What are the common symptoms of tinnitus. How can tinnitus be caused by various factors. What are the most effective strategies for managing tinnitus symptoms. How does tinnitus impact daily life and mental health. When should medical attention be sought for tinnitus.

Understanding Tinnitus: The Persistent Ringing in Your Ears

Tinnitus, often described as a ringing sensation in the ears, is a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide. This persistent sound can manifest in various forms, including buzzing, clicking, hissing, or whooshing noises. While not life-threatening, tinnitus can significantly impact one’s quality of life, leading to distress, anxiety, and even insomnia in some cases.

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Hearing Disorders, approximately 10% of the U.S. adult population has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes over the past year. This statistic underscores the prevalence of this condition and the need for greater awareness and understanding.

Characteristics of Tinnitus

• Can occur in one or both ears
• May be constant or intermittent
• Varies in volume from soft to loud
• Often more noticeable in quiet environments or at night
• Frequently associated with hearing loss

The Root Causes of Tinnitus: Unraveling the Mystery

Tinnitus originates in the inner ear, specifically in the cochlea – the snail-shaped part responsible for converting sound waves into electrical signals. Changes in the cochlea’s nerve activity can trigger the perception of sound even when no external source is present. But what causes these changes?

Common Causes of Tinnitus

1. Exposure to loud noises (e.g., jackhammers, chainsaws, loud music)
2. Head injuries or concussions
3. Excessive earwax buildup
4. Caffeine consumption
5. Certain medications (aspirin, ibuprofen, blood pressure medicines, some antibiotics)
6. Meniere’s disease (an inner ear condition possibly related to fluid imbalance)

Do age and genetics play a role in tinnitus development? While tinnitus can affect people of all ages, it becomes more prevalent as we get older. This is often due to age-related hearing loss, which can contribute to tinnitus symptoms. Genetic factors may also influence an individual’s susceptibility to developing tinnitus, although more research is needed in this area.

Tinnitus Management: Strategies for Finding Relief

While there is currently no cure for tinnitus, numerous management strategies can help individuals cope with the symptoms and improve their quality of life. Dr. Ashok Jagasia, an otolaryngologist, recommends the following approaches:

1. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

How can CBT help with tinnitus? CBT sessions teach individuals to reframe their perception of tinnitus, reducing its psychological impact. This therapy can also address associated depression and anxiety while providing relaxation techniques to manage stress.

2. Hearing Aids

Hearing aids serve a dual purpose in tinnitus management. They can amplify external sounds, effectively masking the internal tinnitus noise. Additionally, for those with significant hearing loss, hearing aids can improve overall auditory function, potentially reducing the prominence of tinnitus.

3. Professional Earwax Removal

Excessive earwax can exacerbate tinnitus symptoms. However, it’s crucial to have a medical professional remove the wax safely. Attempting to remove earwax at home with cotton swabs can push the wax further into the ear canal, potentially worsening the condition.

Creating a Tinnitus-Friendly Environment: Sound Therapy Techniques

Sound therapy is a popular and effective approach to managing tinnitus symptoms. By introducing external sounds, individuals can reduce the perceived intensity of their tinnitus. Here are some sound therapy techniques to consider:

1. White Noise Generation

Creating a background hum can help mask tinnitus, especially at night when symptoms often feel more pronounced. Consider using:

• Cool mist humidifiers in winter
• Fans or air conditioners in summer
• Dedicated white noise machines

2. Gentle Music

Listening to soft, soothing music can provide your brain with an alternative focus, potentially reducing the prominence of tinnitus. Choose calming melodies without sudden changes in volume or intensity.

Is there a specific type of music that works best for tinnitus relief? While individual preferences vary, studies have shown that nature sounds, classical music, and specially designed tinnitus relief tracks can be particularly effective in managing symptoms.

Lifestyle Modifications: Small Changes, Big Impact

Certain lifestyle factors can influence the severity of tinnitus symptoms. By making some simple adjustments, you may be able to reduce the impact of tinnitus on your daily life:

1. Caffeine Reduction

Caffeine can increase blood pressure, potentially making tinnitus more noticeable. Consider reducing your intake of caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, and energy drinks.

2. Medication Review

Some medications, particularly when taken in high doses or for extended periods, can exacerbate tinnitus. Consult with your healthcare provider about potential alternatives if you suspect your medications are contributing to your symptoms.

3. Stress Management

Stress can amplify tinnitus symptoms. Incorporating stress-reduction techniques into your daily routine can help manage both stress and tinnitus. Consider practices such as:

• Meditation
• Deep breathing exercises
• Regular physical activity
• Yoga

Alternative Approaches to Tinnitus Management

While scientific evidence may be limited, some individuals report relief from tinnitus symptoms through alternative medicine approaches. It’s important to consult with a healthcare professional before trying any new treatment:

1. Acupuncture

Some people have found relief through acupuncture sessions. This traditional Chinese medicine technique involves inserting thin needles into specific points on the body to promote healing and alleviate symptoms.

2. Dietary Supplements

Certain supplements, such as lipoflavonoid (vitamin B6), have shown promise in managing tinnitus symptoms for some individuals. A typical regimen involves taking the supplement for six to eight weeks to assess its effectiveness.

Are there any risks associated with using supplements for tinnitus? While generally considered safe, it’s crucial to consult with a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen, as they may interact with existing medications or have side effects.

Preventing Further Damage: Protecting Your Hearing

For those experiencing tinnitus, preventing additional hearing damage is crucial. One of the most effective ways to do this is by protecting your ears from loud noises:

Earplugs: Your First Line of Defense

When exposed to noisy environments or using loud equipment (e.g., lawnmowers, chainsaws), always wear earplugs or protective earmuffs. This simple precaution can significantly reduce the risk of further hearing damage and potential worsening of tinnitus symptoms.

How effective are earplugs in preventing hearing damage? High-quality earplugs can reduce noise levels by 15 to 30 decibels, which can make a significant difference in protecting your hearing, especially during prolonged exposure to loud sounds.

When to Seek Medical Attention for Tinnitus

While many cases of tinnitus can be managed at home, certain symptoms warrant immediate medical attention:

• Persistent ringing lasting several weeks
• Sudden onset of dizziness
• Complete hearing loss in one ear
• Vertigo symptoms accompanying the ringing
• Pulsatile tinnitus (hearing your heartbeat whooshing)

If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s crucial to consult with a healthcare provider promptly. They may refer you to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist for further evaluation, including a hearing test called an audiogram.

Why is pulsatile tinnitus considered a red flag? Pulsatile tinnitus can be a sign of more serious underlying conditions, including:

• Benign tumors
• Middle ear infections
• High blood pressure
• Blocked arteries
• Stroke

Given its potential association with these serious conditions, pulsatile tinnitus should always be evaluated by a medical professional.

The Role of Audiograms in Tinnitus Diagnosis

An audiogram is a valuable tool in assessing tinnitus, particularly in older patients. Dr. Jagasia notes, “In patients over the age of 60, we usually find some hearing loss with the ringing.” This association between hearing loss and tinnitus underscores the importance of comprehensive hearing evaluations in managing the condition.

What information can an audiogram provide about tinnitus? An audiogram can:

• Detect the presence and extent of hearing loss
• Identify the frequencies most affected by hearing loss
• Help determine if the tinnitus is related to nerve damage
• Guide treatment options, including the potential use of hearing aids

Living with Tinnitus: Embracing a Holistic Approach

Managing tinnitus often requires a multifaceted approach, combining medical interventions, lifestyle modifications, and psychological support. By understanding the condition and exploring various management strategies, many individuals can significantly reduce the impact of tinnitus on their daily lives.

Remember that every person’s experience with tinnitus is unique, and what works for one individual may not be as effective for another. It’s essential to work closely with healthcare providers to develop a personalized management plan that addresses your specific symptoms and needs.

