In the movies, invisibility is a potent power. Whether it’s a mud-covered hero, a cloaked starship, or a stealthy ninja, invisibility allows people in movies to be more effective and, often, accomplish the impossible.
Regrettably, invisible health conditions are no less potent…and they’re a lot less fun. As an illustration, tinnitus is an exceptionally common hearing disorder. Regardless of how well you may look, there are no external symptoms.
But for people who experience tinnitus, though it may be invisible, the affect could be considerable.
One thing we know for certain about tinnitus is that you can’t see it. Actually, tinnitus symptoms are auditory in nature, being a condition of the ears. You know that ringing in your ears you sometimes hear after a rock concert or in a really silent room? That’s tinnitus. Now, tinnitus is quite common (somewhere around 25 million individuals experience tinnitus every year).
There are lots of other manifestations of tinnitus besides the typical ringing. Noises like humming, whirring, crackling, clicking, and a number of others can manifest. Here’s the common denominator, anybody who has tinnitus is hearing sounds that aren’t really there.
In most cases, tinnitus will go away over a short period. But for somewhere between 2-5 million people, tinnitus is a chronic, sometimes debilitating condition. Here’s one way to think about it: hearing that ringing in your ears for five or ten minutes is annoying, but you can distract yourself easily and move on. But what if that sound doesn’t go away? It’s easy to imagine how that might begin to substantially impact your quality of life.
Tinnitus causes
Have you ever had a headache and tried to figure out the cause? Are you catching a cold, are you stressed, or is it allergies? The difficulty is that lots of issues can cause headaches! The symptoms of tinnitus, though rather common, also have a large number of causes.
The cause of your tinnitus symptoms may, in some cases, be evident. In other cases, you might never truly know. Here are some general things that can cause tinnitus:
- Hearing loss: Hearing loss and tinnitus are often closely associated. Partly, that’s because noise damage can also be a direct contributor to sensorineural hearing loss. In other words, they both have the same cause. But the ringing in your ears can sound louder with hearing loss because the external world is quieter.
- Noise damage: Tinnitus symptoms can be caused by exposure to overly loud noise over time. One of the top causes of tinnitus is exposure to loud noises and this is very common. Wearing hearing protection if extremely loud locations can’t be avoided is the best way to prevent this kind of tinnitus.
- High blood pressure: High blood pressure can trigger tinnitus symptoms for some people. If this is the situation, it’s a good idea to consult your physician in order to help regulate your blood pressure.
- Head or neck injuries: Your head is pretty sensitive! So head injuries, especially traumatic brain injuries (including concussions)–can end up producing tinnitus symptoms.
- Colds or allergies: If a lot of mucus backs up in your ears, it might cause some swelling. And tinnitus can be the outcome of this swelling.
- Meniere’s Disease: A good number of symptoms can be caused by this disorder of the inner ear. Among the first symptoms, however, are generally dizziness and tinnitus. Over time, Meniere’s disease can result in permanent hearing loss.
- Certain medications: Tinnitus symptoms can be caused by certain over-the-counter and prescription medicines. Once you quit using the medication, the ringing will normally go away.
- Ear infections or other blockages: Inflammation of the ear canal can be generated by things like seasonal allergies, a cold, or an ear infection. This sometimes causes ringing in your ears.
If you’re able to figure out the cause of your tinnitus, treating it may become simpler. For instance, if an earwax blockage is triggering ringing in your ears, clearing out that earwax can alleviate your symptoms. Some people, however, might never identify what’s causing their tinnitus symptoms.
Diagnosing Tinnitus
If your ears ring for a few minutes and then it subsides, it isn’t really something that needs to be diagnosed (unless it happens often). Still, getting regular hearing exams is always a good idea.
But you should definitely make an appointment with us if your tinnitus won’t go away or if it continues to come back. We will ask you about your symptoms, talk to you about how your quality of life is being affected, perform a hearing test, and probably discuss your medical history. Your symptoms can then be diagnosed using this insight.
How is tinnitus treated?
Tinnitus isn’t a condition that has a cure. But it can be treated and it can be controlled.
If your tinnitus is caused by a root condition, like an ear infection or a medication you’re taking, then addressing that underlying condition will result in an improvement in your symptoms. But there will be no known root condition to treat if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus.
So controlling symptoms so they have a limited affect on your life is the goal if you have chronic tinnitus. We can help in many ways. amongst the most common are the following:
- A hearing aid: When you have hearing loss, outside sounds get quieter and your tinnitus symptoms become more obvious. In these situations, a hearing aid can help raise the volume on the rest of the world, and drown out the buzzing or ringing you might be hearing from your tinnitus.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: When it comes to cognitive behavioral therapy, we may end up referring you to a different provider. This is a therapeutic strategy created to help you not notice the ringing in your ears.
- A masking device: This is a device much like a hearing aid, except instead of amplifying sounds, it masks sound. These devices can be calibrated to your specific tinnitus symptoms, generating just enough sound to make that ringing or buzzing substantially less conspicuous.
We will develop a personalized and unique treatment plan for you and your tinnitus. Helping you get back to enjoying your life by controlling your symptoms is the objective here.
If you’re struggling with tinnitus, what should you do?
Even though tinnitus is invisible, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Your symptoms will likely get worse if you do. You might be able to stop your symptoms from getting worse if you can get in front of them. At the very least, you should purchase hearing protection for your ears, make sure you’re using ear plugs or ear muffs whenever you’re around loud noises.
If you’re struggling with tinnitus, contact us, we can help.