Tinnitus is an incredibly common condition of the ear. Some estimates suggest that 10 percent of people experience tinnitus at one time or another, making it one of the most common health conditions in the world. The condition is experienced as a sound in the ear that isn’t actually there, typically, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can take the form of other sounds also.
While the preponderance of tinnitus may be evident, the causes are frequently more cloudy. Some of the wide variety of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be very important. If the background sound of your particular environment is very loud, you could be damaging your hearing. If your tinnitus is due to damage, it may end up being permanent.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so prevalent)?
Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear a noise that isn’t actually there. Tinnitus typically manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other sounds, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are typically rhythmic in nature. Tinnitus will usually clear itself up after a short period of time. In less common cases, tinnitus could become effectively permanent, a condition referred to as chronic tinnitus.
There are a couple of reasons why tinnitus is so common. Firstly, environmental factors that can contribute to tinnitus are rather common. Root conditions and injuries can bring about tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are quite a few conditions and injuries that can result in tinnitus. Consequently, tinnitus tends to be quite common.
How is tinnitus affected by environmental factors?
Other things can also trigger tinnitus, including ototoxic medications and chemicals. But when it involves “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest culprit. For instance, some locations are noisier than others (traffic noise in some settings can get extraordinarily high). Likewise, anybody who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment exacerbating their tinnitus.
When evaluating the state of your health, these environmental factors are very important.
As with hearing loss, noise-induced damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. In these cases, the resulting tinnitus tends to be chronic in nature. Here are some of the most common noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes be caused by loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long duration. For instance, attending a concert or using firearms can both lead to tinnitus if the volumes get to a high enough level.
- Traffic: You may not even recognize how loud traffic can be in densely populated places. And noise damage can occur at a lower volume than you may expect. Long commutes or regular driving in these loud settings can eventually result in hearing damage, including tinnitus.
- Noise in the workplace: Lots of workplaces, including offices, are frequently the source of loud noises. Tinnitus can eventually result from being in these settings for eight hours a day, whether it’s industrial equipment or the din of lots of people talking in an office.
- Music: Many individuals will frequently listen to their music at high volumes. Tinnitus will frequently be the outcome if you do this frequently.
Hearing damage can happen at a far lower volume than people usually expect. Because of this, hearing protection should be utilized at lower volumes than you may expect. Noise related tinnitus symptoms can often be avoided altogether by doing this.
What should I do if I’m experiencing tinnitus?
Will tinnitus go away on its own? Perhaps, in some cases. In other cases, your symptoms may be permanent. Initially, it’s basically impossible to know which is which. Likewise, just because your tinnitus has gone away for now doesn’t mean that noise damage has not occurred, leading to an increased risk of chronic tinnitus in the future.
One of the most significant contributing factors to the development of tinnitus is that individuals tend to underestimate the volume at which damage occurs to their ears. Damage has likely already happened if you’re experiencing tinnitus. This means that there are a number of things that you should do to alter your environment so as to prevent more irreparable damage.
Here are some tips you can try:
- Lowering the volume of your environment when possible. For example, you could shut the windows if you live in a loud area or turn off industrial machinery that is not in use.
- If you’re in a noisy setting, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
- Prevent damage by utilizing hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some degree of protection from noise canceling headphones.
Managing symptoms
Lots of individuals who experience persistent tinnitus find the symptoms to be tremendously disruptive and uncomfortable. Because of this, they frequently ask: how do you calm tinnitus?
If you hear a buzzing or ringing sound, it’s important to make an appointment, particularly if the sound won’t go away. We will be able to evaluate your symptoms and identify how best to manage them. For most cases of chronic tinnitus, there’s no cure. Here are a number of ways to manage the symptoms:
- Masking device: This is a device that fits similarly to a hearing aid and plays sounds to mask your symptoms. The exact calibration of your device will depend on your specific symptoms.
- White noise devices: In some cases, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by utilizing a white noise generator around your house.
- Retraining therapy: In some instances, you can work with a specialist to retrain your ears, slowly modifying the way you process sound.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been linked to an increase in the intensity of tinnitus symptoms. So taking a little time to relax (with meditation, for example) can sometimes help diminish your tinnitus symptoms.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify outside sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. A great first step would be to protect your hearing by controlling your environment.
But tinnitus can be addressed and treated. We’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan based on your hearing, your tinnitus, and your lifestyle. A white noise machine, for many individuals, may be all that’s required. In other situations, a more intensive approach might be needed.
Learn how to best control your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!