Can tinnitus be completely cured? While there is currently no definitive cure for tinnitus, ongoing research continues to explore new treatment options. Many individuals find that with proper management, they can significantly reduce the impact of tinnitus on their quality of life, even if the symptoms don’t disappear entirely.

By staying informed about the latest developments in tinnitus research and treatment, individuals can remain hopeful and proactive in managing their symptoms. With patience, persistence, and the right combination of strategies, it’s possible to find relief and regain control over the persistent ringing in your ears.

Why Are My Ears Ringing?

Just as a ringing bell can sound a warning, ringing in your ears can be a signal to pay attention to your body.

Ringing in your ears, or tinnitus, starts in your inner ear.  Most often, it is caused by damage to or the loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea, or the inner ear.

Tinnitus can present in many different ways, including sounds related to the ocean, ringing, buzzing, clicking, hissing or whooshing. The sound can be in one or both ears, constant or occasional, loud or soft. Often, it is more noticeable at night when you’re not distracted by work or family. It is often associated with hearing loss.

And it’s more common than you might expect. Over the past year, about 10 percent of the U.S. adult population has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Hearing Disorders.

“It’s not life threatening, and it is more of a symptom of other problems rather than a disease itself, but it can be debilitating,” says otolaryngologist Ashok Jagasia, MD, PhD. “In some people, the distracting sound can cause depression, anxiety and/or insomnia.”

Causes of tinnitus

Why does tinnitus occur? The ringing actually comes from the part of your inner ear that looks like a snail shell called the cochlea. Changes in the cochlea’s nerve activity could lead to tinnitus.

These changes can be caused by any of the following:

• Exposure to loud sounds — such as jackhammers, chainsaws and loud music
• A head injury or concussion
• Wax build-up in your ears
• Caffeine
• Many medications, including aspirin, ibuprofen, blood pressure medicines and some antibiotics
• Meniere’s disease, a condition of the inner ear possibly related to fluids in the inner ear. 

Coping with tinnitus

Though sometimes tinnitus will go away on its own, often it’s there for the long haul.

While there is no cure, there are things you can try to help you cope. Here, Jagasia offers 10 strategies:

1.

Consider cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

At CBT sessions, you will learn how to change your reaction to tinnitus through reframing the situation. CBT can also help the depression and anxiety caused by tinnitus, and teach you breathing and muscle relaxation techniques.

2. Be evaluated for hearing aids.

Hearing aids can boost the volume of external noises to mask the tinnitus. You may also benefit from hearing aids if an audiogram reveals that you have significant hearing loss.

3. Clear your ears of wax (just don’t do it at home).

“Doctors can use a microscope and a small tool to remove ear wax,” Jagasia says. “Do not try to remove it on your own — for yourself or your child. Trying to use a cotton swab to take it out actually tends to push the wax further in the ear canal and make things worse.”

In patients over the age of 60, we usually find some hearing loss with the ringing.

4. Create “white noise.

“

Creating a background hum, especially at night, can cancel out the sound you hear from tinnitus. For instance, in the winter, use a cool mist humidifier, and in the summer use a fan or air conditioner.

5. Play gentle music.

A quiet melody gives your brain something else to focus other than the ringing.

6. Avoid caffeine.

Caffeine can increase your blood pressure, making your tinnitus more noticeable.

7. Reconsider your medications.

“It’s OK to take ibuprofen once in a while, but taking too much, too often can cause tinnitus. Maybe there are other ways to treat your pain,” Jagasia says.

8. Explore acupuncture.

Some people have reported relief with acupuncture and other alternative medical approaches.

9. Take lipoflavonoid.

Some people are helped by taking over-the-counter supplements of lipoflavinoid, or vitamin B6, for six to eight weeks.

10. Wear earplugs.

If you know you will be using or be exposed to noisy equipment — such as a chainsaw or lawnmower — use earplugs to prevent further damage.

When to seek help for tinnitus

If the ringing persists for several weeks, visit your primary care physician. You might be directed to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, who will order a hearing test called an audiogram.

“It helps us get a sense if there is nerve-related hearing loss associated with the tinnitus,” Jagasia says. “In patients over the age of 60, we usually find some hearing loss with the ringing.”

See a doctor right away if you are feeling dizzy, experience complete hearing loss in one ear or have symptoms of vertigo along with the ringing — a combination of symptoms that could signal Meniere’s disease.

Another potentially serious red flag: if you hear your heartbeat whooshing, which is known as pulsatile tinnitus. This sensation can be caused by more serious problems, including a benign tumor, middle ear infections, high blood pressure, blocked arteries or stroke. If it happens to you, Jagasia recommends calling your doctor as soon as possible.

“As we get older, it’s common to start experiencing ringing in our ears at some point,” he says. “Most often, it’s not serious, but tinnitus can affect your day-to-day living. The good news is that we can teach our bodies to ignore it.”

5 Strange Reasons for Ringing Ears – Cleveland Clinic

Ringing in your ears, known as tinnitus, may not seem like a big deal. But for many, it’s a condition that can interfere with your day-to-day activities and quality of life. Thankfully, there are several ways to relieve the problem.

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Tinnitus is also a common complaint. Nearly 50 million Americans report some type of tinnitus, according to audiologist Sharon Sandridge, PhD. For about 12 million people, the problem is described as bothersome and impacts their lives.

“Many may have problems sleeping, relaxing or reading a book because the tinnitus is always there,” says Dr. Sandridge. “It can cause stress, anxiety and even depression.”

Causes of tinnitus

While the exact cause of tinnitus is typically unknown, one common cause is exposure to sounds that are too loud for too long. If you work in a noisy environment like a factory, construction site, or even a busy and crowded exercise facility, it can expose your ears to levels of sounds that put them at risk. Using power tools, lawnmowers and leaf blowers for extended time periods can harm your hearing, too. One of the first signs of sound-induced damage is the presence of a soft, or sometimes not so soft, ringing in your ears.

Tinnitus is one of the most common service-related disabilities among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, too, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).

No matter your age, it’s a good idea to take steps to protect your ears and hearing. To reduce your risk, it’s important to physically remove yourself from loud sounds, turn down the volume or wear hearing protection. The longer you are in a loud environment without protecting your ears and hearing, the risk for hearing loss and tinnitus increases.

Besides sound-induced causes, there are a few lesser-known potential causes of tinnitus. They include:

1. Ear wax. Something as simple as a buildup of ear wax in your outer ear may cause your ears to ring. Your healthcare provider can remove the wax to eliminate the ringing.
2. Medications. Some medicines may affect your hearing. High doses of aspirin, certain antibiotics, antidepressants and chemotherapy drugs may cause tinnitus. Check with your healthcare provider to determine if any medications you take could be a culprit.
3. Dental issues. Ringing ears sometimes may relate to a non-auditory problem with your jaw or teeth. For example, a temporomandibular joint (TMD) disorder can cause noises like popping or clicking in the joint in your jaw. If you recently had dental work or your jaw is bothering you, you may want to revisit your dentist. Sometimes a night guard or a dental orthotic device can help with dental issues and stop the annoying sounds you’re hearing.
4. Head injuries. If you were in a motor vehicle accident recently or you bumped your head, that ringing you hear may be a symptom of a biomechanical problem of the head, neck or jaw. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have any concerns after your head injury. To help prevent a head injury, wear head protection if you play high-contact sports, such as hockey, or if you work at a high-risk location, such as a construction site.
5. Diseases. Ringing in your ears is sometimes a symptom of a medical condition, such as Meniere’s disease. This occurs when abnormal fluid pressure builds up in your inner ear. Hypertension and diabetes may cause tinnitus as well and need to be addressed with your doctor.

Work with your audiologist to find relief

“Before you pursue any non-medical options for tinnitus management, you need to see a doctor to rule out any underlying problem requiring medical or surgical intervention,” says Dr. Sandridge. “The next step is to have a hearing test done by an audiologist to determine if hearing loss could be the cause as well as to determine if you can benefit from sound therapy.”

