Tinnitus and hearing loss are two conditions that frequently occur together but are the hearing impaired the only ones that experience tinnitus? This article explores if you can just have tinnitus without hearing loss and other information pertaining to tinnitus.
Equipped with this knowledge, you will be able to be more informed about tinnitus, some of its potential causes, as well as steps you could take to help you manage your tinnitus.
When you look at the concepts of hearing loss and tinnitus, you may think of them as opposites. Some assume that hearing loss is when you cannot hear sounds in your environment, and tinnitus is hearing sounds when they are not there. While counterintuitive, in many cases, they occur together.
Below is a closer look at the theories as to why this may be the case.
The first possible explanation as to why tinnitus occurs alongside hearing loss has to do with how sound is perceived in the first place. The ear has many different components. The part that is responsible for converting vibrational energy into a neural impulse for the brain to perceive is the cochlea.
The cochlea is a hollow snail-like structure that has many tiny sensory hairs that are tuned to different frequencies of sound. When the right frequency hits the corresponding hair in the cochlea, it bends. The bend initiates a nerve impulse that is then sent to the brain.
A form of hearing loss known as sensorineural hearing loss can occur when the hairs of the cochlea are damaged. Damage can occur simply as a result of age, or it can occur earlier due to exposure to loud noise. The theory as to why tinnitus accompanies some forms of hearing loss may have something to do with the sensory hair damage.
The auditory cortex theory has more to do with how the brain responds to hearing loss than the actual sensation of sounds. With this theory, it is thought that the brain changes associated with a decline in hearing are responsible for the formation of tinnitus alongside hearing loss.
What is thought to happen with the brain during hearing loss is that it essentially turns up the sensitivity to the signals coming from the ear because it is expecting to hear more than what it is able to hear. This slight bit of adaptation on the part of the brain is helpful. Yet, the increase in sensitivity could result in the lack of any signal being interpreted as white noise.
The best way to imagine it is to think about trying to find a radio station. By turning up the volume while searching for a channel to tune into, you will begin to hear white noise. This white noise is not being broadcast and simply comes as a consequence of increasing the sensitivity of the radio.
While hearing loss and tinnitus frequently occur together, there are people that just suffer from tinnitus alone and have no loss of hearing acuity.
Below is a closer look at tinnitus without hearing loss and what causes them.
The previous examples of tinnitus actually fall into a category of tinnitus known as subjective tinnitus. Essentially subjective tinnitus is tinnitus that has no obvious cause. Another form of tinnitus known as objective tinnitus does have an identifiable source.
The ear is a highly sensitive organ. There are a number of different blood vessels that flow in and around the different components of the ear. Under normal conditions, these blood vessels allow blood to flow smoothly and without disturbing the ear. However, with pulsatile tinnitus, they become a source of internal noise.
Things such as atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and even an increase in intracranial pressure can cause internal noises near the components of the ear, which are perceivable and lead to tinnitus.
If you have pulsatile tinnitus, you should consult with your doctor to rule out any problems or allow them to help you find a treatment option for your specific circumstance.
Those with high blood pressure may be prescribed blood pressure medications. On the other hand, those with atherosclerosis may need to make healthier lifestyle choices.
Another potential cause of tinnitus that is not related to hearing loss is unintentional drug side effects. There are a number of drugs that have tinnitus as a potential side effect, including some over-the-counter pain relievers, antidepressants, and even acne medications.
In most cases, tinnitus caused by medication will resolve when the medication is ceased. This can be great news for those that experience these effects.
Whether you have tinnitus with or without hearing loss, it can be difficult. Constantly having a tone in your ear is no one’s idea of a good time. It can be incredibly difficult for you to go about your day without getting bothered or agitated by tinnitus.
The unfortunate part of many forms of tinnitus is that there is no cure. While this can be disheartening, there are options available to help you effectively manage your tinnitus and overcome it. Below is a closer look at some of the options you have when it comes to tinnitus.
The most basic method for obtaining temporary relief from tinnitus is the use of competing sounds to drown out the sound of your tinnitus. Also referred to as sound masking or white noise, this method works in the same manner as turning up the volume on your TV to not hear your rowdy neighbors.
Sound masking is by no means an effective long-term solution, but it can be a great tool to have under your belt to manage and live with tinnitus. One of the best use cases for sound masking is when you are trying to go to sleep. When you are lying in bed in a dark, quiet room, tinnitus can become more apparent and bothersome.
Utilizing a white noise machine can allow you to fall asleep easier without having to listen to your tinnitus by drowning it out. As an added bonus, a white noise machine can help to drown out other sounds throughout the night that would have otherwise disturbed your sleep.
Another source of tinnitus that hasn’t been discussed is ear wax build-up. A buildup of earwax, known as an earwax impaction, occurs when the ear is unable to effectively expel wax. It causes a complete blockage of the ear canal. With the ear canal blocked, it can result in both hearing loss and tinnitus.
Luckily by removing the blockage, the associated tinnitus and hearing loss can be reversed. In the case of ear wax impaction, the best way to remove it is to seek professional assistance. The ears are incredibly delicate; a small misstep could result in you damaging your ears. A licensed medical professional can help to remove the wax. It may be possible to completely reverse your tinnitus (if it is caused by the ear wax obstruction).
If you happen to have tinnitus alongside hearing loss, utilizing hearing aids will not only allow you to hear more but could also help your tinnitus. Hearing aids give you the ability to increase the volume of incoming sounds.
This allows the sounds to be perceived by those with hearing loss. This can increase the sounds of people talking to you but can also increase the background noise. Essentially, this can act to mask tinnitus.
If you are having a troubling time with tinnitus throughout your day and you also happen to have hearing loss, hearing aids are a great way to kill two birds with one stone. While any hearing aid could work in theory, the best option available is the one that you will be able to wear all day long.
Audien hearing aids provide a design perfect for all-day comfort, and with a shockingly small profile and weight, you may even forget you have them in.
Tinnitus is a condition that is not exclusive to those with hearing difficulties. Drug-induced tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus represent two forms of tinnitus that are unrelated to hearing loss. No matter the cause of your specific tinnitus, it can be a hassle to deal with.
Taking steps such as utilizing sound masking, hearing aids, having a wax cleaning, or getting tinnitus therapy can help to improve your standard of wellbeing and allow you to get back to you before tinnitus.
Sources
How Noise Can Affect Your Sleep Satisfaction | Sleep Foundation
]]>Tinnitus is largely different from person to person. Yet, each case has the same thing in common, the hearing of phantom sounds.
Tinnitus has a wide variety of different causes ranging from environmental to genetic. One cause that many people don’t think about is how drugs may impact hearing and the development of hearing loss or tinnitus.
Take a closer look at a shortlist of the types of medications that may cause tinnitus or other ear problems. While not a comprehensive guide to tinnitus, this article provides valuable information on potential drugs that can impact your hearing health.
The ears are very delicate structures of the human body. While a large percent of the time, they function as they should, there are instances in which they malfunction and cause hearing-related problems. While many people are familiar with hearing loss, tinnitus is a hearing-related issue that gets less attention.
If you aren’t familiar with tinnitus, it is a condition that causes people to hear a sound that is not actually present in their immediate environment. The exact sound that is heard by those with tinnitus can differ significantly, but they are all sounds that are not perceivable by others.
Below is a closer look at the two main types of tinnitus so you can have a better and more holistic understanding of what tinnitus is.
While tinnitus is typically thought of like a phantom sound, objective tinnitus is a form of tinnitus that actually has a physical source of where the sound is coming from. Objective tinnitus typically consists of turbulent blood flow near the structures of the ear.
The turbulence creates vibrations that are picked up by the structures of the ear and interpreted as noise. While this turbulent flow does create noise, it is inaudible to others and is only audible due to its proximity to the sensory structures of the ear.
While objective tinnitus often has a clear cause, subjective tinnitus is much more complex. With subjective tinnitus, there is typically no clear-cut reason behind the sound that is being heard. There are a number of theories that attempt to explain subjective tinnitus.
One interesting aspect of subjective tinnitus is that it often accompanies other hearing issues such as hearing loss. One of the proposed theories behind how subjective tinnitus forms has to do with the body attempting to adapt to hearing loss. Essentially the theory looks into the way the brain copes with an inability to hear certain noises.
Medical science suggests that since your brain is unable to perceive sounds, it increases its sensitivity to neural impulses from the ear. While the increase in sensitivity may help, it is thought that the brain may overshoot the necessary sensitivity. It starts to perceive the lack of sound as an actual sound.
While the actual mechanism behind subjective hearing loss is not entirely understood, there are a number of factors that are thought to be linked to its development.
Drugs are chemicals that have a therapeutic interaction within the body. By interacting with the body at a biochemical level, it can help to treat a number of conditions, depending on the specific pathway it interacts with. While there is a very stringent set of standards for drug design and approval, many of them have the potential to have unintended side effects.
Read on for some drugs that may have unintended side effects that can impact your hearing.
NSAIDs, also known as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are a common drug for pain. NSAIDs are considered over-the-counter pain relievers; they work by reducing inflammation and the subsequent pain.
At some point or another, you have likely taken an NSAID for a headache, sore muscle, or even a slight injury to help take the edge off of your pain. NSAIDs, in the vast majority of cases, are safe. But, like any drug, it does come with its fair share of potential side effects.
Some common side effects of NSAIDs can include indigestion and—less commonly—tinnitus. Tinnitus from NSAIDs tends to only present in high doses. This means that most at-home users will most likely not encounter them. While these side effects may be concerning, they will tend to go away when the medication is stopped.
Anxiety is a condition that many people face across the world. Anxiety is characterized by a feeling of uneasiness and excessive nerves. Many people with anxiety find that talk therapy helps, but some may require medication.
A category of anxiety medications known as benzodiazepines are quite popular. While they can help with anxiety, they can also be addictive and difficult to stop.
Benzodiazepine can cause withdrawal symptoms. One of those withdrawal symptoms could be the appearance of tinnitus. Tinnitus associated with benzodiazepine withdrawal can occur, but it is typically short-lived and goes away once completely weaned off of the medication.
Depression is another widely pervasive mental health condition that many people across the globe face. Like anxiety, some people find that talk therapy can help with depression, but many people rely on medication to help them.
Many antidepressants work by altering the biochemical pathways in the brain but this can have some unintended consequences. A specific category of antidepressants known as tricyclic antidepressants has the potential to cause tinnitus.
Similar to the other medications discussed, if the medication is ceased, symptoms can resolve. Always remember that antidepressant medication is not something to stop on your own. If you experience tinnitus due to antidepressants, you should talk with your doctor to find a suitable treatment plan to either wean you or get you on a different medication.
Everyone deals with acne at some point or another. Most people grow out of having severe acne in their teenage years, but some people require medical assistance to help get their acne under control.
There are a number of different topical products that aim to help with acne, but one of the most prescribed severe acne medications is Accutane. Accutane is an oral medication that inhibits the function of the oil-producing glands on the skin.
While effective at reducing severe acne, Accutane has a number of side effects. One of these may be the development of tinnitus or hearing impairment. While these side effects are uncommon, the FDA advises that if they occur, to cease Accutane treatment and seek medical evaluation.
Tinnitus can have a wide variety of different causes, and while some forms of tinnitus will subside, others stick around. Many people with tinnitus try to just deal with the condition, but it can have a drastic impact on your day-to-day routine.
Imagine trying to sit down and focus on something and the only thing grabbing your attention is a non-stop whining noise. This is the reality that many people with tinnitus face.
Below is a closer look at some of the treatments and therapies available to those with tinnitus. While the tinnitus itself may not be able to be treated, there are a number of things that can allow it to be more manageable and easier to live with.
Discover some options you have to attain some relief below:
One of the most widely utilized methods of overcoming chronic tinnitus is therapy. Therapy revolving around tinnitus aims to change the way you perceive the tinnitus and attempts to retrain your brain to focus less on it. This form of treatment may not seem ideal, but it is one of the best ways tinnitus sufferers have available.
Another unique technique to provide some tinnitus relief is known as sound masking. Sound masking involves the use of white noise to help mask the sound of tinnitus.
Tinnitus becomes the most noticeable when in a quiet environment. Sound masking essentially increases the noise level to the point that the tinnitus tone gets drowned out.
In summary, tinnitus has a number of different causes, and the medications in your medicine cabinet have the potential to cause it. While many drugs have little to no effect on the ears, medications like NSAIDs, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants, and Accutane could contribute to tinnitus.
A majority of medication associated with tinnitus is reversible. However, in some instances, the tinnitus may linger. Utilizing therapy and sound masking are great ways to effectively manage tinnitus and allow you to have a better quality of life.
Sources
Reducing Side Effects of NSAIDs Like Ibuprofen and Naproxen | HSS
]]>Tinnitus is a condition that is characterized by a phantom ringing in the ears that is not caused by a sound in the immediate environment. It can differ significantly, with some people having a permanent ringing in the ears and others with the intermittent ringing of the ears.
For those with tinnitus, certain triggers can be controlled to help mitigate its severity. Medications, stress, and a high sodium diet may all affect tinnitus-related symptoms, and making changes to your day-to-day could help.
