Does Tinnitus Affect A Hearing Test?

If you have tinnitus, you may be wondering how it will affect hearing tests. Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external noise is present and can be caused by a variety of things, such as age-related hearing loss, exposure to loud noise or injury to the head or neck. Tinnitus can also be a side effect of certain medications. While tinnitus itself is not a disease, it can be a symptom of an underlying condition.

For many people with tinnitus, one of the most frustrating aspects of the condition is that it can be difficult to get an accurate diagnosis. One of the main reasons for this is that tinnitus can affect a hearing test. While it is best to consult your hearing instrument specialist about this, in this blog post, we’ll take a look at how tinnitus can influence a hearing test and what you can do to get an accurate diagnosis.

Types of Hearing Tests

There are two types of hearing tests: air conduction and bone conduction. Air conduction measures how well sound waves are able to travel through the outer ear and middle ear and be detected by the inner ear. Bone conduction measures how well vibrations are transmitted through the bones of the skull to the inner ear.

The Impact of Tinnitus on Your Hearing Test Results

Tinnitus can make it difficult to determine an accurate reading on air conduction hearing tests because the sound of tinnitus can interfere with the readings. The same is true for bone conduction hearing tests, although to a lesser extent because vibrations from tinnitus are not as easily detected through bone as they are through air. In both cases, tinnitus can make it appear as though your hearing is worse than it actually is.

If you have tinnitus and are due for a hearing test, there are a few things you can do to help ensure an accurate reading. First, try to find a quiet place to take the test so that external noise doesn’t interfere with the results. If possible, request that the person administering the test not speak too loudly so that your tinnitus isn’t aggravated. Finally, let the person administering the test know that you have tinnitus so that they can take steps to ensure an accurate reading.

Getting an Accurate Diagnosis

If you have tinnitus and you think it may be affecting your hearing, there are some things you can do to get an accurate diagnosis:

• Be sure to tell your hearing instrument specialist about your symptoms and when they started. This will help them determine if you have tinnitus and whether or not it is affecting your hearing.
• If your hearing instrument specialist thinks that your tinnitus may be affecting your hearing test, they may recommend alternative testing methods.
• If you’re still not sure if your tinnitus is affecting your hearing test, you may want to consider getting a second opinion from another hearing instrument specialist.

Treating Tinnitus

If you have been diagnosed with tinnitus, there are some things you can do to help manage your symptoms:

• Wear noise-cancelling headphones: Wearing noise-cancelling headphones can help reduce the sound of tinnitus by creating white noise that masks the sound of tinnitus.
• Use relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga can help reduce stress and anxiety which may help reduce the perception of tinnitus symptoms.
• Use sound therapy: Sound therapy involves exposure to low-level background noise which can help reset the brain’s auditory system and make tinnitus less noticeable. There are many different types of sound therapy including white noise machines, nature sounds CDs and wearable devices that produce soothing sounds.

Tinnitus and Hearing Tests

Tinnitus can make hearing tests more difficult but there are ways to ensure an accurate reading. If you have tinnitus and are due for a hearing test, try to find a quiet place to take the test and request that the person administering the test not speak too loudly so that your tinnitus isn’t aggravated. Letting the person administering the test know that you have tinnitus ahead of time is also helpful in ensuring an accurate reading.

To speak to a hearing instrument specialist about tinnitus or a hearing test and to learn more about Hear Clear, call us at (603) 455-8777 today.