Signs You Have Tinnitus
Over 50 million people in the US suffer from tinnitus. Its such a common condition and is caused by a plethora of different things. Most people suffer from tinnitus after being around loud noises for a long period of time – for example, attending a concert or working around loud machinery. However, it can also occur randomly, or be the result of an ear infection.
Tinnitus isnt a serious medical condition, but its well worth seeing an audiologist if you have it. They can diagnose the type of tinnitus you have, and assess whether or not its permanent. In this blog post, we will be talking about four telltale signs you have tinnitus. If you spot any of these signs on yourself, then book an appointment with your audiologist today.
Symptoms Of Tinnitus Can Cause Great Distress
While tinnitus can be caused by conditions that require medical attention, it is often a condition that is not medically serious. However, the distress and anxiety it produces can often disrupt peoples lives. Because of the negative impact tinnitus can have on people, it may be helpful to learn more information on what symptoms are common and benign , and those that require medical attention and interventions.
Why Do I Have It
There are a number of reasons for tinnitus. The most common situation is that it often comes as an unwanted ‘added extra’ when you develop age-related hearing loss. It may also occur as a consequence of exposure to loud noise, or from working in a noisy place for a long time. Sometimes it is a symptom of other medical conditions, such as Ménière’s disease, ear infections or inner ear conditions. Occasionally it’s caused by a build-up of wax in the ear . Sometimes there is no obvious reason.
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Why Do Ears Ring For A Few Seconds
Tinnitus can develop with or without hearing loss, and it can be felt in one or both ears, as well as in the brain, depending on the individual. Tinnitus is a condition that affects around 50 million people in the United States. It normally only lasts a few seconds or even minutes for most people at a time, depending on their circumstances.
Why Did My Ear Suddenly Started Ringing
Tinnitus is usually caused by an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury or a problem with the circulatory system. For many people, tinnitus improves with treatment of the underlying cause or with other treatments that reduce or mask the noise, making tinnitus less noticeable.
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Youre Always Surrounded By Loud Noises
If youre 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 theyre responsible for responding to, and those that take in higher pitches are located at the base of your cochlea , explains Palmer. Because of this, all sound energy from the lowest to highest pitches runs past these hair cellswhich 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 .
What To Do If You Think You Have Tinnitus
The first steps to take if you think you have tinnitus is to note the details surrounding your symptoms. Did you begin a new medicine or were injured or exposed to excessive noise right before it started? Is the tinnitus in one or both ears? Does it fluctuate or is constant? Do you have a hearing loss?
Next, visit your physician or make an appointment with an ENT . Also, have your hearing checked by an audiologist.
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Why Do I Hear Random High Pitched Ringing
Tinnitus happens when we consciously hear a sound that does not come from any source outside the body. It is not a disease, but a symptom of an underlying problem. The noise is usually subjective, meaning that only the person who has tinnitus can hear it. The most common form is a steady, high-pitched ringing.
What Can I Do About It
The most important thing you can do about your tinnitus is discuss it with your physician. Often you will be sent for a hearing test, because most tinnitus is associated with some degree of hearing loss. The hearing test will often provide additional information to the physician about whether further tests are necessary.
If it is determined that tinnitus is caused by any of the conditions previously noted, treatment aimed at those conditions may offer relief. If there is hearing loss, hearing aids may help both hearing and tinnitus. Distraction techniques such as a white-noise machine or background noise may also help, particularly during sleep.
One of the challenges in treating non-pulsatile, benign tinnitus is that there are few medications that reliably resolve symptoms. It is also difficult to find medical therapies for tinnitus, because we are still working to identify a specific location where tinnitus originates. Despite this challenge, there is new research showing effective non-medication approaches to tinnitus, One example of this is neural stimulation techniques, which have shown promise in appropriate patients.
The most effective treatment for non-pulsatile, benign tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy. Specific behavioral therapy, called tinnitus retraining therapy, has consistently been shown to reduce tinnitus compared to other treatment modalities. This can also aid in addressing any underlying stress or anxiety about the condition.
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What To Expect At Your Office Visit
The following tests may be done:
- Blood vessel studies
TREATMENT
Fixing the problem, if it can be found, may make your symptoms go away. If TMJ is the cause, your dentist may suggest dental appliances or home exercises to treat teeth clenching and grinding.
Talk to your provider about all your current medicines to see if a drug may be causing the problem. This may include over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and supplements. Do not stop taking any medicine without talking to your provider.
Many medicines are used to relieve symptoms of tinnitus, but no drug works for everyone. Your provider may have you try different medicines or combinations of medicines to see what works for you.
A tinnitus masker worn like a hearing aid helps some people. It delivers low-level sound directly into the ear to cover the ear noise.
A hearing aid may help reduce ear noise and make outside sounds louder.
Counseling may help you learn to live with tinnitus. Your provider may suggest biofeedback training to help with stress.
Some people have tried alternative therapies to treat tinnitus. These methods have not been proven, so talk to your provider before trying them.
Tinnitus can be managed. Talk with your provider about a management plan that works for you.
The American Tinnitus Association offers a good resource center and support group.
Can I Do Anything To Prevent Tinnitus Or Keep It From Getting Worse
Noise-induced hearing loss, the result of damage to the sensory hair cells of the inner ear, is one of the most common causes of tinnitus. Anything you can do to limit your exposure to loud noiseby moving away from the sound, turning down the volume, or wearing earplugs or earmuffswill help prevent tinnitus or keep it from getting worse.
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Reasons Why Your Ears Ring Randomly And What To Do About It
Damage to the inner ear can lead to hearing loss and ringing sounds.