Caffeine is a molecule that many people are all too familiar with. It can be found in your morning cup of coffee, afternoon tea, and evening soda beverage with your dinner.
People that find some tinnitus relief with lifestyle modifications may wonder if their caffeine habits can contribute to an increase in tinnitus symptoms. Below is a closer look at the science behind caffeine and tinnitus, as well as everything you need to know to help you manage your tinnitus symptoms.
Caffeine is able to cross the blood-brain barrier and interact with the receptors in the brain to reduce fatigue, increase alertness, and essentially trick the brain into being more alert and awake. The small molecule also can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, which increases your overall alertness and activates the fight or flight response.
Below is a closer look at the two ways that caffeine affects the body.
The main mechanism of caffeine is that it interferes with a neurotransmitter in the brain. Specifically, caffeine interferes with the neurotransmitter adenosine within the brain.
Caffeine competitively binds to adenosine receptors in the brain, which inhibits adenosine binding.
Adenosine plays a significant role in helping the transition to sleep, and when its binding is inhibited, the body feels more alert. While useful in the short term, frequent consumption of caffeine can create a reliance where the body needs caffeine to even have a baseline level of alertness.
Luckily symptoms of dependence are quickly resolved in a week or so.
Another way that caffeine impacts the body is that it stimulates the central nervous system and causes the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system, also referred to as the fight-or-flight response, is a biological response to stress.
When the body perceives a threat, it leads to the secretion of the hormone adrenaline, which increases cardiac output, alertness, respiration rate, and much more.
If you have ever had a really strong cup of coffee or have overdone it with your caffeine intake, you have most likely experienced the caffeine jitters. The jitters are caused by the increased buildup of adrenaline and represent an upper extreme of the effects caffeine can have on your sympathetic nervous system.
Tinnitus consists of a constant ringing of the ears that is not caused by outside stimulation. Tinnitus has many different ways it presents itself and has a large number of other potential causes.
The ears are highly specialized organs that let you perceive sound, and while they do a great job, they ultimately can have problems just like any other part of the body. Conditions such as tinnitus, conductive hearing loss, and sensorineural hearing loss all represent how the auditory system can falter.
Below is a specific look at some potential causes of tinnitus and what can be done about them. Understanding the biological basis for tinnitus can allow you to better understand what is at fault and how treatments work.
The process of hearing is quite complex, but it can be broken down into two simplistic categories: the ear and the brain. In order to hear, your ear needs to be able to sense sound, and that then needs to be perceived by the brain as something other than silence for you to hear.
Hearing loss typically has to do with a diminished ability to sense sound. As sound begins to get more muffled and difficult to understand, the brain essentially tries to pay closer attention and increase its sensitivity to neural impulses from the ear.
It is thought that the increased sensitivity in the auditory cortex may be a contributing factor to the development of tinnitus as its baseline is continually decreased to a point where silence registers as a certain pitch within the brain.
Taking care of hearing loss with hearing aids can help with tinnitus symptoms as the amplification of sounds makes it easier for the ear to clearly differentiate sounds which allows the brain not to adapt as significantly.
If the cost of traditional hearing aids is too much of a plunge to potentially help your tinnitus, you should consider the Audien EV1, which has all the same great technology as traditional hearing aids without the exorbitant audiologist pricing.
A common understanding of tinnitus is that it can be caused by exposure to loud environments and intense sound waves. Repeat exposure to loud sounds can place wear and tear on the inner workings of the cochlea.
The cochlea can be thought of as the main hearing organ, and it is responsible for converting the physical aspect of movement and sound into neural impulses. This is achieved by the presence of tiny hairs lining the inner surface of the cochlea. Each hair is responsible for detecting a certain pitch, and when that pitch occurs, the hair bends and relays that as a neural signal that the brain then interprets.
When you expose your ears to intense sound for prolonged periods it can damage the hairs and subsequently damage your hearing.
Tinnitus may even form due to cochlear damage as a hair could be damaged in a way to which it is continuously firing even after the sound itself is gone.
A great representation of this is in action movies when an explosion goes off near an individual, and a high pitch ring sound effect is utilized immediately following the explosion. This Hollywood exaggeration is actually somewhat accurate and helps to illustrate the point.
Another aspect that can contribute to tinnitus is blood flow. The ears are highly sensitive, and they typically can ignore internal noises, but in some cases, internal movement and sounds can be detectable and cause tinnitus.
A rare form of tinnitus known as pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by blood flow and pressure disturbances. Pulsatile tinnitus is different from typical tinnitus because rather than hearing one continuous tone, those with pulsatile tinnitus experience rhythmic sounds that can often align with the heart’s beating.
Understanding that hearing involves the brain and knowing that caffeine interacts with the brain, it is easy to think that caffeine may be a contributor, but there is little to no data to support this.
In fact, a study in 2014 assessed over 60,000 women and found that higher caffeine intake was actually associated with a lower incidence of tinnitus. This finding is not definitive but points to caffeine and tinnitus are most likely not linked in terms of caffeine worsening tinnitus.
While this study proved otherwise, it is widely believed that caffeine may trigger pulsatile tinnitus due to caffeine’s effect on cardiac output and blood pressure. While there are no studies surrounding caffeine and pulsatile tinnitus, you may find it helpful to experiment with your specific tinnitus and avoid caffeine to see if it is of any help with your particular tinnitus.
Tinnitus is often a condition that sticks around for a while.
Due to its persistent nature, some people may find that their tinnitus is impacting their everyday life by decreasing the ability to focus, and making it harder to fall asleep.
Aside from hearing aids, one of the best things you can do for interruptive and impactful tinnitus is to undergo cognitive behavioral therapy or tinnitus retraining therapy. These therapies focus on helping those with tinnitus come to peace with their symptoms and help to change the way you think and view tinnitus symptoms.
With successful completion of these therapies, it can effectively mitigate the impact tinnitus has on your day-to-day life.
Although current evidence suggests that caffeine is not a causative agent of tinnitus, this isn’t to say that caffeine cannot impact tinnitus. Each case of tinnitus is unique and figuring out what works best to mitigate your specific treatments is the best way to help.
Caffeine can potentially impact blood flow-related tinnitus such as that experienced with pulsatile tinnitus, but in general drinking, your morning cup of coffee is likely of little concern.
If you would like to learn more about hearing loss and hearing aid options, Audien Hearing has ample resources for you to stay informed.
Sources:
Pharmacology of Caffeine - Caffeine for the Sustainment of Mental Task Performance | NCBI
A prospective study of caffeine intake and risk of incident tinnitus | NCBI
]]>Tinnitus is a multifactorial condition that can impact people of all ages. Characterized by a ringing in the ears, tinnitus can range in its level of severity as well as how impactful it can be on people’s lives.
Tinnitus can be characterized as a long-term chronic condition. Understanding ways to improve symptoms or get relief can be critical in getting back your quality of life.
There are many different available remedies to help those with tinnitus. These remedies range from cognitive therapy to some simple exercises to potentially help reduce certain causes of tinnitus.
Below is a closer look at some of the exercises that aim to help provide some tinnitus relief as well as other ways you can potentially get some tinnitus relief.
The body is vastly interconnected, and changes in one aspect of your body may impact other parts. This concept is true for those with tinnitus as it represents the fundamental reasoning behind the somatosensory modulation of tinnitus symptoms.
Somatosensory modulation may sound complicated, but in reality, it simply refers to how the sensation of pressure, pain, tension, or warmth can impact tinnitus severity.
When people discuss exercises for tinnitus, they utilize the underlying mechanism of somatosensory modulation to potentially decrease the intensity and severity of tinnitus. Exercises that reduce the somatosensory stimuli contributing to worsened tinnitus are what exercises for tinnitus do.
These exercises are mainly focused on the head, neck, and jaw and include stretching and manipulation. Below is a closer look at some of the exercises you can do to potentially lessen tinnitus severity.
Neck exercises are one way that many people find some form of relief for their tinnitus.
The neck is an important anatomical part of the body that is prone to being tense. A tense neck is a very common issue in today's world due to a large majority of people that work 40 hours a week sitting at a desk. Constantly slouching and having poor posture can also lead to a stiff neck.
No matter what the cause is for the tension emanating from your neck, you can do several different exercises to help reduce it and potentially reduce the severity of somatosensory modulated tinnitus.
The first exercise you can do is called neck retraction. To perform a neck retraction, you have your head in a naturally relaxed forward-positioned state. From there, you pull your head back without changing the direction your head is facing while simultaneously slightly tucking the chin and keeping your shoulders straight.
Simply repeat this stretch a couple of times a day, and it may help release unwanted tension in the neck and has the potential to help tinnitus.
Another exercise you can do is lateral flexion. To perform a lateral flexion, try to touch your ear to your shoulder without shrugging it and holding it. After about five seconds, you utilize the arm on the same side you are leaning, gently pull the head closer to the shoulder, and hold for another five seconds.
Repeat for both sides and try and aim to do the stretch around three times a day to help prevent tenseness.
The jaw is another area of interest for tinnitus due to its proximity to the ear. Specifically, the joint where the jaw and skull meet is of particular importance. It is thought that problems such as swelling, irritation, pain, or tension with the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) may contribute to tinnitus symptoms.
Certain TMJ issues may require surgeries, but others may be able to be managed effectively with exercises. One of the main issues with TMJ is that the muscles responsible for the correct alignment of your jaw are not pulling their weight leading to other muscles overcompensating and leading to pain.
One of the best jaw exercises is targeted at the muscles responsible for jaw alignment. You start with your mouth closed and teeth barely touching. Place your tongue behind the top front teeth with your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth.
From there, roll back your tongue, making sure the tip of the tongue stays in contact with the roof of your mouth. You then open your mouth slowly until you feel that the tongue is moving from its position, and you then hold the position for five seconds and repeat. It is recommended to set aside five minutes twice a day and cycle through this exercise.
Tinnitus can have several different causes, and one such cause is blood flow-induced tinnitus. Blood is constantly flowing throughout your body thanks to the heart’s contractions that push blood throughout the entire body.
Under normal circumstances, blood flow is not a cause of tinnitus, but conditions such as atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and others can contribute to the brain perceiving tinnitus. Blood flow-induced tinnitus can lead to a unique form of tinnitus known as pulsatile tinnitus, characterized by a pulsating of the sound heard in tinnitus.
Below is a look at some exercises you may want to consider to potentially help with tinnitus or ensure the improper flow of blood doesn’t cause your tinnitus.
Aerobic exercise is one of the best things you can do for optimal heart health. Aerobic exercise includes jogging, biking, rollerblading, swimming, and machines such as the elliptical. Aerobic exercise works by getting your blood pumping and placing a small amount of good stress on your cardiovascular system.
The body responds by improving blood flow efficiency, improving gas exchange in the lungs, and you may receive the benefit of overall better heart and cardiovascular health.
Regular exercise can effectively improve many cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, and more. These improvements can have the potential to help with specific forms of tinnitus.
Exercises represent only a small subset of the things you can do to try and get tinnitus relief. There is a myriad of other treatments available that may help alleviate some forms of tinnitus.
If tinnitus is constantly bothering you, it may be to your benefit to try everything available to you to try and get back your life before tinnitus.
Below is a closer look at other ways you could potentially get tinnitus relief other than exercise. Exercise may work for some, but tinnitus may need other remedies to help alleviate it for others.
One of the most effective treatments by far for those with chronic tinnitus is therapy. Both cognitive behavioral therapy and tinnitus retraining therapy try to assess how you perceive and react to tinnitus.
Through successful therapy, those who find tinnitus disruptive and intrusive are better equipped to better deal with their tinnitus and live a more normal life.
Tinnitus is a symptom that is frequently brought on by some degree of hearing loss. One proposed reason is that the brain tries to compensate for sparse signals from the ears by increasing its sensitivity for what a sound should look like in terms of nerve impulse. The increase in sensitivity is then believed to register a lack of noise at a particular pitch.
In some cases, getting hearing aids with tinnitus is thought to help by allowing the ear to produce more regular nerve impulses to the brain and not requiring the brain to essentially strain itself to hear.
Hearing aids accomplish this by taking auditory stimuli and amplifying them through a microphone, amp, and speaker.
With such a simplistic design, it is astonishing how expensive audiologists charge for a pair of standard hearing aids.
Rather than paying an inflated price for hearing aids at the audiologist, consider Audien’s EV1. The EV1 has all the same great features as standard hearing aids in a smaller form and a smaller impact on your wallet.
Tinnitus is most noticeable when the environment is void of any external auditory stimuli. Playing your favorite tune or playing some white noise can help to drown out your tinnitus and allow you some temporary relief.
This tip is of particular use when you are trying to go to sleep. Lying in your bed focusing on tinnitus can make it difficult to fall asleep. Picking a sleep soundtrack and listening to it can help to allow you to notice your tinnitus to a lesser extent and hopefully fall asleep.
In summary, tinnitus can be caused by several different factors. Somatosensory tinnitus has the potential to be helped by simple head, neck, and jaw exercises, and tinnitus with a cardiovascular component can be helped by regular exercise.
In addition to exercises, there are many other options available that can help tinnitus symptoms. These include hearing aids, therapy, and the use of music to drown out tinnitus.