Unfortunately, at this point, there is no FDA-approved medication to treat tinnitus. The majority of management options are non-medical and should be directed by your audiologist who may work with other specialty professionals such as a dentist, a physical therapist or a psychologist to find the best treatment option for you. 

These may include different types of counseling such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) or sound therapy such as fans, sounds apps on your smartphones, hearing aids or sound generators.

Hearing aids can do double duty

Hearing aids may be the answer to tinnitus for people who have hearing loss.

“By using hearing aids, you not only help reduce the awareness of the tinnitus, but you also improve your ability to hear as well,” says Dr. Sandridge.

Some hearing aids have a built-in sound generator that produces ocean wave sounds or white or pink noise. These sounds provide relief by decreasing your awareness of the tinnitus by having your brain pay attention to the other neutral, non-threatening sounds. This promotes a process called habituation (helping you get to a point where you no longer pay attention to the tinnitus), which eventually will allow you to be aware of your tinnitus only when you actively listen for it.

“In this case, the tinnitus is not gone, but you no longer pay attention to it unless you focus on it,” she says. “Our goal is to get you to the point where you’re basically tuning the tinnitus out.”

All in all, don’t just wait and hope your tinnitus will go away. Talk to your primary care physician and audiologist if you notice ringing in your ears or other problems with your hearing. They can help you pinpoint your problem and help you find the relief you need.

What Is Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ears)? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

Favorite Orgs for Essential Tinnitus Info

American Tinnitus Association

For almost 50 years, this nonprofit has provided resources and educational information for people who have tinnitus. It’s also a major fundraiser and donor to tinnitus research, and it advocates for greater awareness of the condition through public and science outreach campaigns.

Hearing Health Foundation

Collette Ramsey Baker lived with substantial hearing loss until age 35, when an operation gave her back the world of sound. In gratitude, and in an effort to help others, in 1958 Baker founded what was then called the Deafness Research Foundation. For the past 60 years, this nonprofit has supported numerous breakthrough research efforts while helping to inform the public about tinnitus and other hearing-related conditions.

Hearing Link

This UK charity has its roots in clubs that formed for the hard-of-hearing following World War I. It educates the public and promotes research and public-health measures around tinnitus and other hearing-related medical conditions and challenges.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)

A branch of the National Institutes of Health, the NIDCD is the country’s leading authority on the science of hearing, balance, taste, smell, voice, speech, and language. It oversees and funds major research efforts, and helps guide public policy related to hearing conditions, including tinnitus. It also provides a wealth of up-to-date information on tinnitus.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

This trade association is composed of more than 200,000 audiologists, hearing specialists, speech-language pathologists, and other professionals dedicated to the science of verbal communication. Along with providing information for people with tinnitus and other hearing conditions, they work to ensure appropriate, science-based standards among doctors and others who treat communication-related conditions.

Vestibular

The vestibular system is part of the inner ear helps to coordinate balance, movement, and spatial orientation. Some forms of tinnitus stem from vestibular conditions. Founded in 1985, this nonprofit focuses its advocacy and outreach efforts on vestibular conditions and diseases.

With additional reporting by Markham Heid.

Why Are My Ears Ringing?

Often described as “ringing in your ears,” tinnitus (pronounced ti-NIGHT-us or TINN-a-tus) is a symptom that encompasses any perception of sound when there’s no real external cause for it.

Chances are, you’ve experienced random, short-lived bursts of tinnitus before, like buzzing in your ears after attending a concert or a strange static noise in your head while sitting in a silent room. Nearly 15% of Americans—more than 50 million people—experience some form of tinnitus, per the American Tinnitus Association (ATA). However, for roughly 20 million people, tinnitus doesn’t just go away, and another 2 million people experience extreme and debilitating symptoms.

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As an auditory phenomenon, tinnitus has quite the range. It could sound like crickets chirping, cicadas buzzing, high-pitched squeals, low-pitched hums, or even multiple pitches simultaneously, says Jackie Clark, Ph.D., a board-certified clinical audiologist and clinical associate professor at the School of Brain and Behavioral Sciences at University of Texas at Dallas. You might also hear roaring, whooshing, hissing, whistling, or clicking noises in one ear, both ears, or in the middle of your head.

While tinnitus isn’t a disease in and of itself, it can serve as a sign of numerous underlying health conditions, says Clark. In fact, roughly 200 different disorders can cause confusing or distressing noises in your head, per the ATA. For this reason (and because the symptom can significantly impact your quality of life), it’s important to get your tinnitus checked out if it’s become a persistent problem.

Wishing you had an off-switch for the ringing in your ears? Read on for common causes of tinnitus and what to do about it, with expert insight from audiologists.

1. You’re always surrounded by loud noises.

If you’re noticing a high-pitched buzzing or ringing in your ears, noise exposure may be at the root of your tinnitus, says Catherine Palmer, Ph.D., president of the American Academy of Audiology and the director of Audiology and Hearing Aids at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. This is often the case for factory, construction, or road crew workers, veterans and active-duty service members, people in the music industry, and hunters.

There are thousands of hair cells in your inner ear which are arranged by the type of sound they’re responsible for responding to, and those that take in higher pitches (like the flute, for example) are located at the base of your cochlea (the spiral-shaped cavity of your inner ear), explains Palmer. Because of this, all sound energy from the lowest to highest pitches runs past these hair cells—which makes them more likely to become “worn out” over time, she explains. The result: High-pitched buzzing in your ears and hearing loss.

“Unfortunately, for the vast majority of people, there is no pill or procedure that will eliminate the perception of tinnitus and there is currently no treatment that is 100% effective,” says Palmer. That said, you can learn how to cope with the ringing in your ears with help from your doctor, counseling, and sound therapy (which can help distract your brain with other noises to make your tinnitus less noticeable).

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2. Blame a head or neck injury.

A head or neck injury from a car crash, fall, or accident can become even more distressing when a buzzing in your ears emerges afterwards, says Palmer. In this case, damage to your inner ear, hearing nerve, or the parts of your brain from a concussion could be what’s causing phantom noises in your head.

In particular, service members exposed to bomb blasts can develop tinnitus due to a traumatic brain injury (TBI). In fact, tinnitus is one of the most common service-related disabilities veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan come home with, per the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NICDC).

Unfortunately, tinnitus that’s linked to an injury is often louder and more burdensome, with a greater variety of sounds and frequencies, per the ATA. Again, though, coping tools can help make your tinnitus more manageable—so reach out to a doctor for help.

3. Your ears are plugged up.

Blockages like ear wax (or, in very rare cases, a tumor) could cause ringing in your ears due to pressure on the nerves that run through your ear canal. You might also start to experience tinnitus if your ears are so blocked up that you can’t hear outside sounds—which can cue a buzzing sensation in your ears, too, says Clark. The good news: Often, once the source of the pressure is removed and your ears are free to take in other noises again, your tinnitus goes away, says Clark.

4. Or you’re really congested.

Another potential cause of tinnitus is congestion due to a severe cold, the flu, or a sinus infection. Pressure in your middle ear as well as your nasal passages could possibly fire up your nerves, which in turn could trigger a ringing sensation in your ears, explains Clark.

In this situation, the fix is typically straightforward: Reduce the pressure and your tinnitus symptoms should fade with it. If not, call a doctor to have your ears checked.

5. It could be a side effect of your medication.

A number of ototoxic medications can damage your ear structures by disrupting the delicate chemical balance of your inner ear or killing hair cells responsible for hearing, says Palmer. As a result, you might experience tinnitus as a side effect, along with hearing loss (often in both ears), dizziness, and balance issues.

