In the movies, invisibility is a powerful power. The characters can often do the impossible if they have the power of invisibility, whether it’s a spaceship with cloaking ability or a wizard with an invisibility cloak.
Regrettably, invisible health disorders are no less potent…and they’re a lot less fun. Tinnitus, for example, is an exceptionally common condition that affects the ears. Regardless of how good you might look, there are no outward symptoms.
But just because it’s invisible doesn’t mean tinnitus doesn’t have a significant affect on people who experience symptoms.
Tinnitus – what is it?
So we recognize one thing: you can’t see tinnitus. In fact, tinnitus is a condition of the ears, which means symptoms are auditory in nature. You know that ringing in your ears you occasionally hear after a rock concert or in a really silent room? That’s tinnitus. Tinnitus is so common that about 25 million individuals experience it every day.
There are many other manifestations of tinnitus besides the common ringing. Noises like humming, whirring, crackling, clicking, and a number of others can manifest. The one thing that all of these noises have in common is that they’re not actual sounds at all.
For most individuals, tinnitus will be a short-term affair, it will come and go really quickly. But for somewhere between 2-5 million individuals, tinnitus is a chronic, sometimes incapacitating condition. Here’s one way to think about it: hearing that ringing in your ears for a few minutes is annoying, but you can distract yourself easily and move on. But what if you can’t get rid of that sound, ever? it’s not hard to imagine how that might start to significantly impact your quality of life.
What causes tinnitus?
Have you ever tried to identify the cause of a headache? Maybe it’s stress; maybe you’re getting a cold; maybe it’s allergies. The trouble is that quite a few issues can cause headaches! The same goes for tinnitus, although the symptoms may be common, the causes are extensive.
The cause of your tinnitus symptoms may, in some cases, be evident. But you might never really know in other situations. Here are a few general things that can cause tinnitus:
- Certain medications: Some over-the-counter or prescription medicines can cause you to have ringing in your ears. Typically, that ringing subsides once you quit using the medication in question.
- Noise damage: Damage from loud noises can, over time, cause tinnitus symptoms to develop. One of the primary causes of tinnitus is exposure to loud noises and this is very prevalent. Wearing ear protection if exceptionally loud locations can’t be avoided is the best way to counter this type of tinnitus.
- Meniere’s Disease: A good number of symptoms can be caused by this condition of the inner ear. Tinnitus and dizziness are among the first symptoms to appear. Over time, Meniere’s disease can lead to permanent hearing loss.
- Colds or allergies: Swelling can happen when lots of mucus accumulates in your ears. And tinnitus can be the outcome of this swelling.
- Ear infections or other blockages: Swelling of the ear canal can be caused by things like seasonal allergies, a cold, or an ear infection. As a result, your ears might start ringing.
- High blood pressure: For some people, tinnitus might be the result of high blood pressure. If this is the case, it’s a good idea to check with your doctor in order to help control your blood pressure.
- Head or neck injuries: The head and neck are incredibly sensitive systems. Ringing in your ears can be brought on by traumatic brain injuries including concussions.
- Hearing loss: There is a close association between tinnitus and hearing loss. Partly, that’s because noise damage can also be a strong contributor to sensorineural hearing loss. Both of them have the same cause, in other words. But hearing loss can also worsen tinnitus, when the outside world seems quieter, that ringing in your ears can seem louder.
Treatment will obviously be easier if you can pinpoint the cause of your tinnitus symptoms. For instance, if an earwax obstruction is causing ringing in your ears, clearing that earwax can relieve your symptoms. Some individuals, however, may never identify what causes their tinnitus symptoms.
How is tinnitus diagnosed?
Tinnitus that only persists a few minutes isn’t something that you really need to have diagnosed. Having said that, it’s never a bad plan to check in with us to schedule a hearing exam.
However, if your tinnitus won’t go away or continues to come back, you should schedule some time with us to find out what’s going on (or at least start treatment). We will perform a hearing exam, discuss your symptoms and how they’re impacting your life, and perhaps even discuss your medical history. Your symptoms can then be diagnosed using this insight.
How is tinnitus treated?
There’s no cure for tinnitus. But it can be treated and it can be controlled.
If you’re taking a specific medication or have an underlying medical condition, your symptoms will get better when you deal with the base cause. But there will be no known root condition to manage if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus.
So controlling symptoms so they have a minimal affect on your life is the goal if you have persistent tinnitus. There are lots of things that we can do to help. Among the most common are the following:
- A masking device: This is a device much like a hearing aid, except instead of boosting sounds, it masks sound. These devices generate exactly the right amount and type of sound to make your specific tinnitus symptoms fade into the background.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: We might refer you to another provider for cognitive behavior therapy. This is a therapeutic approach created to help you not notice the ringing in your ears.
- A hearing aid: When you have hearing loss, external sounds become quieter and your tinnitus symptoms become more noticeable. The buzzing or ringing will be less apparent when your hearing aid increases the volume of the outside world.
We will develop a personalized and distinct 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 can’t be seen, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Your symptoms will probably get worse if you do. You might be able to prevent your symptoms from worsening if you can get ahead of them. At the very least, you should purchase hearing protection for your ears, be certain you’re using ear plugs or ear muffs whenever you’re around loud noises.
If you have tinnitus that won’t go away (or keeps coming back) schedule an appointment with us to get a diagnosis.