Tinnitus can be incredibly frustrating, and with the tips above, hopefully, you can find some relief from your tinnitus symptoms. If your tinnitus continues to bother you even after trying at-home remedies, you should seek out an audiologist that may be able to help.
Sources:
Somatosensory tinnitus: Current evidence and future perspectives | NCBI
Diagnosis and management of somatosensory tinnitus: review article | NCBI
TMJ Treatments | American Tinnitus Association
Understanding the Facts | ATA,
Aerobic Exercise Health: What Is It, Benefits & Examples | Cleveland Clinic
]]>Tinnitus is a hearing condition where an individual will hear a sound that is not coming from their immediate environment and is not perceivable to others. The noise that is heard is typically a ring, hum, or buzz.
It can accompany age-related hearing loss, sustained damage to the inner ear, illness, and even a side effect of certain medications. Tinnitus can be constant or can come and go in a rare form known as pulsatile tinnitus. It also may be present in both ears or one ear, similar to how hearing loss can either come in symmetrical hearing loss or asymmetrical hearing loss.
For the most part, those with tinnitus can live a normal life with little impact on their day-to-day lives except the noise being a nuisance. One common issue surrounding tinnitus, however, comes when it is time to go to bed. Without other things to focus your attention on, it can be easy to fixate on the tinnitus, preventing you from getting a full night’s rest.
Most forms of tinnitus are currently incurable, and as a result, people with tinnitus need to manage their symptoms with different remedies. Future tinnitus treatments may be on the horizon, but management is the best form of relief available for now. Below is a closer look at some specific strategies you can utilize to help get you to sleep and stay asleep.
Many people who have tinnitus perceive the noise but negatively view it and see it as nagging, annoying, and irritating. Sitting alone with their tinnitus can bring about negative emotions and can result in tinnitus impacting their day. For those that have a real problem with their tinnitus, tinnitus therapy can help.
Tinnitus therapies mainly revolve around changing your perception of tinnitus since the presence of tinnitus itself cannot be removed. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is amongst the most widely utilized tinnitus therapy. In CBT, a therapist will walk through your often automatic negative response to your tinnitus.
People are better equipped to deal with their tinnitus without having an automatic negative reaction. With successful CBT, those with tinnitus might notice their tinnitus.
One of the main difficulties with tinnitus and falling asleep is typically little to no noise at night. There may be slight ambient noises such as an air conditioner or fan, but generally, the loudest noise they hear is the ringing in their ear for those with tinnitus.
To help drown out the sounds of tinnitus, you can play white noise when you go to bed. Depending on your specific tinnitus, music or nature sounds might help drown it out. Due to pitch, certain types of tinnitus can be difficult to drown out; luckily, many different sleep soundtracks are available at different frequencies that can make drowning it out easier.
In addition to helping to drown out your tinnitus, the sleep sounds can also drown out excess outside noises that may wake you up from your sleep.
Going to bed when you are not tired is a recipe for trouble falling asleep. Laying in a bed with your eyes closed while fully awake is a recipe for a wandering mind, and in the case of tinnitus, the sound is something an alert mind will latch its attention to.
Sometimes you may need to take a quick power nap to give yourself a boost of energy. A better solution would be going to sleep when you’re exhausted.
Waiting till you are exhausted can ensure that you are more likely to slip into a restful sleep rather than lying awake staring at the back of your eyelids and getting frustrated with the ringing in your ears.
Sleep hygiene is how well you control the variables that go into sleep. Having good sleep hygiene means that you adequately create an optimal sleep environment by limiting external distractions that can wake you up while simultaneously having a sleep schedule that promotes good sleep.
Below is a closer look at three aspects of sleep hygiene that you can improve to help get a better night’s rest. Utilizing these strategies can make for an easier time falling and staying asleep, which is a welcomed help for those with tinnitus.
The first aspect of sleep hygiene is to tackle your sleep schedule. Consistency is key when considering your sleep schedule because it trains your body’s internal 24-hour clock to recognize and anticipate when it is time to sleep and when it's time to wake up.
To truly get the benefits of a trained circadian rhythm, you must commit to a schedule and stick to it.
Many people opt to sleep in during the weekends, and while it can be just the extra rest you need, it can also act to reduce the ability of your body to have a fine-tuned sleep-wake rhythm. Keeping your schedule as regular as possible can allow your body to have an easier time getting to sleep, get good quality sleep, and feel rejuvenated when you wake up.
One common issue surrounding sleep that people run into is that they don’t have a bedtime and wake-up routine. In reality, both of these can be essential in allowing you to get the rest you need.
Bedtime routines should be focused on getting your body relaxed and ready for bed. Dimming harsh lights, avoiding digital screens a half hour before bed, and doing a relaxing task such as reading can help to ease a busy mind so that you can fall asleep more easily.
A wake-up routine can be just as important as bedtime for feeling well-rested and refreshed the next day. When it’s time to wake up, you should make an effort to get out of bed and get moving. Getting moving and getting a healthy dose of natural sunlight can be an excellent way to start your day.
With a consistent routine, your body will slowly associate specific tasks with time to sleep or wake up. The better your body gets at anticipating and learning the routine, the easier it can be to fall asleep and attain good quality sleep since your body will naturally begin to wind down before bedtime.
The next aspect of sleep hygiene is creating an environment conducive to sleep. The hardest part of sleeping with tinnitus is the act of falling asleep, and if you are constantly being woken up due to things in your environment, it can lead to a more complex situation.
While convenient, your T.V., smartphone, or tablet could be hindering your ability to sleep soundly. Notifications and bright screens throughout the night can disrupt your sleep and make sleeping with tinnitus an even harder task.
In addition to reducing technology use in the bedroom, limiting other external stimuli such as intermittent noises and lights can create the perfect environment conducive to sleep. In some cases, it may not be possible to limit light and noise from infiltrating your room, but you can utilize tools such as earplugs and eye masks to cut you off from environmental stimuli that could wake you up and make sleeping with tinnitus more difficult.
In summary, tinnitus can make it more difficult to get a restful night’s sleep, but there are some great strategies to effectively manage tinnitus and ensure you can get the rest you deserve.
Strategies such as CBT and listening to white noise can help reduce the impact of tinnitus when falling asleep. Going to bed when you are tired and practicing good sleep hygiene can help those with tinnitus by improving overall sleep quality.
Sources:
Rebooting the brain helps stop the ring of tinnitus in rats | NIH
The Role of Sleep Hygiene in Promoting Public Health: A Review of Empirical Evidence | NCBI
]]>Anxiety is a condition that continues to grow in prevalence in today’s modern world. Whether it be the demands of work or the everyday stresses of life, an unprecedented number of individuals experience anxiety.
With anxiety comes the potential for several detrimental health impacts such as high blood pressure, poor quality of life, G.I. problems, and many more. The interconnected nature of the human body is a large reason why anxiety can have such profound effects on the human body.
A recent area of interest is the potential relationship between anxiety and a form of tinnitus known as pulsatile tinnitus. Standard tinnitus is known to have several different causes, including stress, but the possible link between anxiety and pulsatile tinnitus is not as well researched.
Below is a closer look at the physiology behind both anxiety and pulsatile tinnitus and how these two conditions may overlap.
Anxiety is a form of stress disorder characterized by persistent and excessive worries that do not go away. Anxiety is related to stress, but the reality is that they are two different concepts. Stress addresses the short-term response to a threat, while anxiety can be triggered by seemingly nothing other than your thoughts.
While stress and anxiety are fundamentally different in terms of triggers and duration, they can have very similar effects on the body. Below is a closer look at how the body deals with perceived threats and why anxiety can lead to poor health outcomes in the long run.
Humans have evolved over thousands of years and adapted to changing environments, and needed a way to evade predation. Toward this goal, somewhere in the lineage of humans, the stress response was created.
The stress response is a physiological response to a perceived threat. For ancient humans, this perceived threat could have been seeing a sabertooth tiger. When a threat is perceived, the body releases the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline.
Cortisol is a key stress hormone that acts by increasing blood sugar, increasing brain intake of sugar, and increasing the capacity for tissue repair. The hormone also simultaneously reduces immediately non-essential functioning in the body, such as digestion, immunity, and reproduction.
Adrenaline is the other stress hormone secreted in response to a perceived threat, and it is responsible for many of the common symptoms you may experience when you are stressed. This includes an elevation of heart rate, increased respiration, elevated blood pressure, and increased alertness.
The combination of cortisol and adrenaline is the chemical basis for what is known as the fight or flight response.
Essentially when your body secretes these two hormones, the body is prepared to make the necessary fast actions to either evade the threat or tackle it head-on. For our ancestors, this response was likely to be highly advantageous as the quick boost in performance, alertness, and heart rate was likely needed to either fight back against a predator or to run away.
While the stress response was an ideal mechanism for humans in the thousands of years leading up to the modern era, the reality is that the system is not as needed as it once was for survival.
Its presence is somewhat maladaptive because the brain is a poor discriminator between what is a physical threat and what is simply stressful.
A great example of how the stress response is maladaptive is if you’re late for work. Your brain takes the thought of being late as the perceived threat. It then moves forward to increasing heart rate, respiration rate and initiating all of these changes at a physiological level just for you to sit during your commute feeling stressed out and uneasy.
The problem with stress truly comes into play with the potential development of chronic stress. Chronic stress can occur easily with the brain’s inability to discern between physical threats and non-physical threats.
If the brain becomes too trigger-happy with identifying actionable threats, it will continuously secrete stress hormones which can be bad for your overall health.
Anxiety can be thought of as chronic stress with little to no physical basis. Simply put, the mere thought of certain items can induce the stress response, and any time you think about it, the body responds by secreting fight or flight hormones.
Tinnitus is a symptom that is characterized by a ringing in the ear in the absence of auditory stimuli. Generally, tinnitus is accompanied by something else such as hearing loss, but it also has been linked to certain medications, anxiety, stress, and more.
Tinnitus comes in several different forms, and one of those is known as pulsatile tinnitus. Pulsatile tinnitus differs from typical tinnitus in that pulsatile tinnitus is not a constant tone. Rather the tone from pulsatile tinnitus tends to have a wave-like form and almost feels pulsing, hence the name.
Pulsatile tinnitus has many different causes, but most of them have to do with the blood flow surrounding the ear. Hardening of the arteries increases blood pressure, or even blood vessel malformations are thought to cause pulsatile tinnitus.
Pulsatile tinnitus and anxiety on the surface seem unrelated, but in reality, they are quite related to one another. Knowing how both of the conditions impact the body, some very obvious similarities are worth investigating.
The first is that pulsatile tinnitus typically has a cardiovascular cause, and anxiety can increase cardiac output. This relationship shows the possibility for anxiety to be a potential cause for pulsatile tinnitus.
The second aspect to note is that tinnitus, in general, is a condition that can invoke anxiety in individuals. The constant pitch can become annoying, and when persistent, it can lead to anxiety.
These two components can lead to a very slippery slope where they feed off of one another and can lead to more severe levels of anxiety and tinnitus that can drastically impact your quality of life.
The connection between pulsatile tinnitus and anxiety is unique because it illustrates a common phenomenon experienced by those with tinnitus. The two factors above illustrate the possibility of forming a feedback loop that can lead to exacerbated symptoms.
The feedback loop would look something like feeling anxious leads to high blood pressure, which leads to worsened pulsatile tinnitus, increasing anxiety. This self-fulfilling feedback loop can be damaging and ultimately lead to poor mental health consequences and decrease your overall quality of life.
Breaking the feedback loop is one of the best ways to reduce developing more severe tinnitus or anxiety. An increase in one could lead to an increase, so getting to the bottom of it and cutting the feedback loop can be a significant first step to seeking relief.
Now that you know the interconnected relationship of pulsatile tinnitus and anxiety, you may want to understand better how you can prevent and effectively tackle either situation. Below are actions you can take to help mitigate the chances of feedback loop formation and more.
Coping techniques represent the ways that you deal with stress. There are both healthy and unhealthy ways that people deal with stress, and trying to manage stress can potentially help with feelings of anxiety effectively.
Healthy coping techniques include getting routine exercise, practicing mindfulness, and meditating. With a little bit of initial practice, you can effectively mitigate the stresses associated with anxiety.
When stress is dealt with healthily, it can reduce the level of stress hormone your body secretes due to a stressor and provide you with some much-needed relief.
Tinnitus is often thought of as a chronic condition, and many people do not realize that you can take actions to help with tinnitus symptoms potentially.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy, or even treatment for underlying hearing loss can help mitigate tinnitus severity and help prevent the feedback loop from occurring. In some instances, a hearing aid can help to mitigate tinnitus.
In summary, pulsatile tinnitus and anxiety are closely related because they typically both have close ties to the circulatory system.
Both anxiety and pulsatile tinnitus are so interconnected that individuals can get caught in a feedback loop where anxiety increases tinnitus symptoms, and those symptoms lead to further anxiety.
Sources:
What's the difference between stress and anxiety? | APA
]]>At some point or another, you may have experienced a migraine. A migraine is characterized as a particularly painful headache, and it comes with the chance of developing other symptoms alongside a throbbing head. Nausea, sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sound, and even blurred vision can accompany a migraine.
