Tinnitus: causes and management
What are the symptoms of tinnitus?
Tinnitus symptoms vary with each person who has it. But universally, it’s the sensation of a prolonged noise that you “hear” in your ear. Most describe the noise as “ringing in the ears,” though others describe it as hissing, buzzing, whistling, roaring or chirping.
For some, tinnitus is infrequent or temporary and “not that bad” — noticeable mostly when their surroundings are still and quiet. For others, the noise is severe and constant — seemingly impossible to ignore profoundly affecting their quality of life.
The noises of tinnitus vary in pitch, ringing, hissing, roaring, buzzing or clicking and can be either a single sound or rowdy. And you can hear it in one or both ears. In various cases, the sound can be so loud that it hinders your ability to concentrate or hear clearly.
Tinnitus is not a disease, it's primarily a sign that there is a fault in the auditory system. It is usually associated with hearing loss, yet sometimes people who hear normally can experience it.
The noises of tinnitus vary in pitch, ringing, hissing, roaring, buzzing or clicking and can be either a single sound or rowdy. And you can hear it in one or both ears. In various cases, the sound can be so loud that it hinders your ability to concentrate or hear clearly.
Tinnitus is described as the experience of noises in the ears. Such that people around you can't hear, because all the sounds are taking place inside your ear(s).
What causes tinnitus?
Scientists and health experts don't know the exact physical cause of tinnitus, but several sources are known to trigger or make tinnitus worse, including:
- Loud noises and hearing loss – Exposure to loud noises is the biggest cause of tinnitus. It can destroy the non-regenerative cilia (tiny hairs) in the cochlea, causing permanent tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
- Aging – As you age, those same cilia gradually deteriorate, which can lead to tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
- Ototoxic medications – Some prescription medications such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and antidepressants are harmful to the inner ear as well as the nerve fibers connecting the cochlea to the brain.
- Hearing conditions – Conditions such as otosclerosis and Ménière’s disease are known to cause tinnitus.
- Health conditions – Tinnitus can also be a symptom of health conditions like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stress and head injuries.
The audiology knowledge behind this is, there is damage to the sensory cells of the ear, known as hair cells, causing a loss of input to the auditory regions of the brain. These areas require constant vibration, so when the signal input is reduced, the auditory nervous system compensates by turning up its sensitivity to try to balance what is missing. This results in amplification of random electrical impulse of our hearing nerves, which then results in tinnitus.
Causes
Below are some of causes of tinnitus:
- Long exposure to rowdy environments
- Physical injury or head trauma
- Meniere’s disease (disorder of the inner ear)
- Middle Ear Infection
- Tumours
- Head trauma
- Circulatory changes
- Muscle spasms
- Increase in age
- TMJ Syndrome
Factors that worsen tinnitus are:
- Ear wax
- Loud noise
- Smoking
- Medicine
- Stress & Fatigue
- Depression and anxiety
Management
Ways to manage tinnitus
There is currently no cure for tinnitus, but there are few methods you can implement to control it. Let's take a look at a few of them:
- Music Therapy - If you're experiencing tinnitus, you need to avoid a silent environment. Music therapy is one way this can be managed, clinically using the sounds incorporated in music to reduce tinnitus.
- Hearing Aids - Hearing aids enable stimulation of areas of the brain that are reacting to missing sounds detected in tinnitus and correct the brain to focus again. Hearing aids reduce the stress and efforts that can be required in listening. Some hearing aids include notched filter therapy, which may provide additional benefits by more specifically balancing the neural activity in the affected areas of the brain.
- Sleep - Good sleeping habits and the use of a sound pillow, which plays soft relaxing sounds (especially rain sounds) through your pillow, can help reduce the effects of tinnitus.
- Avoid loud noise - Loud noise can damage your ear and aggravate tinnitus. Wearing earplugs or earmuffs for activities such as mowing the lawn, attending concerts, or using noisy machinery can help reduce this aggravation.
- Habituation - Try not to over concentrate on your tinnitus. The less you monitor it and consciously engage it, the less you will be aware of it and reduce its effect on your way of life.
Regain quality of life
Tinnitus can be extremely frustrating and can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure about what to do next. If you would like to consult an audiologist about your hearing condition, kindly book a call with us and we will be happy to help.
