While hearing things that aren’t there may sound like the plot of a horror movie, the real-life condition of tinnitus more often produces frustration than terror. This frustration, though, can be long-lasting, creating significant effects on your life.
Why people develop tinnitus isn’t always known, though it’s a common side effect of a variety of conditions. Often connected with some forms of hearing loss, tinnitus is a good reason to visit Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates to investigate your case.
Today, let’s look at tinnitus, its effects, and how you can treat these phantom sounds.
Over 50 million Americans have some level of tinnitus, which is commonly called “ringing in the ears.” That’s not always an accurate description of tinnitus symptoms, though. It can also sound like buzzing, clicks, hisses, or humming.
In most cases, the sounds you hear aren’t acoustically present. Instead, these auditory signals are generated within the nerves and brain. No matter how loud tinnitus sounds seem to you, no one else can hear the most common form of the condition, called subjective tinnitus.
In many cases, tinnitus starts with damage to tiny hair cells in the cochlea. These hairs, called cilia, detect the movement of fluid within the cochlea, translating this motion into tiny electrical signals that the brain interprets as sound.
Cilia can be damaged by exposure to loud sounds, both suddenly and collectively over time. Damaged hairs send random signals along your auditory pathways, and your brain senses these as the tinnitus sounds you hear.
Physical blockages of the ear canal and middle ear can also trigger tinnitus. The good news here is that blockages may be reversed. Earwax can plug the ear canal and infections can fill the middle ear, which is normally dry and filled with air of the same pressure as your surrounding environment.
Some drugs can cause tinnitus or make it worse. The tinnitus effect is often proportional with dosage, becoming more obvious when the amount of medication increases.
Some antibiotics, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antidepressants, and diuretics (water pills) are among medications known to have tinnitus side effects.
There are many other, less common conditions that may carry tinnitus as a side effect. Tinnitus is always a symptom, never a condition on its own.
The cause of your tinnitus determines the primary treatment options. Clearing up blockages and infections that fill your middle ear can relieve tinnitus sounds, while trying alternate medications may be the answer for drug-induced tinnitus.
Chronic tinnitus due to sensorineural hearing loss isn’t curable, but its effects can be reduced. Tinnitus sound therapy can train your brain to lower the priority of tinnitus sounds.
Noise generators that emit white noise, nature sounds, or abstract ambient sounds can mask tinnitus. Even fans or humidifiers can cover up tinnitus, making it easier to relax and sleep. Dedicated in-the-ear noise generators provide similar benefits.
Hearing aids can raise your perception of ambient sounds in the environment. Your brain recognizes these as important and switches its focus to these sounds over the internally generated tinnitus.
The solution starts with a visit to Lawrence Otolaryngology Associates in Lawrence and Ottawa. Call or click to request your appointment today.