One symptom that seems to be linked with migraines is tinnitus. Tinnitus is characterized by the perception of a ringing in the ears without any outside sound stimuli. This phantom sound has the ability to make an already unpleasant experience even more unpleasant.
Below is a closer look at tinnitus and migraines and how they may be linked, and the ways you can try and combat them.
Tinnitus is traditionally characterized by a phantom ringing in the ears, but in reality, tinnitus can sound very different from person to person.
For some, tinnitus may consist of high-pitched noise, while it can sound like a whooshing sound for others. The diverse sounds perceived are large, but they are all characterized as phantom sounds not readily heard by those around you.
In addition to tone, the frequency of tinnitus can also differ. An example of this is with a form of tinnitus known as pulsatile tinnitus that occurs in rhythmic pulses, while another tinnitus is always present and constant. Some tinnitus may come along with another ailment, such as hearing loss, while tinnitus can come from seemingly out of the blue.
There are two main categories of tinnitus, and these include subjective tinnitus and objective tinnitus. Each type has its own unique cause and presentation. Below is a more detailed look at the types of tinnitus and potential causes.
Subjective tinnitus is thought of as the most common form of tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus is only perceivable by the individual and does not appear to have any outwardly apparent physical causes.
Due to a general lack of physical stimuli, subjective tinnitus is thought to have a basis within the brain, specifically within the auditory cortex.
Subjective tinnitus can occur seemingly without other conditions, but subjective tinnitus and hearing loss often occur together. This is thought to happen due to a mechanism similar to phantom limb pain.
It is believed that when hearing loss occurs, the auditory cortex tries to increase its sensitivity to auditory signals. In the case of tinnitus, it is thought that the sensitivity is turned up so much that the brain begins interpreting the lack of auditory signal as a specific tone, leading to tinnitus.
Unlike subjective tinnitus, objective tinnitus tends to cause the signals being sent from the ear to the brain. Where subjective can be thought of as mainly neurological based, objective can be thought of tinnitus caused by physical stimuli affecting the ear.
One form of objective tinnitus is called pulsatile tinnitus, and it results in a rhythmic pulsing of sound. Typically the pulsing rhythm is caused by more turbulent blood flow near the sensory organs of the ear. The ears pick up this turbulence as sound, which then leads to pulsatile tinnitus.
Another form of objective tinnitus could be as a result of muscle spasms within or surrounding the ear. In the ear, there are tiny muscles, and there is also a number that surrounds the ear. Muscle spasms can interact with the sensory aspects of the ear, which can send unintended sound signals to the brain.
While there are several different kinds of tinnitus, they all result in a pestering sound. Some tinnitus can be treated once the underlying cause is resolved, but frequently tinnitus is untreatable and leaves individuals feeling frustrated, annoyed, and wanting relief.
There are several tinnitus treatments available, and many of them focus on reducing tinnitus’s effects on your overall well-being. Therapy and other techniques have been shown to help those with tinnitus.
One of the most popular methods of tinnitus treatment is therapy. Both cognitive behavioral therapy and tinnitus retraining therapy can be utilized. Both methods try to better your relationship with your tinnitus by learning how to effectively deal with it and how to train your body to not view it in a negative light.
These methodologies can be very helpful for those with severe degrees of tinnitus that simply cannot carry on with their day-to-day due to the immense distraction of the tinnitus.
Another technique that many people utilize to get some short-term tinnitus relief is to utilize sound masking. Sound masking has many uses, but it is mainly utilized to mask unwanted environmental sounds.
Sound masking is most notable with white noise, and many parents now utilize white noise machines with their children to allow them an easier time taking naps when other things may be happening in the house.
For tinnitus, sound masking can be an effective way to drown out the tinnitus and allow you to get some relief. One common issue amongst those with tinnitus is that it can be difficult to fall asleep. Utilizing sound masking could be just the thing you need for quick tinnitus relief and allow you to get to sleep.
Migraines pose the potential to throw off your entire day. With immense head pain, it can be difficult to focus on anything else. A migraine is hard enough, but several people suffer from more complex migraines, including myriad other accompanying symptoms.
Some of the more common standard migraine symptoms include sensitivity to light, sensitivity to sounds, and tinnitus. For complex migraines, people may experience stroke-like symptoms and an odd sensation called an aura. Below is a closer look at some of the common migraine types. There are nine distinct types of migraines, but below is a closer look at some of the more common forms.
A common migraine is the most prevalent form of migraine. It is accompanied by normal migraine symptoms such as feeling tired, sensitivity to different senses, and pain originating from the head.
The general recommendations for a common migraine include taking an over-the-counter pain reliever and going into a dark, quiet room to rest.
Migraines with aura are different in that people essentially feel a migraine coming on well before the migraine pain actually sets in. There are four different phases of migraine.
Those that have migraines with aura are those that experience the preceding phases of a migraine. These preceding symptoms can be as far out as a couple of hours and include the possibility of visual disturbances, difficulty concentrating, feeling off, and tinnitus.
The link between tinnitus and migraines is unique, and the relationship is well studied, but there is still much to be learned about it. Migraines and tinnitus have a close relationship with a large comorbidity rate between the two, which means that many people will experience both simultaneously.
Many researchers have tried to deduce the underlying mechanism behind the two being so closely related with high comorbidity. Is it tinnitus that brings on the headache, or does the headache increase sensitivity to preexisting tinnitus?
A 2015 study with 489 comorbid participants found that headaches seem to precede bothersome tinnitus rather than the other way around. This finding indicates that a migraine can worsen the perception of tinnitus at some level and lead to more severe tinnitus.
While this finding is elucidating, it is also known that tinnitus symptoms could be an aspect of migraine aura. This conflict illustrates the complex nature between tinnitus and migraines.
The best way to treat tinnitus and migraines is to mitigate the migraine as much as possible. Having a migraine can be painful and can increase your sensitivity to many stimuli, including tinnitus, which can worsen the tinnitus.
Taking over-the-counter pain medication is a great first-line treatment, and if that doesn’t work or your migraine becomes too much to handle, you may need to seek medical expertise. Migraines, in some cases, can be extremely complex and a medical provider will be better equipped to tackle your migraine.
In summary, tinnitus and migraines are unique problems, but they appear to connect within the body. While the extent and underlying mechanism between the two are not well understood, the comorbidity of the two conditions is apparent.
Understanding the ins and outs of tinnitus and migraines can allow you to understand their unique relationship better and give you insight into potential ways you can effectively deal with or treat them. Taking steps to improve either can help your overall wellbeing.
Sources:
Migraine Headaches: Causes, Treatment & Symptoms | Cleveland Clinic
]]>Many people associate problems revolving around the ears as ones characterized by a reduced ability to hear sounds.
While hearing loss is a major contributor to hearing problems, The reality is that there are a wide variety of different hearing conditions. Some can make your ears more sensitive to noises, while others can make you hear sounds that aren’t even there.
Tinnitus is a condition that causes an individual to hear sounds that are not actually there in their environment. These phantom sounds have several different causes and many different ways that they present themselves from individual to individual.
Below is a closer look at the different ways tinnitus can sound, how it can differ in duration, different potential causes, as well as the potential ways to get relief.
With the information below, you will be better well-versed in tinnitus and be better equipped to deal with your tinnitus.
Tinnitus can vary significantly in its presentation from person to person. One of the main ways that tinnitus differs is in the sound that is perceived. Volume, pitch, and sound type appear to all vary from person to person.
Being aware of the different sounds can allow you to be more cognizant and identify tinnitus earlier, which can help you get more effective treatment.
One form of tinnitus that seems to be highly specific is those that experience a sound that sounds like a boiling tea kettle.
Characterized by a high whistle sound, this form of tinnitus can be difficult to live with. Having to hear what sounds like a tea kettle boiling constantly is sure to become a nuisance and begin impacting your day-to-day life.
Pure tone ringing is one of the most common forms of tinnitus. With pure tone ringing, people often experience a single note that is constant in volume and pitch. The best illustration of pure tone tinnitus is actually when you are getting your hearing tested.
When your hearing is tested, audiologists use pure tone sounds to determine your auditory acuity. Those with pure tone ringing tinnitus essentially experience one of these tones constantly.
Buzzing is another form of tinnitus that you can get. The buzzing type of tinnitus is often compared to that of hearing the buzzing of an insect. For some people, this form of tinnitus can be terrible, especially if they already dislike insects.
In fact, the buzzing of certain insects like cicadas has even been linked to increased anxiety when they emerge from the ground every decade or so. With buzzing tinnitus, it may be wise to seek care sooner rather than later, especially if you find yourself getting anxiety from the sounds of buzzing.
Another form of tinnitus is those that experience roaring. Roaring is most analogous to the sounds you would hear while flying, and they can be difficult to ignore. Many of the same treatment techniques for other forms of tinnitus can also be effective with roaring tinnitus.
Whooshing tinnitus is one form of tinnitus that is closely related to a specific cause. If you have ever heard the sounds of turbulent fluid flow, this closely resembles those with whooshing tinnitus experience.
Whooshing tinnitus is closely connected to a specific kind of tinnitus known as pulsatile tinnitus, and it is caused by turbulent blood flow around the structure of the ears.
Static tinnitus is a form of tinnitus that sounds similar to static on a T.V. or radio. Static tinnitus can vary in tone or volume, but it typically resembles that of a standard static signal you would hear.
The different sounds possible with tinnitus only represent a small part of the variation in tinnitus. Tinnitus frequency and the specific ear that is affected are other components of tinnitus that can differ from person to person.
Some people have to deal with tinnitus all the time, while others may only deal with it every once in a while. Additionally, some individuals experience tinnitus in one ear, while others may experience it in both ears.
Below is a closer look at tinnitus frequency and presentation and how it can differ from person to person.
Intermittent tinnitus is characterized by tinnitus that appears to be more present one day and other days seems to not be there at all. There is typically some sort of trigger with intermittent tinnitus that exacerbates the tinnitus to a point where it becomes more noticeable.
It can be easier to live with intermittent tinnitus since simply avoiding triggers can allow you to live fairly tinnitus-free.
Continuous tinnitus is a form of tinnitus that is constantly present. While you may not pay attention to it as much one day, the relative volume and tone are consistent. Continuous tinnitus is one of the more common forms of tinnitus. Treatments typically revolve around helping other underlying hearing problems or undergoing therapy to try and reduce its impacts on your day-to-day life.
Unilateral tinnitus is a form of tinnitus that only is heard in one ear. Unilateral tinnitus is much less common and can indicate more serious health complications, especially if it appears out of the blue. Unilateral tinnitus typically accompanies other hearing-related problems such as unilateral hearing loss or chronic loud noise exposure to one ear.
Bilateral tinnitus is tinnitus that occurs in both ears. Bilateral tinnitus is much more common than unilateral tinnitus, as many of the proposed mechanisms behind the formation of standard tinnitus have to do more with the brain’s ability to process sounds rather than the sound originating from the ears themselves.
As you have most likely gathered by now, tinnitus is a complex problem that many people face. With such a wide variety of different presentations, there is no single determining cause of tinnitus. In fact, the large majority of those with tinnitus cannot pin down the exact cause of the noises they hear.
That being said, there are several common causes of tinnitus, and below is a closer look at a few of them.
Hearing loss and tinnitus frequently occur together, and it is believed that the formation of tinnitus follows hearing loss. The proposed reasoning is that as signals become weaker coming from an ear suffering from hearing loss, the brain increases its sensitivity to the signals.
This is thought to help those individuals hear, but the added sensitivity to signals is believed to decrease the threshold to noise perception, resulting in the lack of noise being perceived as a specific tone.
Another potential cause of tinnitus is a malformation or restriction of blood flow in the ear that causes it to hear sounds of turbulent blood flow.
There are blood vessels that flow close to the auditory organs, and when the blood flow is not efficient and free-flowing, it can cause the nearby auditory system to pick it up as sound with each beat of the heart.
This is typically the cause of a specific form of tinnitus known as pulsatile tinnitus, characterized by a rhythmic form of tinnitus that comes and goes. The blood restriction can be caused by either a malformation from birth or can occur over time due to plaque buildup.
Tinnitus is a multifaceted issue that can have a number of different factors that come together that allow it to occur. In many cases, tinnitus is incurable, and treatments mainly focus on symptom mitigation. Below is a closer look at some of the possible ways to remedy tinnitus.
Since tinnitus can be caused by hearing loss in some instances, getting hearing aids may help to reduce tinnitus symptoms. Hearing aids, however, can be quite the investment, with some approaching the thousands of dollar price range. Audien is a hearing aid company with a different philosophy that enables patients a more approachable hearing aid in terms of cost with many of the same features.
Sound masking is the process of playing sounds to drown out unwanted sounds. In the case of tinnitus, this can be incredibly helpful to provide some temporary relief from tinnitus symptoms.
Therapy has been shown to be extremely helpful for those with persistent tinnitus. The therapy mainly focuses on changing the relationship and reaction that people have to their tinnitus. With successful therapy, individuals still have tinnitus, but it doesn’t impact day-to-day life.
In summary, tinnitus can sound very different from one person to the next. For some, tinnitus sounds like a whistle, while it may just be a high-pitched tone for others. Regardless of how it sounds, tinnitus can impact your day-to-day life if left untreated. Seeking professional help can get you on the road to managing your tinnitus.
