What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is characterized by hearing noises that aren’t there. These sounds are different for everyone but they’re often ringing, buzzing, whistling, or roaring sounds. These sounds can happen all the time or just now and then. They can be high pitched or low pitched. Tinnitus is a very common problem, and sometimes tinnitus is temporary and isn’t anything to worry about. However, in some cases, tinnitus can be a sign of a bigger problem.
Why does tinnitus happen?
A good question that has many answers. Tinnitus can be caused by lots of things. The most common, exposure to loud noises. However, tinnitus can also be caused by stress, head trauma, drugs, ear wax, and some diseases. Nerve stimulants like coffee and tobacco can affect nerves in the ear leading to tinnitus too.
In short, tinnitus is a symptom of something going wrong in your body. If you experience tinnitus, the right thing to do is visit an Audiologist to find out what the problem is.
When tinnitus gets serious
In most cases, tinnitus comes and goes without causing too many issues. However, in severe cases, people have it all the time. Just imagine how that can affect your everyday life. This can make having any kind of concentration, conversation or sleep almost impossible.
So, what’s the cure?
There’s no ‘cure’ for Tinnitus. But, there are ways to treat it. Most patients won’t need treatment at all if their tinnitus is mild and occasional. For those with severe tinnitus though there are some options. Medications are available. But, they only work in some cases. Masking techniques, like sound source generators, are available too. They block out the sounds of tinnitus and can be built into hearing aids to be used discreetly at any time.
If you have severe tinnitus because of stress and anxiety, you can opt for biofeedback training as a treatment. This training teaches you to be able to control parts of your body and relax them. This type of relaxation can stop tinnitus and puts the patient in control of their treatment.
Prevention
As the most common type of tinnitus is caused by exposure to loud noises, the best way to prevent tinnitus is by protecting your hearing. Noise hazards are predictable in some professions. If you’re a musician, construction worker, or factory worker you probably already know the dangers of exposure to loud noise. People with these jobs or other noisy jobs can use hearing protection such as earplugs or ear defenders to prevent damaging their hearing.
Think you have tinnitus?
If you think you have tinnitus, speak with your audiologist right away. They may be able to prevent it from getting worse or find the cause of the problem so you can start with treatment. At the very least they can put your mind at ease if you’re worried.
Here at The Hearing Center of Dublin ENT, we have lots of experience with treating tinnitus. Call us today on 478-272-8382 to see how we can help you.
