Tinnitus is a condition characterized by a ringing, buzzing, whooshing, or whistling sound inside the ears. This sound may be present in low to moderate pitches constantly or be heard only during certain times of the day. Some triggers like loud noises, cleaning your ears with a Q-tip, etc. can also bring about incidents of Tinnitus, ranging in severity from mild to moderate to severe, in rare cases. In this blog, we’ll have a look at some common causes for Tinnitus, as well as effective Treatments for Tinnitus methods to help patients.
Tinnitus is also sometimes associated with Vertigo, as it is found that most Tinnitus patients also experience dizziness, nausea, & spinning sensations during one or more of their tinnitus episodes.
Tinnitus isn’t usually something that you should worry about, as it is normally not dangerous. However, it can become an annoyance for the people suffering from it and cause them to bow out of social situations, be lax at their workplaces and lead to significant social isolation due to the accompanying hearing loss.
This makes Tinnitus sufferers anxious, socially awkward and basically unfulfilled with the quality of their lives. In this manner, Tinnitus does become a burden to the healthcare system by the sheer number of people affected by it and suffering from it in their daily lives.
Fortunately, Treatments for Tinnitus exists and has helped a majority of tinnitus patients live a healthy, quality life even with their Tinnitus. In other cases, tinnitus treatment methods have also been able to help patients get rid of their Tinnitus once and for all.
Tinnitus Causes
Tinnitus is caused by a variety of reasons and underlying health issues. Most of these involve the inner ear and middle ear that deal with hearing and the body’s balance. Tinnitus can be caused by some other health problems too, which your doctor will need to figure out using certain tests and diagnostic methods.
A list of some of the most common Tinnitus causes is given below:
Hearing loss – As a person loses their hearing, they begin to hear certain sounds and noises that just might be false electrical impulses sent forth by the inner ear that the brain interprets as sound. Since the person can’t hear sounds now in their actual frequency, the brain makes it sound like faint noises, squeals, ringing, buzzing, whistling and other sounds.
Ear blockage – This ear blockage usually refers to earwax blockage, however, in some cases, a foreign object, an obstruction in the structure of the ear and other genetic abnormalities can also cause this blockage inside the ear. This can lead to tinnitus as the normal transfer of sound signals from the ear to the brain is interrupted.
Exposure to loud noises – Exposure to any kind of loud noises, like the ones abound at construction sites, wearing in-ear headphones and listening to music at loud volumes, etc. can all cause lasting damage to your eardrum. This can also become a cause for tinnitus as a broken eardrum transmits haywire sound signals to the brain. This causes the brain to interpret these signals as different sounds that occur to the patient as whistling, ringing, buzzing and whooshing, etc.
Damage to the middle ear bones weakens the structure of the ear, causing problems with the way hearing-related signals are sent back and forth between the ear & the brain. This can cause tinnitus in some affected individuals.
Meniere’s Disease – It is an inner ear disorder that is caused by the presence of excessive amounts of fluid inside the ears. This fluid makes it difficult for the ear to process hearing-related signals as well as balance-related signals. This causes symptoms like dizziness, spinning sensations, disorientation, nausea, vomiting, headaches, feelings of pressure inside the ear, hearing loss and tinnitus (perception of sound without external sounds).
Temporomandibular Joint Disorders(TMJ) – This joint regulates chewing, hearing and mouth movement-related functions. When issues arise with this joint, hearing problems, tinnitus and difficulty swallowing can occur.
Head injuries, neck injuries, or ear injuries can also lead to tinnitus in some people.
Acoustic Neuroma – It is a benign tumor that grows on the Vestibular Nerve. It usually doesn’t cause any trouble until it grows large enough to press on the said nerve. Once that happens, the tumor begins to impair the nerve’s usual functioning which causes the affected individual to experience symptoms like dizziness, nausea, vomiting, sudden spinning sensations and tinnitus.
Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
Inner ear muscle spasms.
Atherosclerosis – It is the term used to describe the plaque buildup inside the blood vessels of the inner ear.
Tumors around the head and neck area.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension.
Irregular blood flow in the neck region.
Abnormalities in capillary formation inside the ear.
Tinnitus can also be due to the side effect of certain medications and ear surgeries.
Treatments for Tinnitus
The treatment for tinnitus usually consists of treating the exact underlying condition. In most cases, tinnitus treatment consists of noise masking or reduction devices, tinnitus treatment exercises like the Epley maneuver, the Brandt-Daroff exercises, & deep breathing techniques, and tinnitus treatment medicines. The tinnitus treatment medicines are by far the most effective & reliable Treatments for Tinnitus method available. These medicines are also known as water pills or diuretics. These help reduce the amount of water inside the ear to provide relief to the person with tinnitus.
Some of the most common tinnitus treatments recommended by doctors include:
Earwax blockage removal – Earwax accumulation inside the ears is also a common cause of tinnitus. Hence removing the excess earwax with the help of doctor-recommended cleaning props is an effective and easy Treatments for Tinnitus method. In fact, most cases of benign tinnitus can be treated with the help of earwax removal itself.
Noise masking devices – Noise masking and reduction devices also help reduce the constant internal noise and sound that tinnitus sufferers experience. These devices help center the patient’s consciousness and give them better outlets to experience natural sounds or even no sound, in their surroundings. Examples include medical-grade sound masking devices, nature-sound generation devices and noise-canceling headphones.
Hearing Aids – Tinnitus patients often also experience hearing loss. In fact, the degree of hearing loss is directly related to the amount of tinnitus noise experienced by the patients. Hence, tinnitus treatment often consists of providing appropriate hearing aids to patients to reduce their degree of hearing loss. This also helps reduce the severity and intensity of their tinnitus symptoms.
Taking Vitamin B, Zinc and Ginkgo Biloba supplements is also an effective natural treatment for tinnitus.
Meditation and relaxation Exercises – These help reduce the patients stress levels, giving them better ways to deal with their tinnitus symptoms and form healthy coping strategies for the chronic disease.