Sources:
Cicadas bugging you? You’re not alone. Read these tips to dial down your anxiety | OSU Med
]]>Hearing loss itself can often be present with tinnitus; however, the main cause of tinnitus is neural and can be found in the brain’s auditory cortex. For those with tinnitus, the condition can be everything from mild to severe and even life-altering.
“Tinnitus is one of those symptoms that may be frustrating, but it is important to have it checked by your healthcare provider. Often, there are some simple adjustments that can be made in almost everyone’s situation.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
This is a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about the basics of tinnitus: where does it come from, and are there different types of tinnitus? How do people acquire tinnitus, and are there any cures? How is it different from hearing loss, and what treatments can be sought?
The ability to hear is a profoundly human experience. While those born without this fundamental ability can learn how to operate and interpret the world around them, it is considered a disability because society is not primarily built to service them. The learning curve involved in any kind of hearing loss, whether it was a profound hearing loss from birth or acquired hearing loss later in life, is substantial.
For many people, a part of their hearing loss journey is actually the presence of what is known as tinnitus. Tinnitus itself presents as a consistent sound or tone that occurs and is recognizable by the individual for no apparent reason. This sound can range in extremity and can be barely noticeable all the way to even deafening.
It also can present itself differently in sounds - for instance, some people describe their tinnitus as a consistent tone while others describe it as static or buzzing noise. Some have even described it as the sounds of crickets!
Tinnitus can also acutely present itself, and it can also be a chronic condition. There are two types of tinnitus: objective tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. For either condition, the initial onset of tinnitus can be overwhelming and even scary for the person who experiences it.
A person who experiences acute tinnitus and regularly with the condition lasting a set amount of time before dissipating and coming back either randomly or when provoked will struggle more than the person who experiences it chronically.
This is because the person who experiences chronic tinnitus can learn how to cope with the condition. In contrast, someone who experiences it acutely may not be able to build these skills as strongly due to the intermittent fashion of their tinnitus.
Tinnitus itself is a severe condition and can have far-reaching effects on the person who experiences it. If you are reading this article and you suspect or have been diagnosed with tinnitus, know that you are not alone.
The constant auditory recognition can cause a person to experience sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, and mental and emotional impact on their overall well-being. It is common also to share feelings of anger when dealing with tinnitus as the sensation of tinnitus is that you hear a sound that you should be able to block - however, no matter how much you insulate your ears, you still hear it.
This is a very important factor in understanding tinnitus because this issue isn’t caused by your ears at all.
The question of whether tinnitus is a hearing condition or a result of hearing loss is a logical one as it appears that your hearing organs just won’t “shut off.” For a person who experiences tinnitus, the constant lack of quiet becomes the most challenging part of coping with and living with this condition.
However, the simple answer to this question is that hearing loss is not the cause of tinnitus, nor is tinnitus the cause of hearing loss.
Technically these two conditions, while most often seen presenting together, are not linked by causality.
Because tinnitus and hearing loss are so often considered to be either the same thing or directly linked, it will be beneficial to understand a basic overview of what hearing loss is.
The ear itself is composed of three compartments that work together to help you interpret sound waves and understand these vibrations in a way that we call “hearing.” These compartments are the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. Each of these compartments is unique and plays a specific role in this process.
The outer ear is composed of the auricle, the external, visible, and commonly associated structure of the ear, and the opening of the ear canal itself. The auricle acts like a diverted dome that helps capture sound waves and directs them toward the ear canal to enter the hearing organ and be processed.
The middle ear comprises a tympanic membrane - commonly known as the eardrum - and a tympanic cavity. As the sound wave travels down the ear canal, it reaches the eardrum, or tympanic membrane, which causes unique vibrations unique to the frequency of the sound waves. These vibrations are transmitted to three tiny hearing bones in the tympanic cavity called the napes, malleus, and incus.
The inner ear is mainly composed of a snail shell-shaped structure called the cochlea. This structure has sensitive hair cells, and it interacts with the hearing bones of the tympanic cavity. It interprets the result of the vibrations from the tympanic cavity and translates them into electrical impulses.
From here, the auditory nerve takes these impulses to the auditory cortex for decoding, where the brain understands these messages as sound.
When it comes to hearing loss, there are three general types of hearing loss that a person can experience: conductive, sensorineural, and mixed.
Conductive hearing loss is a general form of hearing loss that can cover many different causes and presentations. Sound is emitted from a source and travels through a medium, typically the air, as a vibration. This energy has a specific frequency, and these frequencies are uniquely signature to the particular sounds they produce. When a sound wave interacts with the outer ear, the auricle is structured in such a way as to conduct that sound wave down to the ear canal, where it can then pass through all three compartments of the ear.
Conductive hearing loss is when there is any barrier or problem with the conduction of that sound wave through the ear’s compartments. Many different factors and ranges can cause this, from mild symptoms to severe or even profound hearing loss.
For instance, a person could be experiencing conductive hearing loss if they have an excess of earwax buildup enough to hamper sound waves through the ear. This can present itself as sound being slightly muffled where the only treatment needed is an adequate ear cleaning.
This form of hearing loss can also be rather serious, such as when an autoimmune disease attacks the inner ear cells, causing discomfort. The inflammation can lead to complications with the transmission of sound through the ear, which qualifies as conductive hearing loss and can be severe.
Sensorineural hearing loss is hearing loss that deals specifically with the proceeds of the inner ear and the neurological side of hearing. The inner ear takes the physical results of hearing and translates those vibrations of energy into electrical impulses. That electrical impulse travels through the auditory nerve and interacts with the auditory cortex of our minds. Hearing loss develops when there is a problem with the ear’s ability to translate energy into electrical impulses; hearing loss develops, which is sensorineural hearing loss.
This form of hearing loss can result from chronic exposure to loud noises that over time damage the hair cells of the cochlea that do the work of translation. These hair cells do not have regenerative properties, and it is very important to protect your hearing from this kind of damage as it is permanent.
Sensorineural hearing loss can also be a result of trauma, or it can be acquired genetically. While a person can present with varying degrees of hearing loss who has sensorineural hearing loss, this form of hearing loss typically is more serious. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are both common forms of treatment for people who have sensorineural hearing loss, depending on the severity of their condition.
Mixed hearing loss is self-explanatory and is often seen in people experiencing hearing loss. Many people may suffer from both conductive and sensorineural depending on the criteria of their condition.
For instance, if they sustained trauma that damaged the cochlear functions of their inner ear while also producing swelling throughout the ear, this would qualify as both sensorineural and conductive hearing loss.
As we have seen, these three types of hearing loss make up what we know as hearing loss itself. We don’t necessarily see that it can fit any of these categories when it comes to tinnitus.
So why, then, does tinnitus present as a sound? If it is not a part of hearing loss, and not expressly caused by hearing loss, how come it presents itself in a way that seems to be auditorily driven?
The simple answer is that hearing loss has to do with the ear as a sensing organ failing or struggling to do its part in the hearing process. While tinnitus seems to be related to the ear because the experience of tinnitus is ‘hearing a tone, hiss, or static sound’ that doesn’t seem to have a recognizable origin - the truth is, your ears are actually doing nothing to make this sound present.
Tinnitus symptoms might be a “sound,” but this sound has nothing to do with the ear’s function or lack of function. Tinnitus’s origin is in a particular part of the brain called a severe primary auditory cortex.
When energy from sound waves reaches the cochlea in the inner ear, it interacts with hair cells found inside compartments of the cochlea called the Organ of Corti.
At this location, these specialized hair cells take that energy and translate it into electrical impulse where it interfaces directly with the vestibulocochlear nerve. From here the signal is carried to the brain, where it is interpreted at the primary auditory cortex.
The primary auditory cortex itself is located in the superior temporal gyrus and is arranged tonotopically. This is the area of the brain that is primarily used to interpret sounds into a recognizable format. The primary auditory cortex itself is very complex and spatially arranged to process different frequencies at different locations.
To understand tinnitus, we have to understand what real silence is. For many people, the concept of silence can be defined as the absence of sound. While this isn’t entirely wrong, it is fundamentally flawed. A more accurate statement would be that silence is the absence of ‘most’ sound.
The truth is if you were standing in a crowded subway terminal that had a natural amount of significant sound pollution, and you moved to a room that had no sound pollution - you wouldn’t be experiencing true silence.
You would notice a lack of stimulus to a dramatic degree, and it may seem like silence. Still, instead, your brain is just recognizing what it may see as a baseline of activity.
The brain’s baseline activity in the primary auditory cortex is naturally recognized as silence; however, it’s still an active state.
When stimulus from the ears comes in - the energy rises above that baseline. So when we are experiencing what our brains are interpreting as “silence,” we are experiencing the baseline neural activity that we recognize as silence. This baseline has a threshold that we may not consider, but it is set so that we can actually have peace of mind and enjoy ‘silence.’
Suppose we did not have this baseline neural activity. In that case, we may never experience silence or rest as we would be constantly introduced to stimuli like molecules colliding or even fluid moving through our ear.
Thankfully, this threshold means that small, minute sounds that happen below it - are not recognized. We can enjoy the silence and rest from what is happening, which is constant neural activity.
Tinnitus is thought to occur when one of the tonotopic areas of our primary auditory cortex is damaged. This can cause a lot of problems and can push this entire system out of harmony with itself.
Because the primary auditory cortex is arranged tonotopically, certain regions of the cortex understand and can translate specific frequency ranges. This is an incredibly complex and intricate system that we are still learning a lot about. An overly simplified example of this would be scale on a piano.
Every key plays a different note, and all the keys represent regions where that note can be produced. In a similar way, the regions of the primary auditory cortex represent areas where specific sounds can be recognized and understood.
When a person is experiencing tinnitus, they are experiencing problems in this area of the brain. Typically there is damage to a specific brain region that usually accounts for signal recognition of those frequencies. When this damage is present, another characteristic of the brain comes into play - plasticity.
Plasticity, put very simply, is the ability of the brain to compensate when a certain region is underperforming. So, suppose an area of the primary auditory cortex that recognizes frequencies in the mid-range is damaged. In that case, the areas of the cortex that recognize other frequencies will try to compensate. This can look like the other regions of the primary auditory cortex becoming more active to “make up” the region with clear deficits.
This is thought to be the cause of tinnitus. The sounds that we are ‘hearing’ aren’t coming from our ears but are instead actually coming from this damage to our neurology. However, when a region is damaged and other regions are overcompensating - this “silence signal” is not balanced correctly, and it results in a continuous tone with no apparent origin.
Being diagnosed with tinnitus usually involves a hearing test and can involve assessment by your physician. Most likely, your doctor can diagnose you based on your description of symptoms alone, as tinnitus is not uncommon and has a very distinct symptomatic presentation.
Unfortunately, there is no effective cure for tinnitus, and research is still being conducted to understand its origins and provocations better. While tinnitus can present with hearing loss, most treatments are not similar; however, there are certain conditions where devices like hearing aids could help.
Medications could also cause tinnitus and may need to come under your doctor's inspection. For people who have chronic tinnitus, noise suppression can be effective for mitigating tinnitus’ effects.
For instance, a white noise machine may not cut out a clear tone or "buzzing,” "clicking,” or "whistling" sound. However, it may mask the disorder to the degree that it can be ignored.
If you think that tinnitus is a constant stimulus above the ‘silence’ threshold of your neural activity, then adding another stimulation that has a soothing effect would counteract the initial stimulus. It would not negate or cancel out the tinnitus, but it may mask it and create a stable environment.
Another thing to keep in mind - is that tinnitus can have a heavyweight on a person's mental and emotional health. The feeling of helplessness can be exacerbated by a lack of sleep, resulting in emotional complications. Seeking medical advice and counseling on how to deal with your tinnitus is a great option.
The most important thing to remember when dealing with tinnitus is that you are not alone! This is a very serious condition that affects millions of people. While there may not be a clear cure, that does not mean that there is no treatment to alleviate your symptoms. Specialists like audiologists, ear, nose, and throat doctors around with neurologists can guide you along with professional counseling to help you regain control of your life.
Sources:
Anatomy, Head and Neck, Ear Organ of Corti | ncbi.gov
The Impact of Studying Brain Plasticity | Cellular Neuroscience
Tinnitus and underlying brain mechanisms | ncbi.gov
Tinnitus - Diagnosis and treatment | mayoclinic.org
Tinnitus - Symptoms and causes | mayclinic.org
Understanding the Facts | ata.org
Tinnitus: Ringing in the ears and what to do about it | Harvard Health
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Tinnitus is the experience of hearing “nonexistent” noise in your ears. People describe a ringing sound, but you could also hear hissing, buzzing, roaring, or clicking.
Each case of tinnitus is unique. The sound you think you hear can come and go, or it can be constant. Some people hear a high volume of sound, and others equate it to background noise.
Tinnitus affects between 15 and 20 percent of the population. Tinnitus is not a disease — it's a symptom of an underlying problem like wax impaction in your auditory system. To understand what causes tinnitus, you need to understand how we hear.
The auditory system includes all the parts of the outer and inner ear and the part of the brain that interprets sound. It works a little something like this:
Sound funnels through the outer ear and the auditory canal to the eardrum.