Some common culprits include cisplatin (a type of chemotherapy), aminoglycoside antibiotics (IV drugs for serious infections), and loop diuretics (which are commonly used for patients experiencing heart failure), says Palmer. If you’re worried that your medication could be causing tinnitus, call your doctor or pharmacist to figure out next steps (and don’t make any changes in your medication regimen before you do!).

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6. Your jaw is acting up.

Got ringing in your ears, pain in your face and jaw, and weird popping sensations when you try to chew or talk? Damage to muscles, ligaments, or cartilage in your temporomandibular joint (a.k.a. TMJ) where your lower jaw connects to your skull in front of your ears can trigger tinnitus.

Jaw issues probably aren’t top of mind when you start hearing odd noises, but the nerves in your face responsible for biting and chewing are actually connected to structures in your ears. As such, a trip to an audiologist for tinnitus might end in a referral to a dentist or a head and neck specialist, says Clark. In many cases, getting your TMJ under control will help get rid of the ringing in your ears, per the ATA.

7. Your blood sugar levels are out of control.

When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or use it properly in order to transfer glucose (blood sugar) into cells where it can be used for fuel. This puts you at risk of developing tinnitus and hearing loss alike because your inner ear relies on a steady supply of oxygen and glucose—which is disturbed by your condition, explains Clark. In this sense, tinnitus sort of serves as your body’s alarm system, letting you know that it’s not processing the glucose it needs to function, she says.

For diabetes-related tinnitus, it’s important to treat the cause as well as the symptom, so talk to your doctor about how you can better cope with both.

8. It’s simply a sign of aging.

Often, the same family member who needs the TV volume extra-loud is also dealing with frustrating noises in their ears. Unfortunately, tinnitus is one of the many wonders that comes along with old age, and it may strike as early as your 40s, along with age-related hearing loss, says Clark.

In many cases, worsening, high-pitched tinnitus and hearing loss are linked to damage from noise exposure over time and can hit suddenly or worsen gradually, per a 2016 study in Noise & Health. Again, treatment involves learning how to deal with tinnitus, not “cure” it, so talk to a doctor about what could help ease your symptoms. Sometimes, hearing aids can help improve your hearing and distract you from the buzzing in your ears.

9. You could have an inner ear disorder.

On its own, hearing a low-pitched roaring or whooshing sound in one ear can be distressing. Add to that random episodes of dizziness and vertigo and a feeling of fullness in your ear (like it’s brimming with water), and you have every right to be concerned about what’s going on. In this case, you could have Ménière’s disease, a disorder characterized by hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizzy spells, says Palmer.

Ménière’s disease is believed to be caused by a fluid imbalance in your inner ear. While it is a chronic condition, dietary changes (like eating less salt and dialing down your caffeine and alcohol intake), medications, hearing aids, and other therapies can help you manage your symptoms.

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If you can’t hear the sound of silence it may be tinnitus

By Kathy Hubbard

 

“In addition to being exposed to some really loud noise over the last four days, I’ve also been sick with a cold and I’m pretty stressed out over a couple of unrelated things,” wrote a drummer and concert goer as he complained about a high-pitched ringing in his ear.

The condition is called tinnitus. We all get it once in a while. Some people get it for much, much longer periods, and others always have it. Pronounced either tin-NY-tis or TIN-u-tus it’s not a disease. It’s a symptom that something is wrong in the auditory system that includes the ear, the auditory nerve that connects the ear to the brain and the parts of the brain that processes sound.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) says that although it’s usually described as a ringing in the ear, tinnitus can also sound like roaring, clicking, hissing or buzzing.

“It may be soft or loud, high pitched or low pitched. You might hear it in either one or both ears. Roughly 10 percent of the adult population of the United States has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the past year,” NIDCD says.

“Something as simple as a piece of earwax blocking the ear canal can cause tinnitus. But it can also be the result of a number of health conditions, such as noise-induced hearing loss; ear and sinus infections; diseases of the heart or blood vessels; Meniere’s disease, brain tumors, hormonal changes in women, thyroid abnormalities.

“Tinnitus is sometimes the first sign of hearing loss in older people. It can also be a side effect of medications. More than 200 drugs are known to cause tinnitus when you start or stop taking them,” NIDC explains.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association adds that migraine headaches, stress, anemia, too much coffee and smoking cigarettes can also cause tinnitus. No wonder so many of us get it from time to time.

There isn’t a “cure” for tinnitus. For the most part, it will go away on its own. If it doesn’t, a trip to your healthcare provider will determine if you need to see an otolaryngologist (aka ear, nose and throat doctor). He or she may be able to offer specific ideas for getting rid of the noise.

The American Academy of Otolaryngology explains, “Some patients with hearing loss and tinnitus have a modest improvement in coping with the tinnitus using hearing aids with or without built-in ear-level maskers. Sound therapies that involve simple things like background music or noise or specialized ear level maskers may be a reasonable treatment option.

“The effects of tinnitus on quality of life may be improved by a course of counseling with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which usually involves a series of weekly sessions led by a trained professional.”

They say that if the tinnitus is so bothersome that it causes extreme anxiety or depression, treatment by a psychiatrist or psychologist may be warranted. And, they say that claims for dietary supplements, which are frequently advertised, have not been proven to be beneficial. They do say that some people have had some success with acupuncture although there haven’t been enough studies to prove its effectiveness.

Their tips for lessening the impact of tinnitus are to avoid exposure to loud sounds and noises. They advise you to keep your blood pressure under control, exercise each day and to get adequate rest and avoid fatigue.

They also recommend you “use physical (sound machine) and mental techniques to push the perception of the tinnitus to the background; the more you think about the tinnitus, the louder it will seem.”

So what can you do to prevent it? The NIDCD answers:

“Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Anything you can do to limit your exposure to loud noise, by moving away from the sound, turning down the volume, or wearing earplugs or earmuffs, will help prevent tinnitus or keep it from getting worse.”

Kathy Hubbard is a member of Bonner General Health Foundation Advisory Council. She can be reached at 264-4029 or [email protected].

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Why Does The Ringing in my Ears Come And go?

With tinnitus, it’s typical to have good and bad days but why? Tinnitus is the medical name for ringing in the ears, a condition that more than 45 million Americans experience, according to the American Tinnitus Association, and 90 percent of them also have some level of hearing loss.

But what is difficult to comprehend is why it’s virtually non-existent on some days and on others the ringing is so invasive. It’s not entirely clear why this occurs, but some typical triggers may clarify it.

What Is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus describes a condition where the patient hears phantom noises such as:

• Hissing
• Buzzing
• Roaring
• Ringing
• Clicking

You hear it, the guy beside you can’t, which is part of what makes tinnitus so disturbing. The noise can vary in pitch and volume, too. It may be gone one day and the next it’s a roar.

Exactly What is The Cause of Tinnitus?

Alterations in a person’s hearing are the most prevalent cause. These changes may be due to:

• Aging
• Noise trauma
• Ear bone changes
• Earwax build up

A few other possible causes include:

• An issue with the carotid artery or jugular vein
• Tumor in the neck or head
• High blood pressure
• Meniere’s disease
• Atherosclerosis
• TMJ issues
• Head trauma
• Acoustic neuroma

For a small fraction of people, there is no apparent explanation for them to have tinnitus.

If your tinnitus has just started, see your doctor to determine what is going on with your ears. The issue could be a symptom of a life threatening condition like heart disease or it might be something treatable. A side effect of a new medication may also be the cause.

Why Does the Ringing Get Worse on Some Days?

For those who have tinnitus it’s a medical mystery why it gets worse on some days. The reason could be different for each person, also. However, there may be some common triggers.

Loud Events

Your tinnitus can be aggravated by loud events such as concerts, club music, and fireworks. The number one way to go is to use hearing protection if you expect a lot of noise. They make earplugs, for example, that will permit you to enjoy music at a concert but reduce the impact it has on your ears.

