Invisibility is a really useful power in the movies. The characters can often do the impossible if they have the power of invisibility, whether it’s a starship with cloaking ability or a wizard with an invisibility cloak.
Unfortunately, invisible health conditions are no less potent…and they’re a lot less fun. As an example, tinnitus is an extremely common hearing disorder. But there are no outward symptoms, it doesn’t matter how well you look.
But just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean tinnitus doesn’t have a considerable impact on people who experience symptoms.
Tinnitus – what is it?
One thing we know for certain about tinnitus is that it can’t be seen. Actually, tinnitus symptoms are auditory in nature, being a condition 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 a ringing in your ears? That’s tinnitus. Now, tinnitus is quite common (somewhere around 25 million individuals experience tinnitus yearly).
While ringing is the most typical manifestation of tinnitus, it isn’t the only one. Some people could hear buzzing, crunching, metallic noises, all sorts of things. The one thing that all of these noises have in common is that they aren’t actual sounds at all.
In most cases, tinnitus will go away over a short period. But for somewhere between 2-5 million people, tinnitus is a chronic, sometimes incapacitating condition. Here’s one way to think about it: hearing that ringing in your ears for five or ten minutes is irritating, but you can distract yourself easily and move on. But what if you can’t be free from that sound, ever? Obviously, your quality of life would be substantially impacted.
Tinnitus causes
Have you ever had a headache and attempted to figure out the cause? Perhaps it’s stress; maybe you’re getting a cold; perhaps it’s allergies. Lots of things can trigger a headache and that’s the challenge. The same is also true of tinnitus, though the symptoms might be common, the causes are widespread.
The source of your tinnitus symptoms may, in some cases, be evident. But you might never really know in other situations. In general, however, tinnitus could be caused by the following:
- Hearing loss: There is a close relationship between tinnitus and hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus can both be brought about by noise damage and that’s a large part of the situation here. In other words, they both have the same cause. But the ringing in your ears can seem louder with hearing loss because the outside world is quieter.
- Colds or allergies: Swelling can occur when a lot of mucus accumulates in your ears. And tinnitus can be the outcome of this swelling.
- Head or neck injuries: Your head is pretty sensitive! Ringing in your ears can be brought on by traumatic brain injuries including concussions.
- Noise damage: Tinnitus symptoms can be caused by exposure to excessively loud noise over time. This is so prevalent that loud noises are one of the primary causes of tinnitus! The best way to prevent this type of tinnitus is to stay away from excessively loud settings (or use ear protection if avoidance isn’t possible).
- High blood pressure: High blood pressure can cause tinnitus symptoms for some individuals. Getting your blood pressure under control with the help of your doctor is the best way to handle this.
- Ear infections or other blockages: Swelling of the ear canal can be generated by things like seasonal allergies, a cold, or an ear infection. This often triggers ringing in your ears.
- Meniere’s Disease: Quite a few symptoms can be caused by this disorder of the inner ear. Tinnitus and dizziness are among the first symptoms to manifest. Over time, Meniere’s disease can lead to permanent hearing loss.
- Certain medications: Certain over-the-counter or prescription medications can cause you to have ringing in your ears. Once you stop using the medication, the ringing will usually subside.
Treatment will obviously be easier if you can figure out the source of your tinnitus symptoms. For example, if an earwax blockage is causing ringing in your ears, cleaning out that earwax can reduce your symptoms. But the cause of their tinnitus symptoms might never be identified for some individuals.
Diagnosing Tinnitus
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 takes place often). Still, having regular hearing tests is always a good idea.
But you should absolutely schedule an appointment with us if your tinnitus won’t go away or if it keeps coming back. We will ask you about your symptoms, talk to you about how your quality of life is being impacted, perform a hearing exam, and probably discuss your medical history. Your symptoms can then be diagnosed using this information.
How is tinnitus treated?
Tinnitus is not a condition that can be cured. But it can be addressed and it can be managed.
If your tinnitus is due to an underlying condition, such as an ear infection or a medication you’re taking, then addressing that underlying condition will result in a noticeable difference in your symptoms. However, if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus, there will be no root condition that can be easily corrected.
So controlling symptoms so they have a limited affect on your life is the objective if you have persistent tinnitus. We can help in many ways. Here are a few of the most common:
- A hearing aid: In some cases, tinnitus becomes obvious because your hearing loss is making everything else comparatively quieter. In these cases, a hearing aid can help raise the volume on the rest of the world, and overpower the buzzing or ringing you might be hearing from your tinnitus.
- A masking device: This is a hearing aid-like device that masks sounds instead of amplifying them. These devices produce just the right amount and type of sound to make your distinct tinnitus symptoms fade into the background.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: We might refer you to another provider for cognitive behavior therapy. This is a therapeutic technique designed to help you not notice the ringing in your ears.
We will create a personalized and unique treatment plan for you and your tinnitus. The goal will be to help you regulate your symptoms so that you can get back to enjoying your life!
What should you do if you’re dealing with tinnitus?
Tinnitus might be invisible, but the last thing you should do is act like it isn’t there. Your symptoms will probably get worse if you do. It’s better to get ahead of your symptoms because you may be able to prevent them from growing worse. At the very least, you should invest in hearing protection for your ears, make sure you’re using ear plugs or ear muffs whenever you’re around loud noises.
If you have tinnitus that won’t go away (or keeps coming back) make an appointment with us to get a diagnosis.