Sound causes the eardrum and the tiny attached bones to vibrate.
These vibrations reach the spiral-shaped cochlea in the inner ear.
The cochlea transforms sound into nerve impulses that travel to the auditory cortex of the brain.
The brain interprets the sound.
Anything that disrupts this system can cause tinnitus, including certain drugs, deterioration, or damage to parts of the ear, Meniere’s disease, otosclerosis, high blood pressure, anemia, allergies, ear infections, and impacted ear wax.
Ear wax or cerumen prevents infection in your ear canal and eardrum. Usually, wax works its way to the outer ear. When it doesn't, and too much ear wax accumulates in the ear canal, it gathers debris, hardens, and blocks up the auditory system. Ear wax impaction can be caused by things like cotton swabs, earbuds, and earphones.
Usually, the blockage only causes poor hearing, but sometimes the system overcompensates for this sound reduction. When the impacted wax interrupts sound and neural circuits fail to receive their typical stimulation, the circuits react by "chattering."
Your confused brain tries to interpret the activity as sounds like ringing, whistling, hissing or buzzing. What does this mean for you?
Simply put, removing ear wax may cure your tinnitus.
To remove excess or impacted ear wax, you can go to your doctor or use home remedies. You can do earwax removal at home with ear drops and warm water irrigation.
There are several substances you can use to break up ear wax:
Hydrogen Peroxide
Baby Oil
Mineral Oil
Olive Oil
Almond Oil
Glycerin
If you use peroxide, some water could still be in your ear after treatment. Experts recommend putting a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol into the ear and draining it to prevent an infection.
If you use one of the oils, it helps to warm it up a little. You can hold a small bottle in your hand to warm it or immerse a larger container in hot water for a minute or so. We have a natural reflex in our ear canals that may cause temporary dizziness if the liquid is too cold.
If you have never used ear drops, here’s a quick how-to:
Tilt your head to one side and gently pull your outer ear up and back.
Use a dropper to squeeze 3 or 4 drops into your ear. This liquid will help to soften the ear wax.
Keep your head tilted or lie on your side for 5 minutes. Then, turn over and drain the drops onto a towel. The wax will not come out all at once.
You can repeat this procedure daily for up to 14 days.
For faster results, use warm water irrigation. After you have used a few drops of hydrogen peroxide or oil to soften and loosen ear wax, you can use a rubber bulb syringe to irrigate the ear with warm water, like this:
Fill the syringe with water and squirt out a small amount to eliminate air.
Tilt your head to the side and gently pull your ear straight back so that your ear canal straightens.
Holding the tip of the syringe about ¼” from your ear, gently squeeze the bulb to squirt in some warm water.
Lie with your ear on a towel and pull down your earlobe to drain the water out completely.
Be sure to dry your outer ear thoroughly.
You can put a few drops of alcohol into your ear and drain that to help get all the water out. Alcohol also resets the pH of the ear canal, which may prevent infection.
Using a basic ball syringe and towel works fine, but you can also use an ear wax removal kit. Irrigation kits can be easily purchased over the counter and generally include a spray bottle, tubing, several tips, and a drainage container you can hold under your ear.
Typically, these kits work better than using direct water from a shower since flooding the ear with water can cause damage to the ear canal or eardrum and start an infection.
Doctors can use special tools to pull ear wax out because they have a lighted scope and can clearly see what they are doing. Using most of these tools at home can be dangerous, but there are some safe products available.
Spiral Swabs can help remove wax you dislodged using drops or irrigation. You can safely insert the pointed silicon spiral into your ear and twist it in the indicated direction so it will pick up loosened ear wax. These kits come with multiple disposable tips.
If impacted ear wax blocks sound signals in your ear, removing it could be the easiest and fastest solution to your tinnitus.
Your doctor can remove the wax, or you can remove it from the comfort of your home using oils or warm water irrigation.
“Over many years in practice as an ENT doctor, I am always amazed at how many patient symptoms are related to earwax. It is important to see your healthcare provider if earwax is a problem for you and in some cases there is a real need to have an ENT specialist ultimately take care of the earwax.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
As always, we recommend consulting a medical professional before attempting at-home treatment, but these solutions should give you a good overview of how you can clean earwax buildup to treat tinnitus. Hopefully, one of these remedies helps!
If you want to try a pair of hearing aids to help treat your tinnitus, we're only a click away. Check out our EV1 and EV3 hearing aids on sale starting at only $89/pair.
Best of luck on your journey to better hearing!
Sources:
Ear Irrigation - StatPearls | NCBI Bookshelf
Bruises and cuts are not the only damage that car accidents can cause your body. There are other internal damages that you may not know occurred until you begin to experience certain symptoms. Tinnitus is a product of such internal injuries sustained during an accident.
Tinnitus is a medical condition that causes you to hear sounds or noise in your ear without any external noise source. The sound can be a ringing, whooshing, hissing, or clicking sound. Tinnitus occurs when the normal functioning of the ear is interrupted, and different factors, including car accidents, can cause this disruption of function.
In most cases, you may not experience tinnitus right after a car accident. This is because tinnitus is not diagnosed in the emergency room. The diagnosis of tinnitus is always based on symptoms, and you may not experience the symptoms until after a few days or weeks.
The first medical attention you get right after an accident is often focused on treating visible injuries and taking you through scans to ensure there is no internal bleeding or damage to a major organ. Not much attention is given to the ear during this time, except there is an obvious symptom like bleeding from the ear.
While it's easy for doctors not to diagnose tinnitus right after an accident, it is even easier for you not to notice that your hearing has been affected. Just like the doctors, your focus will be on the injuries or pain you are experiencing at the moment.
But the fact that tinnitus was not diagnosed does not mean the accident didn't affect your hearing. A few hours or days after the accident, you may begin to experience the following symptoms of tinnitus:
The nature or degree of an accident can determine how much damage is done to your body. In most cases, the major cause of injuries and tinnitus during an accident is the collision’s force or impact. The most common types of accidents that cause tinnitus are those that are violent.
In some cases, however, accidents with minor impact can cause tinnitus. In this case, the tinnitus was not caused by the contact of your head with an object, but by the sudden movement of your head back and forth, which causes some nerves and ligaments to tear and results in tinnitus.
Below are some types of car accidents that can cause tinnitus of varying degrees.
A head-on collision is also known as a frontal car crash; when cars are driving in opposite directions, they crash into front to front. Head-on collisions are more likely to cause serious damage and fatality. Head-on collisions account for 10 percent of deadly accidents yearly.
When a head-on collision occurs, your body is propelled forward; you keep moving forward until you hit a part of the car, the airbag, or the seat belt. This sudden movement and impact can harm your body in different ways.
Your ribcage may be broken, your collar bone fractured, or your lungs may collapse. You may also experience whiplash, which can cause tinnitus. Other damage or injuries you may experience during a head-on collision include herniated disc, traumatic brain injuries, torn muscles, tendons and ligaments, spinal injuries, and broken neck.
A T-bone accident happens when the front of a vehicle bumps into the side of another vehicle forming a letter T shape at the point of impact. T-bone accidents often occur at intersections when one driver beats the stop sign and drives through the intersection, crashing into another vehicle traversing the intersection.
The effect of a T-bone accident is often more serious than those sustained in fender bender accidents.
Common injuries sustained during T-Bone accidents include concussion, whiplash, which is caused by the forceful back and forth movement of the neck, broken bones, spinal cord injury, and paralysis. The whiplash and concussion that is sustained during the T-Bone accident can cause varying degrees of tinnitus.
A rollover accident occurs when a vehicle tips over onto its side or it rolls over entirely until it is upside down. While rollover accidents are rare, they are deadly. The accident may involve one car or multiple vehicles.
There are two types of rollover accidents; tripped rollovers and untripped rollovers. Tripped rollovers are often single-car rollover accidents; they happen when a vehicle veers off the road is tripped over by an object.
Untripped rollovers are rare, and they occur when there is a collision of two vehicles coming from different directions. In most cases, one of the vehicles may be maneuvering or swerving to avoid colliding with a vehicle that suddenly got in the way.
Rollover accidents can be caused by loss of control due to speeding, inadequate tire grip due to worn tires, too much tire grip, drunk driving, or overloaded vehicle.
Injuries that can be sustained from rollover accidents include internal organ injustices, lacerations, and cuts, head and neck injuries which can cause tinnitus, arm and leg injuries, fractures, spinal injuries, and whiplash injuries. Whiplash injuries can also cause tinnitus.
A rear-end collision is also referred to as shunt or rear end. It occurs when a vehicle crashes into another vehicle in front of it.
This type of accident is often caused by a distracted driver, sudden or panic stops, reduced traction caused by worn pavement or wet weather, tailgating, or brake failure.
Whiplash injuries are one of the most common injuries sustained during a rear-end collision. Skull and brain injuries, neck injuries, facial injuries, back and spinal injuries, and broken bones and fractured ribs are other injuries caused by rear-end collision.
Different factors can cause tinnitus after an accident. It can be caused by the force of the impact, the loud noise from the crash or airbag, and it can also be caused by physical contact between your body and an object or by trauma.
If you experienced two or more of these during an accident, it might be hard to identify exactly which of the events caused the tinnitus. In most cases, tinnitus is a cumulative effect of all the events that happened during the accident.
Below are some major causes of tinnitus after a car accident.
This is one of the most common causes of tinnitus in accident victims. Airbags were created to reduce death rates during accidents, and so far, they have been very effective. Accident victims in cars without airbags often suffer more damage than those with airbags. There are, however, risks associated with airbag deployment, and one of such risks is tinnitus.
When car accidents happen, the airbags are deployed in milliseconds between when the airbag controller senses the collision and when you slammed into the steering wheel. The combination of the explosive deployment force and the deployment speed, which is about 200miles per hour, generates a noise that can damage your ears.
One of the major causes of tinnitus is constant or sudden exposure to loud noise. Hearing problems caused by loud noise or sound are referred to as acoustic trauma. The noise generated during airbag deployment is higher than the normal sound level threshold.
The sound pressure generated by an airbag deployment is about 178 decibels. This is about twenty percent higher than the sound level that can cause permanent hearing loss. This is even higher than the noise level in a crowded stadium which is about 130 decibels.
The sudden change in pressure and exposure to loud noise can damage the inner ear hair cells. Inner ear hair cells are responsible for hearing and balance. They detect changes in pressure and send signals to your brain; these signals are interpreted as sound or noise.
Sudden or long-term exposure to noise can cause these inner ear hair cells to bend or break. When this happens, the hair cells begin to send random signals to the brain; this results in tinnitus. If the noise makes the hair cells bend, tinnitus will be temporary. Once the hair cells straighten up, their proper functioning will be restored, and the tinnitus will disappear.
If, however, the noise broke or damaged the hair cells, the damage is permanent because damaged hair cells cannot be repaired, neither will new ones grow; this will leave you permanent tinnitus.
Aside from the damage to the inner ear hair cells, the explosion or deployment of the airbag can also cause the eardrum to rupture and fracture the tiny bones in the ear. This results in a sudden loss of balance, dizziness, hearing loss, or tinnitus.
Other injuries associated with airbag deployment include broken bones, facial cuts, spinal injuries caused by the sudden backward movement of the head, whiplash injuries, broken ribs, and in some cases, blindness.
Traumatic Brain Injury, also known as intracranial injuries, is an injury to the brain caused by an external force like a blow, jolt, or bump to the head, which disrupts the brain’s normal functioning.
During a car accident, there is a sudden forward movement of the head, which results in hitting the head against the steering wheel or the airbag. When this happens, the function of the brain can be affected. In some cases, an object in the car can pierce the car and enter the brain tissue.
Traumatic Brain Injury is characterized by loss of vision, change in speech, memory loss, disorientation, difficulty concentrating, and tinnitus.
Tinnitus caused by traumatic brain injury occurs when there is a disruption of the ear’s nerve networks. This disruption causes a rewiring of the brain's tone map, causing some dormant nerve clusters in the brain to become active.
This causes signals being sent from the inner ear to the brain to be redirected through a route that is not meant to interpret auditory information. The transmission of sound signals through these nerves makes them sensitive to sound and creates ringing sounds in the ear.
Also, trauma or injury to the head can affect blood flow to the auditory nerve, auditory pathway, and inner ear; this can cause tinnitus.
Tinnitus caused by head injury can be temporary or permanent depending on the degree of damage and medical intervention’s promptness. If a traumatic brain injury is not given prompt medical attention, it can lead to death in some cases,
Whiplash is a neck injury caused by rapid and forceful back and forth movement of the neck like a whip’s cracking. Whiplash is one of the most common injuries sustained in nonfatal accidents.
The head’s sudden movement causes the neck’s ligaments and muscles to be extended beyond their normal range of motion; this results in a tear.
In most cases, whiplash is not caused by the car’s speed; rather, it is caused by the sudden jolt caused by impact or airbag deployment. The tendency of having a whiplash injury is higher when you are putting on a seatbelt because the restricting of the trunk by the seat belt causes more cervical injuries.
Whiplash during an accident can cause tinnitus. The sudden forward and backward movement of the head and neck can force the moth to suddenly open and close; this causes the elongation and compression of the temporomandibular joint resulting in temporomandibular joint disorder, which is a major cause of tinnitus.
