Ringing. Buzzing. Chirping. Roaring. Clicking. Rushing water. Crickets. What do all of these words and phrases have in common? Each can be used to describe the phenomenon known as tinnitus. According to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), approximately 50 million Americans experience tinnitus. For most, this experience can be chalked up as one of life’s little annoyances. However, for 12 million of those it can be persistent, bothersome, and unsettling.
Tinnitus (pronounced TIN-i-tus or tin-NIGHT-us) is the auditory perception of sound in the ears or head that is present when there is no external sound source. As mentioned above, you may have heard of tinnitus being referred to as various sounds, like those listed above. In the vast majority of cases tinnitus is subjective — meaning no one else can hear it except the person who is experiencing it. It can be perceived in one ear, both ears, or in the head. Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom of a physiological or psychological issue. Unfortunately, in most cases it is difficult, or impossible, to pinpoint the exact cause. Most commonly, the cause is thought to be damage to the microscopic hair cells of the inner ear.
Exposure to loud noise is the most common trigger of tinnitus. This can result from a sudden loud noise or prolonged exposure to loud noise levels. If you’ve ever gone to a concert and left with your ears ringing, you’ve experienced this phenomenon. Although a one-time exposure to noise can cause permanent damage, often tinnitus caused by a period of noise exposure (e.g. a concert) is temporary, and a “warning sign” that damage to the inner ear has occurred. Repeated exposure will ultimately lead to permanent damage.
Other possible causes of tinnitus include certain types of medication side effects, cardiovascular disease, tumors, and wax build-up in the ears. Furthermore, environmental factors such as stress, anxiety, and certain foods, can exacerbate tinnitus. It is important to note, however, that tinnitus is typically not a sign of a serious medical condition.
The most common question from patients who experience tinnitus is, “So, how can I make it stop?” In cases where the tinnitus is a symptom of another known disease or condition, treating the underlying condition will often alleviate the tinnitus as well. Unfortunately, in most cases there is no way to completely eliminate tinnitus. There have been various drug treatments suggested for the alleviation of tinnitus, ranging from over-the-counter herbal supplements to prescription anti-anxiety or anti-depressant medications. Although these medications can be helpful for some people, there is no scientific evidence to prove the effectiveness of any of them. As a matter of fact, it would be fair to say that there is no scientifically proven treatment for tinnitus.
Although it is very difficult to eliminate tinnitus, there are options available that can lessen the burden tinnitus places on many people’s lives. The first step to getting help for tinnitus is to consult with your family doctor and/or an ear, nose, and throat physician. The next step would be to have your hearing tested by an audiologist. A hearing test will determine if a hearing loss is present, the type and amount of hearing loss, and any differences between your ears.
For normal hearing individuals, tinnitus is often perceived as more severe at night when the person is trying to sleep. In these cases, “sound therapy” — noise machines, fans, music, etc. — may be recommended as a way to mask (i.e., “cover up”) the annoying tinnitus.
For those with hearing loss, the tinnitus may be prominent all day long because the hearing loss prevents them from hearing all of the ambient sounds in the environment, and often hearing aids may be recommended. Hearing aids, by helping one to hear those ambient sounds, can help to mask the tinnitus, making them essentially their own form of sound therapy. For more severe cases, there are even hearing aids available with tinnitus masking capabilities that can be programmed to present constant white noise along with the amplification.
There are more involved therapy options, such as biofeedback, cognitive therapy, and tinnitus retraining therapy, that can help with the most serious cases of tinnitus, and are only provided at specialized tinnitus management centers.
If you’d like to do some research on your own regarding tinnitus, the American Tinnitus Association at www.ata.org, provides a comprehensive, user-friendly website that can answer some of your questions. Also, for further information or to schedule an appointment to have your ears examined with the professionals of the Midwest Hearing Center, please call our Morton office at 309-284-0164 or our Peoria office at 309-691-6616.
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