Another thing you can do is to put some distance between you and the source of the noise. When you go to a fireworks show don’t go up front and stay away from the front row at a live performance. Combined with hearing protection, this will diminish the impact.

Loud Noises at Home

Loud noises in your house can also be harmful. Tinnitus can be triggered by a lawn mower for example. Think about other things you do at home that could be an issue:

• Woodworking – The tools you use are enough to cause a problem
• Laundry – If you fold clothing while the washer is running, for example.
• Wearing headphones – The function of headphones is to increase the volume of your audio which could be aggravating your tinnitus so it could be time to lose those earbuds.

If you can’t avoid loud noises at least use hearing protection.

Noises at Work

Loud noises at work are just as harmful as any other. It’s particularly important to use hearing protection if you work in construction or are around machinery. Your employer will most likely provide hearing protection if you inform them of your worries. Let your ears rest during your off time.

Air Pressure Changes

Many people have experienced ear popping when they fly. An increase in tinnitus can happen from the noise of the plane engine and the change in pressure. If you are traveling, take some gum with you to help neutralize the air pressure and think about ear protection.

Changes in air pressure happen everywhere not just on a plane. Taking the right medication to alleviate sinus pressure is also helpful.

Medication

Speaking of medication, that could also be the issue. Certain drugs are ototoxic, meaning they have an impact on the ears. Included on this list are these common medications:

• Diuretics
• Over-the-counter pain relievers
• Antibiotics

Consult your doctor if you experience a worsening of tinnitus after you begin taking a new prescription. It may be feasible to switch to something else.

Tinnitus is an annoyance for some people, but for others, it can be disabling. The first step is to find out what’s causing it and then consider ways to keep it under control from day to day.

Ears – Meniere’s disease – Better Health Channel

Meniere’s disease affects the inner ear, which is the centre of hearing and balance. During an attack, the person experiences vertigo – a sensation that they or the world around them is moving. They feel dizzy and sick, their hearing is dominated by a hissing or roaring sound (tinnitus), and one or both ears feel full to bursting point.

Meniere’s disease may develop slowly over time, with a gradual loss of hearing, or suddenly with a vertigo attack. Attacks can last from 10 minutes to several hours.

After an attack, the person may experience mild deafness and feel unsure of their footing. As the disease progresses, the episodes of vertigo become less frequent and the deafness becomes more severe.

The inner ear – balance and hearing

The inner ear contains a series of canals filled with fluid. These canals are at different angles. When your head is moved, the rolling of the fluid inside these canals tells your brain exactly how far, how fast and in what direction your head is moving. Information from these canals is passed along to the brain via the vestibular (balance) nerve. If your brain knows the position of the head, it can work out the position of the rest of your body.

The cochlea is the snail-shaped hearing organ in your inner ear, which is also filled with fluid. This fluid moves in response to sounds. Messages are passed along the hearing nerve to the brain to tell you what you are hearing. The build-up of fluid associated with Meniere’s disease disturbs the hearing nerve endings, causing hearing fluctuation and eventually permanent damage.

Causes of Meniere’s disease

While the exact cause of Meniere’s disease is not known, symptoms are due to a build-up of fluid inside the inner ear. This interrupts messages to the brain from both the balance and the hearing nerves, causing loss of control of these functions.

Symptoms of Meniere’s disease

The symptoms of Meniere’s disease include:

• loss of clear hearing – or loss of ability to distinguish speech or location of sound
• loss of balance (vertigo) – the surroundings seem to spin. Some people feel a degree of motion sickness, while others may even vomit or experience diarrhoea
• noises in the ear (tinnitus) – described as hissing, roaring or ringing, or a combination of sounds. The tinnitus may be relentless, or fade in and out. The volume of the tinnitus is variable too, and often increases before a Meniere’s attack
• hearing loss – usually in the low frequencies and includes a fuzzy, unclear quality to sounds
• ear fullness – a sensation that the ear is under pressure and close to bursting
• sensitivity to noise – some noises can hurt the ears, while other noises may be quiet, but of a particular pitch that causes pain.

Often, one or two symptoms will be more noticeable than others.

Diagnosis of Meniere’s disease

A diagnosis of Meniere’s disease includes vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus and a feeling of pressure. Many of the symptoms of Meniere’s disease can also be caused by other conditions, so diagnosis of the condition often involves first ruling out other medical possibilities.

There is no specific test for Meniere’s disease, but doctors use a range of tests in combination to help diagnose the disorder. These include:

• Hearing tests – to test if hearing loss is specific to your inner ear. Low frequency loss is an indicator of Meniere’s.
• Electronystagmography (ENG) – measures involuntary eye movement while your balance is put under stress.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – can be used to rule out disorders of the central nervous system that may be confused with Meniere’s disease, such as acoustic neuroma, Arnold-Chiari malformation and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Treatment for Meniere’s disease

There is no cure for Meniere’s disease. Treatment generally focuses on managing symptoms, and preventing or decreasing the number of attacks. Where possible, the aim is to conserve hearing and reduce balance problems.

Non-surgical options include:

• medication – to control vertigo, nausea and vomiting, and reduce anxiety and fluid retention
• lifestyle changes – stress management, dietary changes, especially a low-salt diet, and quitting smoking
• pressure pulse devices – to help relieve the build-up of pressure and reduce vertigo for people whose symptoms do not respond to medical therapy
• chemical ablation – an antibiotic is used to reduce or destroy the remaining balance (vestibular) functions of the inner ear, so that signals are no longer sent to the brain.

If you are experiencing severe attacks of vertigo and medical treatments don’t help, surgery may be considered as a last resort. This may include procedures that:

• alter the build-up of fluid in your inner ear (endolymphatic sac procedures)
• destroy the balance mechanism of the inner ear (vestibular nerve section or vestibular neurectomy) – these are serious operations that carry a risk of hearing loss, can temporarily disrupt your balance and may require a period of rehabilitation.

Management of Meniere’s disease

Your doctor can help you to find ways to manage your symptoms and help reduce the frequency and severity of attacks associated with Meniere’s disease. Some suggestions include:

• Recognise the warning signs of an attack – sit or lie down immediately when you feel dizzy.
• Rest during and after attacks, before returning to regular activities.
• If you experience balance problems between attacks, you may benefit from doing exercises and activities that help your body and brain regain the ability to process balance information correctly. This is called vestibular rehabilitation therapy.
• Avoid triggers that make your symptoms worse, including sudden movement, bright lights, watching television or reading.
• Beware of losing your balance – good lighting, an even walking surface and use of a walking stick can help you to maintain stability and avoid a fall.
• Avoid driving a car or operating heavy machinery if you experience frequent episodes of vertigo, as this could lead to an accident and injury.
• Use a hearing aid if you experience hearing loss.
• Eat regular meals – an even intake of food and drink throughout the day can help regulate your body fluids.
• Reduce your salt (sodium) intake – eating too much salt increases the fluid in your inner ear and makes your symptoms worse. It is recommended that adults eat no more than 460 mg to 920 mg of sodium (note that one teaspoon of salt contains 2,300 mg of sodium) per day. However, people with Meniere’s are advised to reduce their intake even further to minimise the severity of symptoms. Most fresh foods are naturally low in salt, but processed foods often are not.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol – excessive amounts of caffeine (in tea, coffee, chocolate and cola drinks) or alcohol can constrict your blood vessels and make your symptoms worse.
• Quit smoking – avoiding nicotine may lessen the severity of your symptoms.
• Join a support group – it can offer understanding and information to help you live with and manage your condition. Your doctor can recommend a support group in your area.

Where to get help

• Your doctor
• Hearing specialist – ear, nose and throat specialist (ENT)
• Audiologist

Treatment of tinnitus and headaches

Clinical treatment of tinnitus and headaches

The symptoms of some diseases are sometimes very similar, but they require different treatment methods. Only a specialist after a diagnostic examination can establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment. To find out the cause of the ailment and start treatment, sign up for a consultation with a neurologist.