The sudden movement of the head can also cause damage to nerves and ligaments in the head. If the auditory nerve which is responsible for hearing is damaged, you may experience tinnitus.
Other factors like collision impact, concussion, trauma, and blood pressure increase can cause tinnitus after a car accident.
You must seek medical attention immediately after a car accident, no matter how mild the accident appears. As stated earlier, tinnitus may not be diagnosed right after the accident. If you begin to experience any of the symptoms we discussed above, days or hours after a car accident, report to your doctor immediately.
The presence of tinnitus is a sign that something is wrong in your body, and the sooner the root cause is identified and treated, the lesser the damage done to your hearing. In some cases, delaying medical help doesn't just affect your hearing; it can affect other aspects of your health.
Have you ever experienced tinnitus after a car accident? How long after the accident did you notice the symptoms of tinnitus? Share your experience with us in the comment section.
Although the actual cause of musical ear syndrome is unknown, there is a possible explanation of why it happens. The most likely cause of musical ear syndrome is auditory deprivation.
If you don't have hearing loss, what you hear as sound, is the product of a combination of sound input from the ear, interpretations by the brain, and predictions by the brain. When there is constant sound input, the brain doesn't need to predict much.
However, if there is hearing loss, sound input is either reduced or absent depending on the degree.
In the absence of sound input, your brain is forced to do more predicting to interpret the sound input received.
The severity of the hearing loss determines the severity of the loss of input or auditory deprivation. This increases the need for your brain to fill the gap.
The auditory deprivation causes the auditory cortex to become hypersensitive. This triggers the brain to generate sound by itself to fill up the void created by the absence of sound input. In simple terms, musical ear syndrome can result from your brain filling the blanks caused by a lack of external sound.
This void is filled with random noise for people with tinnitus, but for people with musical ear syndrome, the brain produces melodious or musical sounds.
Asides from lack of auditory input, other possible causes of musical ear syndrome are;
As already stated, when there is hearing loss, there is the loss of auditory input. Depending on the cause or the severity, hearing loss can be temporary or permanent, affecting one or both ears.
The absence of auditory input caused by the hearing loss forces the brain to generate its sound.
Certain types of medications can cause different forms of hallucinations, including auditory hallucination or musical ear syndrome.
Certain psychiatric medications like Haldol (haloperidol), Zyprexa (Olanzapine), and Seroquel (quetiapine) have been identified as possible causes of hallucination.
These drugs are not originally intended to cause hallucinations; the hallucinations are usually the side effect it has on the user.
Other examples of drugs that can cause auditory hallucinations are; Ativan (Lorazepam), Ambien( zolpidem), Requip(ropinirole), Lunesta (eszopiclone) sulfa drugs, and cephalosporins.
It is rare for medication to cause musical ear syndrome, but the possibility can't be ruled out if you start experiencing musical ear syndrome right after taking a medication; report to your doctor immediately.
Even though extensive studies have not been carried out to back the claims that cochlear implants can cause musical ear syndrome, smaller studies have confirmed it.
These studies have shown that musical ear syndrome can be triggered by cochlear implantation or removal.
While there is not much proof to back this up, if cochlear removal can cause musical ear syndrome, it is probably due to the absence of auditory input. Cochlear implants are given to people with hearing problems to aid their hearing. If this implant is removed, the ear can no longer send auditory input to the brain. This sudden lack of auditory input can force the brain to generate its sound.
Certain conditions like Alzheimer’s, hyperacusis, dementia, and Epilepsy can also trigger or increase the likelihood of musical ear syndrome.
There is no specific cure for musical ear syndrome; this is because the exact cause of the syndrome is not yet known. Also, due to the heterogeneity of the symptoms, treatments are often unique to individuals.
This means that because of the varying degree of severity and the varying type of musical sounds heard, two people suffering from musical ear syndrome may not receive the same treatment.
These treatments are not geared towards curing musical ear syndrome because they cannot do that. They are often prescribed to help people to adjust to the sounds and improve the symptoms. Below are certain treatments for musical ear syndrome;
If the musical ear syndrome is caused by hearing loss, hearing aids may be able to get rid of the music in your ears.
A hearing aid is a battery-powered device that is designed to aid or improve hearing. Hearing aids can help amplify sound, or they can improve your hearing in both quiet and noisy places. They are usually worn behind the ear or in the ear canal.
Most people with hearing loss have difficulty hearing or picking sound signals. But with the help of a hearing aid, they will be able to hear.
Here is how; the microphone on the hearing aid picks external sound and sends it to the amplifier. The amplifier increases the volume of the sound; then, the receiver sends the sounds into the ear, where it is then transferred to the brain for interpretation.
Since there is a hearing aid to pick up external sounds, your brain no longer needs to generate sound inputs to fill the blanks.
Even though certain medications can cause auditory hallucinations, some drugs can help relieve the symptoms.
There is no exact medication or one size fit all medication for treating musical ear syndromes.
The drugs below may be successful in treating musical ear syndrome in one person and fail in another person; this is due to the heterogeneous etiology of musical ear syndrome.
Antiepileptics, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotics medications can help to treat musical ear syndrome. Donepezil has also been identified as a possible treatment for musical ear syndrome.
If you developed musical ear tinnitus after using a betamethasone steroid, switching to a prednisolone steroid can make the music in your ears disappear.
Other drugs that may help treat musical ear syndrome are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, atypical neuroleptics or atypical antipsychotics, and cholinergic agents.
Just like every other drug, these drugs have certain side effects. It is, therefore, that you only take them on your doctor's prescription and supervision.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a psychotherapeutic or psycho-social intervention or treatment that is aimed at improving mental health.
The therapy helps people learn how to identify and change disturbing thought patterns that negatively affect their emotions and behavior.
While this may not cure musical ear syndrome, it can help you live with it without being adversely affected by its presence. CBT will help you improve your emotional regulation and also help you to develop personal coping strategies that will help you ignore the music in your ears and focus on your daily activities without much interference.
Musical ear syndrome is not the end of a normal life for you. There are a lot of people who have it but are enjoying their lives. A few lifestyle changes may be all you need to go back to the way things were before you started hearing songs in your ear. Below are a few lifestyle changes you might want to consider.
If you have musical ear syndrome, don't panic, you are not losing your mind; the problem is with your hearing.
Seek professional medical help immediately when you notice a musical noise in your ear. It may be overwhelming and challenging at the initial stage, but with the right medical help and therapy, you will be able to live a normal life.
Do you have musical ear syndrome? What does the music sound like? How are you coping with it? Share your experience with us.
Tinnitus is more of a symptom than a standalone health condition. The ringing in the ear isn’t the exact problem; it signifies that something else is wrong.
The tinnitus’s severity and whether it is temporary or permanent depends on its root cause. When the root cause is identified and handled, the tinnitus will disappear. An audiological exam can often identify the cause of tinnitus.
Since tinnitus treatment is heavily dependent on identifying the root cause of the tinnitus noise, let's examine some common causes of tinnitus.
Exposure to loud noise is a major cause of tinnitus. Sudden or consistent exposure to loud noises can damage your eardrum or the hairs in your inner ear.
These hair cells can either be bent or broken. If they’re bent, the tinnitus will be temporary; once they straighten, the ringing will disappear. However, if they’re damaged, the tinnitus will be permanent because there’s no way to restore damaged hair cells.
The accumulation of cerumen or earwax in your ear can block your ear canal, causing tinnitus. If your body produces excess earwax over time, the wax will solidify and form a lump that blocks the ear.
Attempting to clean your ear at home using objects like cotton buds can push the earwax deeper into the ear and affect the flow of sound signals into the inner ear, which results in tinnitus.
In most cases, the tinnitus will disappear after removing the excess wax. Doctors are the only ones who should perform earwax removal.
Aging can cause tinnitus, which often degenerates to hearing loss.
The older you get, the more different body parts like the ears begin to wear out. This wearing out is more pronounced if you’ve been exposed to loud noises over the years. There’s very little that you can do to handle age-based tinnitus.
Benign, non-cancerous ear tumors can affect ear function. In some cases, lumps form in blood vessels close to the ear. This reduces the pathway for blood flow in the affected blood vessel.
To ensure that blood still flows through the blood vessels, blood flow pressure increases. This increase in blood pressure can cause tinnitus.
Similarly, trauma to the head caused by a punch, kick, or blow can cause tinnitus.
Various diseases like autoimmune inner ear disease and Meniere's disease can cause tinnitus.
For instance, autoimmune inner ear disease makes the body attack your internal ear structures, especially inner ear hair cells. If it’s not given prompt medical attention, the condition can permanently damage all the hair cells.
Ototoxic medications treat various health conditions, but they can have ear-related side effects. Many over-the-counter drugs are ototoxic.
Common examples are antimalarial drugs, Aminoglycoside antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin, and cancer chemotherapy drugs.
Discontinuing the medication can cure tinnitus caused by ototoxic medications.
Tinnitus is one of the few health conditions that has given doctors, pharmacists, and health care professionals a hard time. Despite how long tinnitus has been around and its prevalence, there’s still no FDA-approved drug to treat tinnitus.
Several factors cause difficulty in finding an appropriate medication for tinnitus. Let's examine them.
Healthcare professionals don’t fully understand the mechanism behind tinnitus. We don’t know much about tinnitus beyond its clinical presentation and description.
Until the underlying mechanism behind tinnitus is understood, healthcare professionals can’t develop therapies or medications targeted explicitly at curing tinnitus.
Heterogeneous means unlike, distinct, or different from each other. The tinnitus population’s heterogeneity means that the samples, symptoms, causes, or etiology are different.
No two tinnitus cases are alike. The cause of tinnitus in patient A may be different from the cause of tinnitus in patient B. In the same manner, the severity of the ringing in the ear differs from person to person.
The tinnitus population’s heterogeneity makes it hard to produce a one-size-fits-all medication. For instance, if scientists produce a medication to cure tinnitus caused by autoimmune inner ear disease, it will not cure tinnitus caused by earwax blockage or tumors.
While this may like an odd obstacle to tinnitus medication development, it’s an important reason there’s no tinnitus drug. The cost associated with developing drugs to treat tinnitus is explicitly high.
This is partly due to the extensive research and test that development requires. Because tinnitus’s causes are different, scientists will have to research each cause independently.
Unifying the cures for each independent cause to form a single medication will be no small feat, and it’ll require lots of funds.
As noted above, the range of medical conditions responsible for tinnitus is so wide that it will be very difficult to create a specific medication to cure it.
Considering that the causes of tinnitus are both external and internal, a drug may effectively combat some internal causes like an autoimmune disease. Still, external factors like sudden exposure to loud noise may be beyond the drug’s control.
Nosology is the classification of diseases. For a disease to be classified, you need to identify one singular cause, its symptoms, and its effect on the body.
Nosology makes nosography possible. Nosography is a description that allows a diagnostic label to be given to a situation.
Because tinnitus has multiple causes, different symptoms, and varying effects on people, it’s hard to adopt an accepted tinnitus nosology.
Doctors can’t put a diagnostic label on tinnitus in the absence of nosology, so they can’t create a medication.
Even though there has been no specific tinnitus medication, doctors have studied drugs developed for other health conditions to determine whether they can relieve tinnitus symptoms.
In this section, we will examine some drugs that doctors prescribe to relieve tinnitus. Notice that we said to relieve, not cure. These drugs will reduce the severity of the ringing and give you relief, but they will not permanently resolve your tinnitus.
Hopefully, you’ll be able to go about your daily activities without much difficulty when taking these drugs.
If an ear infection caused your tinnitus, antibiotics could treat it. You don’t take antibiotics to cure the tinnitus; rather, they treat the ear infection responsible for the tinnitus. The most common antibiotic given for ear infections is amoxicillin.
The tinnitus will stop after treating the ear infection. You may experience some side effects like indigestion, nausea, or vomiting when taking the drug.
In clinical studies by the National Institute of Health, there was inconclusive evidence that tricyclic antidepressants are an effective tinnitus treatment.
The 2006 study indicated some positive effects in one group that received a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which “merits further investigation.”
Another piece of research by Robert A Dobie found that tricyclic antidepressants reduce complaints of tinnitus in comparison with the placebo group in patients with severe tinnitus caused by depression or other disorders.
For most cases of tinnitus, antidepressants may not be an effective treatment. However, they may help with symptoms in certain cases.
Unfortunately, the side effects of these medications may be harsh, affecting the quality of life as much as or more than the normal symptoms of tinnitus.
According to the American Tinnitus Association, a few common antidepressants used to treat tinnitus include:
Clomipramine (Anafranil)
Desipramine (Norpramin)
Imipramine (Tofranil)
Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
Protriptyline (Vivactil)
Misoprostol treats stomach ulcers in hypertensive and diabetic patients. It also may relieve tinnitus symptoms. Some studies have shown that Misoprostol reduces the loudness of tinnitus.
It’s often prescribed for chronic tinnitus, especially for people with hypertension and diabetes. However, large studies have not been conducted to discover whether Misoprostol should be recommended for tinnitus treatment, and the FDA hasn’t approved it for tinnitus treatments.
