Understanding tinnitus
Take that first step toward better hearing
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a ringing sound in the ears. It is described as a growling, buzzing, hissing or clicking sound inside the head. The sound may come and go. Or they may be ongoing. These sounds may occur in one or both ears and have different pitches.
What causes tinnitus?
A number of health conditions can cause or worsen tinnitus. Possible causes include:
- Earwax blockage. Excessive earwax buildup becomes difficult to wash out naturally, irritating the eardrum and ultimately leading to tinnitus.
- Inflammation of the eardrum (otitis externa) caused by the common cold can block the inner ear, causing abnormal sounds in the ear.
- Neurological conditions such as brain tumors, ischemic strokes or hemorrhagic strokes.
- Blood vessel diseases, such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis (thickening and hardening of artery walls), and aneurysms (abnormal bulges in blood vessel walls).
- Age-related hearing loss. Tinnitus tends to develop in the elderly due to the degeneration of auditory nerve.
- Exposure to loud noise. Common sources of noise-related hearing problems include heavy equipment such as portable music equipment, fireworks, and loud concerts.
- Some side effects of certain medications
- A sudden change of external pressure e.g. during diving into deep area, serious changes to the auditory system occur due to the effects of underwater pressure. Sudden alteration of surrounding pressure affects both middle ear and inner ear, causing tinnitus.
- Other causes e.g. ear bone changes, abnormality of jaw, sinusitis, ear infections and Meniere’s disease (an inner ear disorder that may be caused by abnormal inner ear fluid pressure).
What are the symptoms of tinnitus?
The symptoms of tinnitus vary from person to person. Phantom sounds may be heard in one ear, both ears, and in the head. Sometimes, moving your head, neck, or eyes, or touching certain parts of your body can produce tinnitus symptoms or temporarily change the quality of the perceived sound.
Most cases of tinnitus are subjective, meaning only you can hear the sound. In rare cases, the sound will beat rhythmically, usually in sync with your heartbeat. In these cases, the doctor may be able to hear the sounds with a stethoscope.
How is tinnitus diagnosed?
Your doctor will take a detailed medical history, including a family history of hearing loss. They will want to know about any medical conditions you may have and any history of infections. Your doctor also needs to know what medications you are taking, including herbal products or supplements.
They will check your ears. They may give you a hearing test. They may also order other tests to find out what’s causing your tinnitus. These may include a CT scan of the head, an MRI scan of the head, or a study of the blood vessels. Your doctor may refer you to an otolaryngologist. This is a doctor who specializes in treating the ears, nose, and throat.
How is tinnitus treated?
- Hearing aids: For people with tinnitus and hearing loss, hearing aids may be helpful.
- Maskers: Wearable sound generators can be placed behind the ear and produce white noise (continuous background noise) or other sounds.
- Counseling: Some people with tinnitus become anxious or depressed. If you have tinnitus and are struggling, seek help through counseling.
- Tinnitus retraining therapy: This method combines counseling with a masker or other method. The goal is to teach your brain to ignore the sounds you hear.
- Relax: Stress can make tinnitus worse. There are some relaxation techniques you can adopt to help you cope with stress.
Prevention Of Tinnitus
Avoid listening to loud noises for long periods of time
Avoid using headphones for long periods of time
Clean your ears safely and gently