Tinnitus
Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing in the ears, but it also can 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. Experts estimate that over 20 million Americans experience tinnitus at any given time, and unfortunately, many of these sufferers are not aware that relief is possible.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus (pronounced as either as tin-ni-tus or ti-night-us) is the sound in your ears or head that you hear with no outside source. Often subjective tinnitus is secondary to hearing loss 90% of the time (Darrow, 2021). Our hearing/auditory brain is attempting to correct itself. The cells of the auditory system begin to overreact from the sound deprivation/hearing loss by making its own sound. This is known as auditory gain. Our brains are compensating for the loss signal, by producing its own signal. However, through auditory rehabilitation/hearing treatment the sounds will be reintroduced through the ears allowing the overactive cells to find balance and calm down. Meaning that the tinnitus can be reduced and for some people possibly eliminated over time with consistent hearing treatment via neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself in response to learning and/or experiences following injury and/or illness. Typically, an immediate response to hearing treatment is people notice their tinnitus to diminish. The tinnitus is still present; however, hearing with hearing aids allows other sounds to come in louder, clearer thereby immediately masking their tinnitus (for most people).
Do know that hearing loss is a degenerative, progressive disorder. You may not notice the loss of more sounds around you, but you will notice the tinnitus getting louder. A perfectly direct relationship. As hearing loss increases, tinnitus increases in volume.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Scientists still haven’t agreed upon what happens in the brain to create the illusion of sound when there is none. Some think that tinnitus is similar to chronic pain syndrome, in which the pain persists even after a wound or broken bone has healed. Tinnitus could be the result of the brain’s neural circuits trying to adapt to the loss of sensory hair cells by turning up the sensitivity to sound. This would explain why some people with tinnitus are overly sensitive to loud noise.
Something as simple as a piece of earwax blocking the ear canal can cause tinnitus. It can also be the result of a number of health conditions, such as:
- Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)
- Ear and sinus infections
- Medication side-effects
- Allergies
- Neck or jaw issues
- Diseases of the heart or blood vessels
- Meniere’s disease
- Brain tumors
- Hormonal changes in women
- Thyroid abnormalities
How Is Tinnitus Treated?
Tinnitus does not have a cure yet, but treatments that help many people cope better with the condition are available. A combination of the treatments below may be recommended depending on the severity of your tinnitus and how your life is affected by it.
- Hearing aids often are helpful for people who have hearing loss along with tinnitus. They allow the person to focus on hearing other sounds rather than their tinnitus.
- Counseling helps you learn how to live with your tinnitus by providing you with tools and education.
- Wearable sound generators/maskers are small electronic devices that look like hearing aids that present pleasant sounds to the patient. Tabletop sound generators are used as an aid for relaxation or sleep. They can play sounds that are relaxing to you such as waves, rain, or white noise.
- Acoustic neural stimulation is a relatively new technique for people whose tinnitus is very annoying. It uses a palm-sized device and headphones to deliver a signal embedded in music. The treatment helps stimulate changes in the neural circuits in the brain, which eventually desensitize you to the tinnitus sounds.
- Cochlear implants are sometimes used in people who have tinnitus along with severe hearing loss. A cochlear implant bypasses the damaged part of the inner ear and sends electrical signals that directly stimulate the auditory nerve. The device brings in outside sounds that help mask tinnitus and stimulate change in the neural circuits.
- Antidepressants and antianxiety drugs might be prescribed by your doctor to improve your mood and help you sleep. Other medications may be available at drugstores and on the internet as an alternative remedy for tinnitus, but nothing has been proven effective in clinical trials.
The experience of tinnitus for each person is unique and proper evaluation is necessary for effective treatment. At Autumn Oak Speech, Voice & Hearing, we’re experienced in providing individualized solutions on a case-by-case basis. We’re happy to walk you through your options based on your unique experience of tinnitus and its effect on your life.
We are proud to serve the Friendswood and Pearland, TX area. If you need more information on tinnitus management and want to learn about tinnitus treatment options, please don’t hesitate to Contact us today.