Why “Movement”

1. The clinic is located in the Vyborg district of St. Petersburg, near the Ozerki metro station.
2. Receptions are conducted by qualified doctors with many years of experience in the treatment of various neurological diseases and problems of the musculoskeletal system.
3. Comprehensive treatment programs developed by our specialists in the overwhelming majority of cases make it possible to do without surgical intervention, even in very difficult clinical situations.
4. Prices for medical services are available.

Methods of treatment of tinnitus and head noise

The doctor proposes specific methods of treatment to the patient individually, based on the data of the diagnostic study.but all the techniques used in the clinic are effective and time-tested. they can be divided into several types:

• Hardware – resonance-wave UHF therapy, laser therapy, magnetic laser therapy, vacuum laser therapy.
• Medication – blockade (drugs “Diprospan” and “Dexamethasone”), intravenous infusion based on “Dexamethasone” or another drug according to indications, pharmacopuncture.
• Manual – manual therapy, massage.
• In addition to the above methods, our clinic also uses plasma lifting and reflexology.

Noise and ringing in the ears, head, headache, dizziness – such symptoms, if they recur, are worth paying attention to, because they can be caused by serious problems indicating a disease that requires treatment:

• cerebrovascular accident ;
• compression of the vessels located at the level of the cervical spine;
• increased or, conversely, decreased intracranial pressure;
• anomalies in the development of the vessels of the cervical spine.

What diseases the body signals with noise in the ears and head:

• osteochondrosis;
• scoliosis;
• dorsopathy;
• disc herniation;
• Disc protrusion;
• periarthritis of the shoulder scapula;
• listez;
• spondylosis;
• spondyloarthrosis;
• radiculopathy;
• myositis;
• muscle-tonic syndrome;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• progressive hypertension.
• Discomfort in the head and ears also occurs as a consequence of a compression fracture of the spine, due to post-traumatic deformities of the spine, birth trauma.

What is tinnitus?

• Tinnitus is a condition in which sounds such as ringing, whistling, buzzing, or tinkling are heard in the ears without the source of the noise.
• These sounds, having no external source, can be heard in one ear or both, or even in the head.
• Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from several causes. Most often this is a consequence of exposure to loud noise. Also, the cause of tinnitus can be infection, inflammation or foreign objects in the ear, circulatory disorders, indigestion, cardiovascular diseases, neurological and psychiatric diseases, age-related changes in nerve endings in the auditory nerve of the inner ear, the use of certain drugs, and many others. causes.In many cases, the cause of the tinnitus cannot be identified.
• Tinnitus occurs in approximately 10% of people.
• Tinnitus may be accompanied by hearing loss.
• Tinnitus leads to a decrease in the quality of life.

How to reduce tinnitus?

First of all, it is necessary to undergo a course of treatment for the underlying disease. In addition, the following tips can help:

• Avoid exposure to loud sounds and noises, use ear plugs or headphones to protect you from the noise.
• Monitor your blood pressure.
• Reduce the amount of salt in your diet.
• Do not use caffeine or tobacco.
• Try to reduce tension and anxiety.
• Try not to worry too much about your condition. Noise will bother you a lot if you constantly think about it.
• You should get plenty of rest.
• Be physically active.
• Disguise the sound. Tinnitus tends to be more troubling in silence. In this case, the radio can help.
• Do not take medications that could make your condition worse.
• Regular use of Bilobil reduces tinnitus.

90,033 90,000 I hear ringing: 8 reasons why your ears are ringing

If you have a ringing in your ears, then you should not dismiss it as something annoying and hope that it will go away on its own.Reader’s Digest Best Health explains what tinnitus may indicate.

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If you hear ringing, squeaking, humming, throbbing, hissing or noise, your body may thus be trying to tell you that something is not as it should be.

Tinnitus is not really a disease. This is a condition that occurs due to various reasons. Tinnitus affects people of all ages and can be extremely unpleasant, disturbing, or subtle. However, if your tinnitus lasts more than two weeks, you should definitely see your doctor.

Quiet!

Foto: PantherMedia / Scanpix

Tinnitus may be a reaction to sounds that are too loud. People working in noisy environments without proper hearing protection or listening to music that is too loud put their hearing at high risk.Try to be good for your hearing – when you go jogging, turn down the music volume in your headphones by half, and wear soundproof headphones even when mowing the lawn.

Time to clean your ears

Very often, accumulation of earwax can block the ear canal and cause “phantom” sounds. See an otolaryngologist who will remove anything that might be getting in your way from your ear canals. Very often, after such a cleaning, the tinnitus goes away.

Head trauma, concussion

Foto: PantherMedia / Scanpix

Have you recently experienced blows to the head or head? Tinnitus is often the result of a head injury, concussion, or contusion (contusion) of the brain, especially with unilateral contusion.Always wear a safety helmet or hard hat if you play injury-prone sports or hazardous work.

Time to the dentist

It also happens that people are sure that their ears are ringing when they are not. If the temporomandibular joint malfunctions, a person may also hear strange sounds. In this case, the patient needs to consult a dentist who will help to understand the reason and prescribe further actions.

Medicines

Foto: Shutterstock

Many medications have severe side effects, including tinnitus, especially when taken in high doses.Many antibiotics, antidepressants, and even large doses of aspirin have these effects. If medication is the cause, tinnitus usually goes away almost immediately after you stop taking it.

Bone growth

Otosclerosis is an inherited disease that causes rapid growth of the bones of the middle ear from the age of 30. It can lead to tinnitus and even hearing loss, but it can be corrected with surgery. If someone in your family has had otosclerosis, then you can be prepared for this.

Time for examination

Tinnitus and tinnitus can be symptoms of various diseases: from excessive fluid pressure in the middle ear (Meniere’s disease), a non-cancer tumor (neuroma of the auditory nerve) to hypertension, diabetes and even allergies. If you are concerned about any tinnitus for more than two weeks, be sure to consult your doctor and get tested. Tinnitus can be caused by both a harmless and a very serious disease.

Stress

Foto: PantherMedia / Scanpix

Tinnitus can occur in response to stress.While emotional stress is not technically the cause of tinnitus, it can act as an amplifier. If something is wrong, then by the end of the day you may notice that your tinnitus has worsened. Caffeine also has a similar effect. Either way, see a healthcare professional who can find a symptom reduction strategy that’s right for you.

What if my tinnitus cannot be cured?

If your hearing is irreparably damaged, tinnitus may never leave you, but there are certain tricks that can help you cope with it.There are tiny hearing aids that send white noise into the ear to hide tinnitus. The disadvantage of this technique is the short-term effectiveness. Another method is special therapy that trains you to move away from tinnitus.

There are devices that play your favorite sounds – the sound of waves or instrumental music – at exactly the same frequency as your tinnitus.

Foto: PantherMedia / Scanpix

Over time, you learn not to notice or respond to sound in your ears.It takes many hours of training, but it’s worth it.

90,000 What is tinnitus and how it threatens music lovers and musicians

Karabas Live editor Yuri Bereza – about a symptom that can drive you crazy if you listen to a lot of loud music

This summer the movie “Baby on a Drive” was released. It told a very standard story – there is a guy named Baby, who knows how to drive a car well and helps robbers to get away from the cops with his skill. He needs to complete the last task to pay off the crime boss.

The plot is as old as the world. But, as always, there is a nuance. Baby is a great music lover who does not part with the player, even when not driving. He is constantly listening to something. The reason is tinnitus. Music distracts him.

Tinnitus. Sounds exotic. We dug a little deeper – there is little exotic in this disease. It is translated from Latin as “ringing a bell”. Tinnitus is when something continually rings or beeps in your ears. No one is immune from unwanted and annoying sound.As it turned out, musicians and those who go to concerts and listen to music at maximum volume most often suffer from tinnitus. That is, the risk group is very extensive.

