Tinnitus is a ringing in the ears or other noise that persists and can interfere with a person’s regular hearing. It is usually temporary but can become permanent in some cases.
About 50 million Americans have tinnitus and report hissing, clicking, or whistling sounds. Most people who have it are over 50, but it can happen at any age.
Causes
No one is exactly sure of the cause, but common factors include excessive or cumulative noise exposure, head and neck injuries, ear infections, stress, and occasionally some sort of underlying medical condition.
Certain medicines can harm hearing. Those who take aspirin in large doses should beware.
Cure
Unfortunately, there is no cure for tinnitus, but there are ways of managing it. In four out of five cases, it is a mild annoyance the person gets used to. With one in five cases, however, the sufferer will find it disturbing or debilitating to the point where they feel their quality of life has been compromised.
The Effects of Tinnitus
The effect will vary with the degree of the "noise" in the person’s head. It can make it hard to hear because of the noise and the distraction. It can also lead to insomnia, difficulty with concentration, poor school performance, trouble at work, irritability, anxiety, and depression. The person may feel socially isolated because they have trouble following a conversation and hearing well.
Tinnitus usually sounds like a steady, high-pitched ringing and is subjective - that is, only the person who has it can hear it. Strangely enough, though, in about 1% of cases, others can actually hear the noise. In such cases, experts speculate it may come from cardiovascular or musculoskeletal movements within the person's body, and could potentially be the sign of a medical emergency.
Treatment
The first step is to see a doctor, who can help you pinpoint any underlying cause of tinnitus so you can choose the right treatment. This may include:
* Treating an ear infection
* Stopping any medications harmful to your ear health
* Treating any temporomandibular joint (TMJ) problems, which affect the joint between the jaw bone and the cheekbone and might affect hearing
There is no cure for most cases of tinnitus, and most people get used to it over time. Trying to ignore it makes it easier to tune it out most of the time.
Some people also try alternative and home remedies. You will often see (expensive) herbal supplements that claim they can help. Most won’t, but up to 33% of people get relief from what is known as the placebo effect - that is, being convinced that a pill is helping them even though it contains no remedy.
Sound therapy uses external sound to try to cover over the sound in the sufferer's head. Background music or a white noise machine can help. The covering noise should be pleasant, not annoying and not too loud.
Hearing aids can also be used as sound therapy by increasing the environmental sounds around the person and stopping them from paying attention to their tinnitus.
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) involves accepting the sound as normal rather than annoying. A trained professional will help with the TRT and provide a device that produces white noise. Ongoing counseling sessions can also help people regain a good standard of living. It is said to be successful in 80% of cases.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help relieve depression in people with tinnitus, though it does nothing to reduce the noise.
Dealing with sleep issues such as insomnia and mood issues such as depression can improve quality of life.
Reducing stress and avoiding any further damage to your hearing can help. Avoiding contact sports and wearing a helmet will protect against head injury.
Mayank Jain
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