In the movies, invisibility is a potent tool. 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.
Invisible health conditions, regrettably, are equally as potent and a lot less enjoyable. Tinnitus, for instance, is a really common condition that impacts the ears. Regardless of how good you might look, there are no outward symptoms.
But for people who experience tinnitus, though it may be invisible, the impact may be significant.
What is tinnitus?
One thing we know for sure about tinnitus is that it can’t be seen. Actually, tinnitus symptoms are auditory in nature, being a disorder of the ears. You know when you are sitting in a very quiet room, or when you get back from a loud concert and you hear that ringing in your ears? That’s tinnitus. Tinnitus is so prevalent that about 25 million individuals experience it every day.
While ringing is the most typical presentation of tinnitus, it’s not the only one. Noises including humming, buzzing, crackling, clicking, and lots of others can manifest. Here’s the common denominator, anyone who has tinnitus is hearing noises that are not really there.
For most people, tinnitus will be a short-lived affair, it will come and go really quickly. But tinnitus is a persistent and debilitating condition for between 2-5 million people. Think about it like this: hearing that ringing in your ears for a few minutes is irritating, but you can occupy yourself easily and move on. But what if that sound doesn’t go away? Obviously, your quality of life would be significantly affected.
Tinnitus causes
Have you ever tried to determine the cause of a headache? Maybe it’s stress; maybe you’re getting a cold; maybe it’s allergies. The trouble is that lots of issues can trigger headaches! The same is also true of tinnitus, though the symptoms may be common, the causes are extensive.
The source of your tinnitus symptoms may, in some cases, be obvious. In other situations, you might never truly know. Generally speaking, however, tinnitus might be caused by the following:
- Noise damage: Tinnitus symptoms can be triggered by exposure to excessively loud noise over time. This is so common that loud noises are one of the leading causes of tinnitus! The best way to prevent this kind of tinnitus is to avoid overly loud locations (or use ear protection if avoidance isn’t possible).
- High blood pressure: For some people, tinnitus may be the result of high blood pressure. Getting your blood pressure under control with the help of your doctor is the best way to handle this.
- Colds or allergies: If a lot of mucus accumulates in your ears, it could cause some swelling. This swelling can trigger tinnitus.
- Hearing loss: Hearing loss and tinnitus are often closely connected. In part, that’s because noise damage can also be a strong 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 outside world is quieter.
- Meniere’s Disease: This is a disorder of the inner ear that can cause a wide range of symptoms. Tinnitus and dizziness are amongst the first symptoms to manifest. With time, Meniere’s disease can result in permanent hearing loss.
- Ear infections or other blockages: Similar to a cold or seasonal allergies, ear infections, and other obstructions can cause swelling in the ear canal. As a result, your ears may start ringing.
- Certain medications: Some over-the-counter or prescription medications can cause you to have ringing in your ears. Usually, that ringing subsides once you stop taking the medication in question.
- Head or neck injuries: Your head is pretty sensitive! Ringing in your ears can be caused by traumatic brain injuries including concussions.
If you’re able to determine the cause of your tinnitus, treating it might become easier. For example, if an earwax obstruction is triggering ringing in your ears, cleaning out that earwax can alleviate your symptoms. But the cause of their tinnitus symptoms might never be identified for some people.
How is tinnitus diagnosed?
If your ears ring for a few minutes and then it goes away, it isn’t really something that needs to be diagnosed (unless it occurs often). Having said that, it’s never a bad strategy to come see us to schedule a hearing screening.
But you should absolutely schedule 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.
Treating tinnitus
There’s no cure for tinnitus. The strategy is management and treatment.
If you’re using a particular medication or have an underlying medical condition, your symptoms will get better when you deal with the base cause. However, if you have chronic tinnitus, there will be no root condition that can be easily corrected.
So controlling symptoms so they have a minimal impact on your life is the goal if you have chronic tinnitus. We can help in a variety of ways. amongst the most prevalent are the following:
- A masking device: This is a hearing aid-like device that masks sounds instead of amplifying them. These devices can be calibrated to your specific tinnitus symptoms, generating just enough sound to make that ringing or buzzing substantially less conspicuous.
- A hearing aid: In some cases, tinnitus becomes noticeable because your hearing loss is making outside sounds comparatively quieter. The buzzing or ringing will be less noticeable when your hearing aid increases the volume of the outside world.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: When it comes to cognitive behavioral therapy, we may end up referring you to a different provider. This technique uses therapy to help you learn to disregard the tinnitus sounds.
We will develop an individualized and distinct treatment plan for you and your tinnitus. Helping you get back to enjoying your life by managing your symptoms is the goal here.
If you have tinnitus, what should you do?
Even though tinnitus is invisible, it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Odds are, those symptoms will only grow worse. You may be able to stop your symptoms from getting worse if you can get ahead of them. At the very least, you should invest in hearing protection for your ears, be certain you’re wearing ear plugs or ear muffs whenever you’re around loud noises.
If you’re struggling with tinnitus, contact us, we can help.