A random ringing in your ears can be really annoying. Known as tinnitus, this maddening condition is a common complaint. But what causes ringing in the ears, exactly?
An estimated 15 percent of Americans thats more than 50 million people contend with some form of tinnitus over the course of their life, according to the American Tinnitus Association .
We spoke with Cecelia Damask, DO, a board-certified otolaryngologist , to understand the reasons behind ringing ears and the best strategies to find relief.
Tip
Tinnitus isnt always a ringing sound it can also be a buzzing, hissing, whistling, swooshing or clicking noise, per the ATA.
Ironically, the loud ringing in your ears may signal youre hard of hearing.
Overall, most tinnitus is thought to be sensorineural, which means that it is due to hearing loss at the cochlea and cochlear nerve, Dr. Damask says.
When the hair cells in the cochlea become damaged, the auditory pathways dont receive the signal they are expecting from the inner ear, Dr. Damask says.
As a result, the brain produces abnormal nerve signals to compensate for the missing input, she says. These abnormal nerve signals translate into the tinnitus you hear ringing in your ears.
Should I Be Concerned About Tinnitus
Even though tinnitus is often benign, there are some specific symptoms that should alert people to seek medical evaluation:
- pulsatile tinnitus of any kind
- tinnitus in one ear only
- bothersome tinnitus that cannot be ignored
- tinnitus associated with room-spinning sensations
- tinnitus associated with sudden changes or fluctuations in hearing status.
If you experience tinnitus with any of the symptoms above, it is important to discuss them with your doctor or an otolaryngologist, who is a specialist in diagnosing, managing, and treating medical conditions of the head and neck, including the ears.
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Why Do I Hear The Ocean In My Ear
Patients suffering from tinnitus may get the sensation that an ocean is roaring inside their heads, due to the fact that the sound comes from within the ear. If you want to obtain a sense of what a person suffering with tinnitus hears, you can listen to the Sounds of Tinnitus produced by the American Tinnitus Association.
Possible Reasons You Have Tinnitus
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Exposure To Loud Noise
Ear ringing that appears after you’ve attended a concert or been to a shooting range can be pretty easy to pinpoint, but you may be surprised to know that prolonged exposure to noises even 80 decibels or more can cause ear ringing and subsequent hearing loss.
Even listening to your earbuds with the volume too high can damage your hearing. Other noises that are louder than 80 decibels include the kitchen blender, a motorcycle engine, a lawnmower, chain saws, hand drills, blow dryers, and shouting.
Loud noises damage the tiny hair cells in the cochlea that are essential for hearing. Once damaged, unfortunately, these cells never recover.
The only good news? Noise-induced hearing loss is very preventable and ear ringing is one of the first symptoms of hearing loss. To prevent hearing loss, turn down the volume, wear earplugs, and limit your exposure to loud noise.
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 where your lower jaw connects to your skull in front of your ears can trigger tinnitus.
Jaw issues probably arent 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.
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When To Seek Help
There are times when you may need to seek help from a professional. Theres no need to schedule an appointment with an audiologist just because youve experienced a temporary form of ringing in your ears. Its when the ringing becomes more frequent or more invasive that you will want to consider seeking treatment. There are many different forms that tinnitus can take. Ringing is the most common symptom, but there are others, too you might hear a buzzing, whistling, roaring or humming in your ears. Generally, it doesnt matter what the specifics of the sound are if you continually hear something that isnt caused by external factors, then its worth getting things checked out.
Why Are My Ears Ringing
An ENT specialist shares 10 strategies for coping with tinnitus
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.”
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Does Pulsatile Tinnitus Go Away
Pulsatile tinnitus rarely goes away by itself, and it can be difficult to endure for some patients. The sounds can become so intense and frequent as to become incapacitating the sound may interfere with work, cause difficulty sleeping or concentrating, increase stress, and create feelings of depression or anxiety.
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 , and you have every right to be concerned about whats going on. In this case, you could have Ménières disease, a disorder characterized by hearing loss, tinnitus, and dizzy spells, says Palmer.
Ménières disease is believed to be caused by a fluid imbalance in your inner ear. While it is a chronic condition, dietary changes , medications, hearing aids, and other therapies can help you manage your symptoms.
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You Feel A Thumping Sound In Your Ears
Another sign of tinnitus is when there’s a constant thumping sound in your ears. Its almost like the sound of a bass guitar repeating over and over again. Youll find that the thumping goes along to the same rhythm as your heartbeat as well. This is a sign of pulsatile tinnitus, which is something of a rare breed.
Is There A Tinnitus Cure
In a small number of cases there is an underlying cause which may be corrected. For example, if a side-effect of a medicine that you are taking is causing tinnitus then a change of medication may cure the problem. If earwax or an ear infection is the cause then again, once this is cleared, the tinnitus settles.
Antidepressant medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have helped people in whom the tinnitus causes anxiety and/or depression. SSRIs have been tried for tinnitus in people without anxiety and depression but studies suggest they are not effective.
In most cases there is no easy cure. Some people are helped by understanding the problem and knowing that they do not have a serious underlying condition. With time, the tinnitus may become less of a problem as you adjust to it. In addition, the following often help.
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Exposure To Loud Sounds
Ever wonder why your ears ring randomly after a concert?
Here’s why: “Exposure to loud sound can cause damage to the hair cells in your inner ear,” Dr. Damask says. “These hair cells then ‘leak’ random electrical impulses to your brain, which then cause tinnitus.”
People who work in a noisy environment or those who frequently use deafeningly loud equipment have a greater risk for hearing loss and subsequent development of tinnitus, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Fix it: To reduce the ringing , wear hearing protection like foam ear plugs or earmuff-style headsets when exposed to loud noise, Dr. Damask says.