is my hearing loss related to tinnitus?


Hearing loss and tinnitus are closely related and often occur together, but they can also occur independently. In other words, the relationship between the two is not absolutely one and the other. To be honest, it is a bit complicated.


The incidence of tinnitus in adults is about 10%, but among people with hearing loss, the chance of suffering from tinnitus is significantly higher than that of other groups. Research shows that hearing loss occurs due to different causes. The incidence of tinnitus in patients is about 50%. In other words, this type of tinnitus patients with hearing loss not only face obstacles such as unclear hearing caused by hearing loss, but also experience annoying tinnitus.


2/3 of tinnitus patients will be accompanied by hearing loss. Long-term hearing loss and tinnitus will have a great impact on our lives and work:
• Auditory hallucinations occur, and often cannot hear what others are saying, causing unnecessary misunderstandings;
• Frequent interruptions during communication can cause some embarrassment;
• Easily cause patients to suffer from depression, anxiety, and upset and other situations;
• Tinnitus will be more serious especially in the dead of night;

• It can easily lead to long-term insomnia, listlessness, bad temper, etc. In severe cases, it may even increase the risk of depression.

Research shows that treating hearing loss, such as with hearing aids or surgery, can reduce tinnitus, or at least lessen the experience of it, as the auditory input increases. This may be because other auditory inputs completely or partially "hide" the tinnitus. This may also be due to reduced spontaneous signals in the auditory nerve.


Therefore, everyone with tinnitus has some form of hearing loss. On the other hand, not everyone with hearing loss has tinnitus.