In the movies, invisibility is a potent power. 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 disorders are no less potent…and they’re a lot less fun. As an illustration, tinnitus is a very common hearing disorder. But there are no external 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 substantial impact on those who experience symptoms.
Tinnitus – what is it?
So we recognize one thing: you can’t see tinnitus. Actually, tinnitus symptoms are auditory in nature, being a disorder of the ears. You know that ringing in your ears you occasionally hear after a rock concert or in a really silent room? That’s tinnitus. Tinnitus is so common that about 25 million individuals experience it every day.
While ringing is the most common presentation of tinnitus, it isn’t the only one. Some people could hear humming, crunching, metallic noises, all kinds of things. The one thing that all of these noises have in common is that they’re not real 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. Sure, it can be somewhat annoying to hear that ringing for a few minutes now and again. But what if you can’t get rid of that sound, ever? It’s easy to imagine how that could start to substantially affect your quality of life.
What causes tinnitus?
Have you ever tried to determine the cause of a headache? Maybe it’s stress; maybe you’re getting a cold; perhaps it’s allergies. A number of things can cause a headache and that’s the challenge. The symptoms of tinnitus, though relatively common, also have a wide variety of causes.
The source of your tinnitus symptoms may, in some cases, be evident. But you may never really know in other cases. Generally speaking, however, tinnitus might be caused by the following:
- Colds or allergies: If a lot of mucus backs up in your ears, it may cause some swelling. This swelling can cause tinnitus.
- Certain medications: Tinnitus symptoms can be caused by some over-the-counter and prescription medications. Normally, that ringing disappears when you quit taking the medication in question.
- Head or neck injuries: The head and neck are incredibly sensitive systems. So head injuries, especially traumatic brain injuries (including concussions)–can end up causing tinnitus symptoms.
- Noise damage: Damage from loud noises can, after a while, cause tinnitus symptoms to develop. This is so prevalent that loud noises are one of the primary causes of tinnitus! The best way to prevent this kind of tinnitus is to stay away from excessively loud places (or wear hearing protection if avoidance isn’t possible).
- Hearing loss: There is a close relationship between tinnitus and hearing loss. Sensorineural hearing loss and tinnitus can both be caused by noise damage and that’s a big part of the situation here. In other words, both of them have the same cause. But hearing loss can also exacerbate tinnitus, when the rest of the world seems quieter, that ringing in your ears can seem louder.
- High blood pressure: For some individuals, tinnitus could be caused by high blood pressure. Getting your blood pressure under control with the help of your primary care provider is the best way to address this.
- Meniere’s Disease: Quite a few symptoms can be caused by this condition of the inner ear. Among the first symptoms, however, are typically tinnitus and dizziness. Permanent hearing loss can happen over time.
- Ear infections or other blockages: Just like a cold or seasonal allergies, ear infections, and other obstructions can cause inflammation in the ear canal. This often causes ringing in your ears.
If you’re able to determine the cause of your tinnitus, treating it might become easier. Clearing out a blockage, for instance, will alleviate tinnitus symptoms if that’s what is causing them. But the cause of their tinnitus symptoms might never be identified for some people.
Diagnosing Tinnitus
If your ears ring for a few minutes and then it recedes, it’s not really something that needs to be diagnosed (unless it occurs often). That said, it’s never a bad plan to check in with us to schedule a hearing exam.
But you should absolutely schedule an appointment with us if your tinnitus won’t go away or if it continues to come back. We will ask you about your symptoms, talk to you about how your quality of life is being affected, complete a hearing test, and probably discuss your medical history. All of that insight will be utilized to diagnose your symptoms.
How is tinnitus treated?
Tinnitus isn’t a condition that has a cure. But it can be addressed and it can be managed.
If your tinnitus is caused by 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. But there will be no known root condition to manage if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus.
For individuals with chronic tinnitus then, the mission is to manage your symptoms and help make sure your tinnitus doesn’t negatively impact your quality of life. There are many things that we can do to help. Here are some of the most prevalent:
- A hearing aid: When you have hearing loss, outside sounds get quieter and your tinnitus symptoms become more obvious. The buzzing or ringing will be less evident when your hearing aid raises the volume of the outside world.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: When it comes to cognitive behavioral therapy, we may end up referring you to a different provider. This approach uses therapy to help you learn to disregard the tinnitus sounds.
- A masking device: This is a hearing aid-like device that masks sounds instead of boosting them. These devices produce just the right amount and type of sound to make your distinct tinnitus symptoms fade into the background.
We will create a personalized and unique treatment plan for you and your tinnitus. Helping you get back to enjoying your life by managing your symptoms is the objective here.
If you’re struggling with tinnitus, what should you do?
Even though tinnitus is invisible, it shouldn’t be ignored. Your symptoms will likely get worse if you do. It’s better to get ahead of your symptoms because you may be able to prevent them from getting worse. At the very least, you should get yourself hearing protection for your ears, be certain you’re wearing ear plugs or ear muffs whenever you’re around loud noises.
If you’re struggling with tinnitus, contact us, we can help.