The bell-ringing problem has been around for centuries, but the attention in music circles began to draw attention to it in 2014, when the Pitchfork webzine published Molly Bushmin’s column “How Loud is ‘Very Loud’? Doctors and club owners on loudness and hearing loss. ” It cited the following statistics at the time: about 50 million Americans suffer from tinnitus.Of those 50, 2 million suffer from tinnitus to the point that they cannot properly wash the dishes or go shopping.

I decided to find out where tinnitus comes from, how to protect yourself from it, and which of your idols is constantly “fading in your ears.”

I hear a ringing – I don’t know where he is

As already mentioned, tinnitus is translated as “ringing a bell”. This does not mean that St. Sophia Cathedral and Kiev-Pechersk Lavra will ring in your ears for a couple. Otolaryngologist Ivanna Nebor says that tinnitus sounds different.

Some describe this as the sound of falling water, whistling, or just noise. It is important to note that tinnitus is not perceived as a disease. In most cases, this is a symptom that occurs in certain diseases – for example, atherosclerosis or Meniere’s disease

Tinnitus is caused by pressure on the inner ear. It contains special analyzers that read everything we hear. Musicians are the first queues to get the annoying sound.

They are constantly exposed to loud music during rehearsals and concerts.Loud sound damages the analyzers and eventually rings

Ivanna Nebor

Ivanna notes: tinnitus also appears due to mental problems. For example, anxiety and depression.

Sometimes, with severe nervous overstrain, patients may complain of ringing that occurs, but this is directly related to the vessels. When a person experiences stress, their blood pressure may rise. Because of this, vasospasm appears. It can affect the inner ear and cause tinnitus.Noise reduces performance and, as a result, causes depression.

The critical point at which you need to go to the doctor is a noticeable hearing loss.

You may not notice that your hearing has become worse, as with prolonged listening to loud music, the deterioration occurs gradually. For example, ask your friends to speak louder or increase the volume of the rehearsal by a few points

Go to the doctor “without a bell”

You can save yourself from tinnitus.The rules are simple – at concerts, musicians should perform in ear monitors and control the sound level, listeners should take earplugs with them if it is too loud. For rehearsals, Nebor recommends the following:

Rehearsals are more frequent than concerts and are easier to supervise. The maximum permissible sound for prolonged exposure should not exceed 80 dB. Also monitor listening to music with headphones: take 15-minute breaks every 2 hours

There is a therapy that can help reduce the effects of tinnitus.If in “Little Boy on the Drive” it was music, then in real life it is a certain set of sounds.

It is believed that in severe and prolonged forms of tinnitus, the principle of “damping” this ringing with other sounds helps. Therapy consists of several components. An important stage is listening to the correct tone, which is blocked by the annoying ringing so that you stop paying attention to it. The sound used is selected individually. It can be white noise or background music

Cover your ears and listen more quietly

I first encountered earplugs at the Swans concert in Kiev in 2015.At the entrance there was a guy who was selling earplugs for 10 hryvnia – a couple. Then it seemed funny to me – they say that no one has ever been to high-profile concerts? Somewhere in the middle of the set, I, of course, a little regretted not taking them. There was not a band on the stage, but a steel mill.

Around the same time, I met Bogdan Kaidanovich – the only person from my company who takes earplugs to concerts. Bogdan told why he started using them:

Bought earplugs about 2 years ago.There were many articles on this topic, I read about permanent hearing loss – with a sufficiently long exposure to noise / music at a certain volume, a person gradually loses it. And over time he hears worse, this is an irreversible process. The thing is, the effects of noise build up and hearing problems can develop over time, over the years of regular concerts. Well, cases of tinnitus in musicians / concert goers are not uncommon.

Bogdan at the Rock Werchter Festival in Belgium in 2015

I have no hearing problems now, fortunately.I hope that it will not continue. Therefore, when I feel uncomfortable listening to a concert at full volume, I use earplugs. They are almost always needed for indoor concerts. At festivals, sometimes the volume may not be enough with them, but if you are in the forefront, this is always a must. Recently, I see more and more visitors wearing earplugs, and rightly so. Again, they can be adjusted, and basically I try to do so as to hear 70-80% of the original volume – it turns out just right

Stellar example

Most of the musicians and band members you love have lived or live with ringing in your ears.Here are a few of them.

Claire Boucher , known as Grimes , in 2012 rescheduled some of her concerts in support of the Visions album due to hearing problems. She tweeted: “Sorry guys, but I have to cancel four shows due to hearing problems and tinnitus. You need to be away from loud music for a while. ”. In an interview with Time Out Shanghai, she admitted that tinnitus appeared out of stupidity: “I have been listening to music at the maximum since I was 12 years old.With Visions I have done five hectic European tours, one by one. Now I understand it was stupid. ”.

Rainbow Boy, Chris Martin of Coldplay also suffered from tinnitus. The reason is loud music as a teenager: “I suffered from tinnitus for about ten years and since I started protecting my ears, it has never gotten worse. On the contrary, I regret that I didn’t do it earlier ”.

Tinnitus also did not go away with of the Gallagher brothers from Oasis , which is not surprising considering how loud their first three records sounded.In 2013, Liam and Noelle talked about it, albeit separately. Noel mentioned in an interview with radio station Talksport, and Liam said during one of the concerts of the then band Beady Eye: “No doubt, I have tinnitus. You’re not a real rock star if you don’t have one. I’ve learned to live with tinnitus – I just speak louder than that fucking ringing. ”.

Got hit and Ozzy Osbourne . This fact can hardly be called a surprise – it would be strange if after Black Sabbath he remained completely healthy. “I suffer from permanent tinnitus, which makes me partially deaf. This is “whoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!” all the time in my head. I guess I should have worn the earplugs. ”.

Will.i.am , a member of The Black Eyed Peas and an almost permanent judge in Britain’s The Voice, also has hearing problems: “I have no idea what silence is. How do I sleep with tinnitus? I just turn on the TV louder. ”

Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers received his portion of squeak for the rest of his life, as he described in his autobiography “Scar Tissue”.Kiedis says it happened while the Peppers were touring with Nirvana. After the concert, Anthony and drummer Chad Smith heard ringing in their ears. At the end of Kiedis’s tour, it did not stop: “Unfortunately, this is one of the things that is difficult to cure” .

Photo – Viktor Lisin, personal archive of Bogdan Kaidanovich

90,000 What is the effect of arterial hypertension on hearing

One of the most important sense organs of the human body, which plays a huge role in all spheres of life, is hearing.Its deterioration can do great harm to a person’s condition, making life very difficult. But, unfortunately, such deviations are becoming more common.

Sensorineural (sensorineural) hearing loss is a process of hearing loss that is caused by severe damage to structures in the inner ear or other parts of the nervous system associated with ear function.

One of the main causes of the disease is a violation of the vascular tone. Deviations in the work of blood vessels can occur in such a way that a person will not suspect about the disorders he has in his body.But the vessel itself is damaged more every day, hearing is slowly deteriorating, but one day it disappears altogether. Such problems are often associated with high pressure, at which the vessels are under great stress, sharply and strongly narrowed and expanded.

In modern medicine, it is arterial hypertension that is considered a dangerous pathology that occurs in half of the population and often becomes the main cause of hearing problems. The blood flow in the cochlea is directly related to the general indicators of blood pressure and blood circulation in the brain.With each increase in pressure, hearing deteriorates by about 10 – 20 dB. With timely treatment, such violations are reversible.

Symptoms of hearing impairment

But, despite the ability of medicine to restore hearing in the early stages of its deterioration, people often do not pay attention to dizziness and tinnitus, which are signs of high blood pressure and persist for some time after its normalization. This is the most important symptom that abnormalities in the work of the ear have begun.

The symptom of tinnitus is called tinnitus in another way – this is a subjective perception of sound, when objectively no sound stimulus comes from the outside. The development of this feature correlates with strong background activity at any level in the auditory canal.

If you visit an ENT doctor in Novosibirsk on time, he conducts an examination and starts treatment, then within one month the hearing will be restored without additional complications. Under other conditions, one can only hope for the stabilization of hearing and the normalization of the patient’s quality of life through the use of hearing aids.

Around the world, global studies are underway to clarify the condition of the hearing organs in people with pathology of arterial hypertension. In one of these studies, hearing was tested in patients at stages 2 and 3 of hypertension using the method of threshold tone audiometry.
All patients were divided into groups:

The first group included patients with stage 2 of the disease – their blood pressure increased to 160 – 169/100 – 109 mm Hg. and was diagnosed with left ventricular hypertrophy.

The second group consisted of patients with stage 3 of the disease – their blood pressure rose to values ​​of 200 – 209/110 – 119, some of them additionally had a diagnosis of heart failure, and had a stroke / heart attack in their medical history.

In the 1st group, in 25% of patients, hearing remained normal, and in 50% of patients it was slightly reduced, which could be easily corrected by appropriate treatment. The remaining 25% of patients needed a more serious restoration of hearing, because the degree of its impairment was already socially significant and reflected in their daily life.

In the second group, none of the patients had normal hearing, in addition, all of them were diagnosed with severe impairment affecting everyday life – this is 2 or 3 degrees of hearing loss. Such diagnoses require medication and the use of a hearing aid.

Treatment and prevention of violations

To prevent the onset and further development of hearing impairment, every person under the age of 50 should visit a doctor to check the condition of the hearing aid at least once every 10 years.
After 50 years for people with a diagnosis of arterial hypertension, see a specialist:

1 time per year or more often when a hearing disorder is diagnosed;

1 time in three years or more often when no violations were found.

Treatment will require the involvement of various specialists, taking into account the individual characteristics of the pathology. When diagnosed with hearing impairment as a result of arterial hypertension, a course of medication is required to help stabilize hearing function.Such therapy is carried out at least 2 times a year.

When treatment was started on time, the prognosis remains favorable in half of the patients. The other half will need to get at least hearing stabilization and subsequently implement rehabilitation through prosthetics.

90,000 Doctors explain why after COVID-19 you can lose hearing

Coronavirus is able to enter the brain and damage neurons, which leads to disruption of the sensory organs, doctors are sure.The most common consequence of this is the disappearance of the sense of smell. However, in some cases, hearing impairment and even complete hearing loss are also possible. Doctors told Gazeta.Ru who develops this ailment most often and how to protect themselves from it.

Coronavirus can cause hearing loss, said the doctor of medical sciences, immunologist Vladislav Zhemchugov in an interview with TASS.

“Doctors already know that due to COVID-19 deafness may occur or hearing may suffer – false sounds appear,” said the immunologist.

Earlier, scientists from University College London and the Royal National Committee said that some patients with coronavirus infection complained of tinnitus – ringing or tinnitus without any external cause.

In addition, the researchers pointed out that there were cases when patients with a severe course of the disease subsequently completely lost their hearing. As an example, they cited a 45-year-old man who was being treated in a hospital, including an intensive care unit.A week after he recovered, he noticed a noise in his left ear, and later, a complete sudden loss of hearing. Prior to this, the patient did not experience hearing difficulties, scientists say.

In this regard, British scientists urged doctors to pay attention to changes in hearing in patients and take timely measures to determine the presence of coronavirus and adjust the treatment of patients.

According to Zhemchugov, hearing impairment can occur because SARS-CoV-2 penetrates directly into the brain.“The coronavirus damages the body in many ways, from the transport of oxygen by the blood to the vessels and nerves in almost all organs. Where the virus finds the weakest point in the body, it will strike there, whether it will be the lungs, or it will be the brain, or it will be the kidneys, it already depends not only on the virus, but on each individual person, what he was sick before and how he feels at this particular moment, “- said the immunologist.

Medica’s words are confirmed by a study published in October 2020 by Brazilian scientists on the medRxiv portal.SARS-CoV-2 is capable of attacking astrocytes – the most numerous cells of the central nervous system (CNS), doctors found out. This leads to damage in the cerebral cortex – up to the atrophy of its individual areas.

As neurologist Anna Kudryavtseva explained to Gazeta.Ru, SARS-CoV-2 is similar to astrocytes, so the brain does not recognize it as a foreign agent. “By themselves, astrocytes play a big role in the brain,” said the doctor.

At the same time, according to her, the infection attacks not only astrocytes, but all microglial cells (the most important cells of the central nervous system), and also directly affects neurons.In addition, the number of synapses (points of contact between two neurons in the brain) also decreases. That is why the neurological manifestations of the infection persist for a long time after recovery.

Pulmonologist Sergei Puryasev told RBC that as a result of the penetration of coronavirus into the brain, neuritis, an inflammatory disease of peripheral nerves, often develops.

“Hearing impairments are directly related to neuritis of the auditory nerve. At first, it manifests itself as tinnitus, and subsequently there may be paresis and paralysis of the auditory nerve, ”Puryasev specified.

At the same time, otorhinolaryngologist Natalya Sergeeva told Gazeta.Ru that inflammation of the middle ear can be the cause of hearing problems in coronavirus. “The coronavirus penetrates specific types of lung cells – they are also found on the surface of the cells lining the middle ear,” she explained and added that sudden hearing loss is also observed with complications after other viral infections.

General practitioner Maxim Yudichev is sure that hearing loss is only a temporary symptom caused by the individual characteristics of the course of the disease.

“You cannot completely protect yourself from such complications, but you can stop it in time. To do this, you need to pay attention to the initial symptoms and, at the slightest suspicion, go to the doctor.

You can also visit osteopaths and masseurs more often – this will help keep the nervous system in good shape. Do not forget about the emotional state, which can also affect the stability of our nerves and brains, ”the expert concluded in an interview with Gazeta.Ru.

90,000 How to live with tinnitus.Tips.

Tinnitus is described as phantom auditory perception – the perception of sound in the absence of an external sound signal. It can affect one or both ears. A diagnosis of tinnitus is often a surprise. Unfortunately, some patients often find out from their doctors that their “tinnitus” is incurable.

Such information makes patients feel isolated and convinced that no one can understand what they are going through.Because tinnitus occurs for many reasons, there is no specific medication or general treatment. Regardless, even with chronic tinnitus, there are ways to find relief and control the situation.

Learn again how you hear

Consciously listen to the world around you. Enjoy your favorite music or just the singing of birds. Anything that gives your ears a varied sound experience distracts attention from tinnitus.

Strive for restorative sleep

The more active you are during the day, the easier it is to sleep at night.Avoid black tea, coffee, and heavy meals in the evening. Neither alcohol nor sleeping pills guarantee a restful sleep – a warm bath before bed is the best option.

Be active, stay on the move

Enjoy life with family and friends and organize your personal life with lots of activity and variety. Maintain an open mind. Anything that enhances your personal sense of well-being and pleasure in life reduces the effects of tinnitus.

Avoid silence

Take a break from time to time. However, avoid total silence, which is an open invitation to tinnitus. Choose pleasant sources of sound stimulus – an audiobook or relaxing music.

Promote your fitness

People who exercise are healthier and this also applies to people with tinnitus. Go in for your favorite sport, and even if it seems to you that at these moments you hear more tinnitus, this will all pass at the end of the load and can lead to quick switching and rest.

Learn to Relax Effectively

Since tinnitus is stressful, it is important to learn relaxation techniques and use them regularly. Some recommended relaxation techniques are Feldenkrais, yoga, tai chi and qigong.

Get More Information

Visit our tinnitus page on our website to learn more about how Signia hearing aids can help manage the effects of tinnitus and may even go away altogether.