Side effects of using Misoprostol include stomach upset, diarrhea, gas, stomach pain, and nausea.
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic used to treat abnormal heart rhythms. Studies have shown that lidocaine can help manage tinnitus, especially in cases caused by diseases that affect the inner ear hair cells.
For lidocaine to be effective, it must be given intravenously or injected directly into the labyrinth through the middle ear.
The side effects of lidocaine often outweigh its potency in reducing tinnitus severity, so it isn’t recommended.
Dexamethasone is a steroid used to treat tinnitus caused by Meniere's disease, hearing loss, or autoimmune inner ear disease.
Dexamethasone for tinnitus is intratympanic. An ear surgeon administers an intratympanic injection during an in-office, awake surgical procedure.
The surgeon passes a long narrow bore needle through the ear canal and the eardrum into the middle ear. They inject the dexamethasone into the space in the middle ear, where the inner ear absorbs it.
While dexamethasone may not totally eliminate tinnitus, it relieves the symptoms and enables people with tinnitus to carry out daily activities without difficulty.
Campral is also known as Acamprosate, and it’s used to treat alcoholism. Several studies have suggested that Campral is effective in reducing the severity of tinnitus. This is especially true for tinnitus related to increased excitatory spontaneous brain activities.
Acamprosate helps restore the inhibitory/excitatory balance in the brain, thereby reducing tinnitus severity. Campral is also linked to the electrophysiological improvement of the distal portion of the auditory nerve and the cochlear.
The FDA hasn’t approved Campral, but some doctors prescribe it to tinnitus patients. Side effects of Campral include diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting.
Anti-anxiety medications have been used to help manage tinnitus’s effects of tinnitus but haven’t been shown to treat tinnitus itself.
According to the American Tinnitus Association, research has shown “very limited efficacy in patients without depression, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder.”
Like tricyclic antidepressants, these medications are more impactful for those with tinnitus caused by mental or depressive disorders.
According to the Mayo Clinic, anti-anxiety medications used for tinnitus aren’t without their slate of side effects and can be habit-forming.
The American Tinnitus Association says you might use these anti-anxiety medications to treat tinnitus:
Alprazolam (Xanax)
Clonazepam (Klonopin)
Diazepam (Valium)
Lorazepam (Ativan)
Off-label medications are used for purposes that they weren’t originally intended for (or approved for by the FDA). Many off-label medications are used to relieve tinnitus symptoms, but these have not been scientifically proven to relieve tinnitus symptoms. Some off-label medicines used to treat tinnitus are anticonvulsants and antihistamines.
Most of the medications used to treat tinnitus have side effects. Common side effects are dry mouth, fatigue, nausea, memory impairment, and vomiting.
It’s important to take these drugs under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
In some cases, the side effects far outweigh the medication’s benefits. For instance, psychoactive tinnitus medications reduce the brain's ability to change and adapt. This can make it difficult for the patient to ignore tinnitus noise, actually exacerbating their condition instead of managing it.
Some of these medications may also counteract other medications that a tinnitus patient takes to manage other conditions.
There’s no FDA-approved drug to treat tinnitus, but there may be a few medications that can help manage its symptoms. Tinnitus medications are generally used to help people experiencing tinnitus caused by a mental or depressive disorder.
Considering the side effects of some of these medications, it’s advised that you only take them when prescribed by your doctor. You must ensure that you only take the dosage prescribed by your doctor.
Aside from these medications, other tinnitus treatments can relieve tinnitus symptoms, such as masking using hearing aids. Your doctor will help you identify which of these other tinnitus treatments you should use.
If you think you have tinnitus, you should consult an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor and an audiologist to be diagnosed.
“Often the treatment for tinnitus works. Patients are some of the most grateful ones I have had over the years.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
Sources:
What Is Ménière's Disease? — Diagnosis and Treatment | NIDCD
Antidepressants for patients with tinnitus | NCBI
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Pulsatile tinnitus is a rare form of tinnitus characterized by a whooshing or thumping sound either in one or both ears. The ringing in the ear often follows a steady beat, and in most cases, it is in tune with the patient's pulse. This is why it is also known as vascular, rhythmic, or pulse-synchronous tinnitus.
Unlike other tinnitus types, where the tinnitus noise is heard by only the patient because there is no actual cause of the noise, pulsatile is different. The source of the noise is inside the patient's body, and in most cases, a doctor will be able to hear the noise if he listens with a stethoscope.
The source of this noise is often traced to an increase in blood turbulence near the ear, increased awareness of blood flow in the ear, or altered blood flow in the ear.
Pulsatile tinnitus noise is annoying to many people who have it, and in some cases, the noise is often loud, intense, and distracting, making it hard for the patient to sleep or concentrate.
Unlike other types of tinnitus, pulsatile tinnitus has an identifiable source. The presence of pulsatile tinnitus is an indication that there is a serious underlying medical condition.
Even though this may sound scary, the good news is that most of the underlying causes can be treated, and once the underlying cause is treated, the tinnitus will disappear. What this means is that in most cases, pulsatile tinnitus is not permanent.
Just like every other type of tinnitus, pulsatile tinnitus is accompanied by some symptoms. The severity of the symptoms may vary from person to person. If you have pulsatile tinnitus, below are some common symptoms you will experience:
Unlike regular tinnitus, the cause of pulsatile tinnitus can often be identified after a few medical examinations.
The causes of tinnitus are categorized into two: vascular causes and non-vascular causes.
Pulsatile tinnitus is said to be of vascular origin is caused by a problem in the vascular system. Vascular causes are subcategorized into venous causes and arterial causes. Arterial factors are the most common causes of pulsatile tinnitus.
Non-vascular causes are causes that are not related to the vascular system.
Let's examine some common causes of pulsatile tinnitus. As we examine each cause, you will be able to identify the vascular and nonvascular causes.
Atherosclerosis, also referred to as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, is the hardening of the arteries in the body, which is often caused by an accumulation of cholesterol, plaque, and other fat clogs in the arteries.
Arteries are flexible, and they have enough room for blood to flow in them freely without you noticing the movement, but when the arteries get clogged or blocked, the blood flow to parts of the body, including the ear, head, and neck are affected.
Arteries have a thin layer of cells in them known as the endothelium, which is responsible for keeping the inside of the arteries smooth and in shape to ensure continuous blood flow.
Atherosclerosis often begins when the endothelium is damaged.
Damage to the endothelium is caused by high blood pressure, inflammation from lupus or arthritis, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, or diabetes.
The damage to the endothelium gives room for bad cholesterol to enter your arteries’ walls, which causes the body to release white blood cells into the arteries to try to digest the cholesterol. But over time, the white blood cells and cholesterol turn to plaque and begin to build up along the walls of the arteries.
The accumulated plaque begins to form bumps on the walls of the artery, and the bumps continue to grow until they form a blockage.
This blockage begins to choke the flow of blood through the arteries, and in some cases, the blockage can rupture. This causes blood to clot inside the artery where the rupture happened, which can cause a heart attack or a stroke.
The formation of plaque blockage in your arteries makes the arteries lose their flexibility and makes blood flowing near the middle and inner ear move with more force. This forceful flow of blood creates a sound that can be heard in both ears. The sound of forceful blood flow being heard is pulsatile tinnitus.
Aside from pulsatile tinnitus, other atherosclerosis symptoms are; pain in the upper body, shortness of breath, unusual heartbeat, difficulty speaking and understanding speech, severe headache, drooping facial muscles, and paralysis.
This is a non-vascular cause of pulsatile tinnitus. It is a condition that affects the thyroid gland, which is located in front of the neck. It is characterized by weight loss, prominent eyes, irregular menstrual cycle, and goiter.
The thyroid gland is responsible for the production of triiodothyronine(T3) and tetraiodothyronine(T4). These two hormones regulate how the cells in your body use energy. The release of these hormones helps to regulate your metabolism.
Hyperthyroidism occurs when your thyroid gland begins to produce too much T4 or T3. The most common cause of Hyperthyroidism is an autoimmune disease known as Graves disease. The disease triggers antibodies to stimulate the thyroid gland to secrete too much of each hormone.
Hyperthyroidism can be caused by other factors such as benign tumors or the pituitary gland or thyroid, inflammation of the thyroid, excess iodine, and ovaries and testes’ tumors.
The presence of high amounts of T4 and T3 can skyrocket your body’s metabolic rate, which causes you to experience hand tremors, rapid heart rate, and increased blood pressure. The increase in the blood pressure causes blood to rush through your veins with more force, and this can cause pulsatile tinnitus.
Most pulsatile tinnitus cases can be linked to the presence of irregular blood vessels in the body, especially in the head.
Blood vessels can get kinked or damaged by various factors. When the blood vessels affected are around the ear, the flow of blood in them will cause you to hear pulsatile tinnitus sounds.
The affected blood vessel can be a vein or an artery. The carotid artery and the jugular vein are the two blood vessels in the head that their deformity can cause tinnitus. The blood vessels’ damage causes a change of pressure in the blood vessel and generates audible noise.
Health conditions like high blood pressure can change the flow of blood through blood vessels. Alcohol, caffeine, and stress can also amplify the noise and make it more noticeable.
Certain abnormalities in the ear, like superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome, which is a disease that affects the superior semicircular canal in the inner ear, can cause pulsatile tinnitus.
The superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome occurs when part of the temporal bone overlying the superior semicircular canal is missing or abnormally thin.
Also, ear abnormalities that cause a thinning or missing of the bone overlying the major veins and arteries that run near the ear can cause you to hear your heartbeat, resulting in pulsatile tinnitus.
Abnormalities of the sinus wall, such as the sigmoid sinus diverticulum can cause pulsatile tinnitus. The sigmoid sinus is a channel that carries blood located on the side of the brain, where blood is received from veins within the brain.
Sigmoid sinus diverticulum is said to occur when small pouches known as diverticula begin to form. These pouches protrude through the wall of the sigmoid sinus and enter the mastoid bone behind the ear.
Dehiscence is the absence of a part of the bone that surrounds the sigmoid sinus in the mastoid.
Both sigmoid sinus diverticulum and dehiscence cause a change in blood flow and the flow’s pressure and noise. Because this ear’s location is very close to the ear, the pressure change will result in pulsatile tinnitus.
This is a medical condition that occurs when there is high pressure around the brain. The high pressure causes symptoms like headache, tinnitus, blind spots, double vision, neck and shoulder pain, and temporary blindness.
There is fluid around the brain and spinal cord, which is known as the Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). When the fluid begins to build up in the skull, it puts extra pressure on the optic nerve and the brain.
It is referred to as idiopathic intracranial hypertension because the exact cause of the pressure is not known.
The extra pressure on the brain and the optic nerve causes you to develop pulsatile tinnitus, amongst other symptoms already mentioned.
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension can be treated with certain medications, through surgery or weight loss. Once it is handled, the pulsatile tinnitus will disappear.
The growth of tumors in the head or neck can pressure the blood vessels in that region and cause pulsatile tinnitus.
For instance, Glomus tumors, which are often common in parts of the jugular vein below the middle ear, can cause tinnitus. Although benign, this tumor is locally invasive.
The tumors are highly vascular, and their presence close to the ear can cause pulsatile tinnitus because of the amount of pressure they place on the blood vessels in the head and neck.
Asides from the seven causes of pulsatile tinnitus we have examined above, here are some additional factors that can cause tinnitus: Paget's disease, head trauma, conductive hearing loss, and high blood pressure.
Pulsatile tinnitus should not be overlooked because it is always a warning that something is wrong with your health.
Though discomforting, pulsatile tinnitus is often temporal, as once the underlying cause is treated, the ringing will fade away. But remember that prompt medical attention is key.
Have you had pulsatile tinnitus in the past? What caused it?
Share with us in the comment section.
Tinnitus is a medical condition that causes one to hear a ringing, hissing, or whooshing noise in their ears without an external source of the sound. In most cases, the sound is only heard by the tinnitus patient, but in other cases, like in pulsatile tinnitus, a doctor may hear the sound with the help of a stethoscope.
Certain factors can cause tinnitus. Some of these causes are; middle ear infection, ototoxic medications, exposure to loud noise levels, earwax blockage, age, autoimmune inner ear disease, head tumor or trauma, atherosclerosis, and Meniere's disease.
Depending on the cause and the level of damage done to the ear, tinnitus can be mild, severe, temporary, or permanent.
While tinnitus can affect people in different age groups, it is prevalent among individuals with certain occupations. For instance, soldiers and musicians are more susceptible to tinnitus than people with jobs that don't expose them to loud noises.
In this article, we will be examining some musicians with tinnitus, but before we start, let's get some background information on why tinnitus is common among musicians.
The major factor responsible for the prevalence of tinnitus in most musicians is the constant exposure to high sound pressure levels. Daily or more frequently than not, musicians are exposed to loud noise levels from their musical instruments and microphones in both personal practice, rehearsals, and concerts.
Studies have shown that the sound intensity musicians are exposed to during each of their musical activities is beyond the normal limits of tolerance, and this endangers their hearing health.
The acceptable sound level for humans is 80 decibels, but musicians are often exposed to sound levels that are as high as 120 decibels.
This overexposure to loud noise levels does not just happen during concerts. It also happens during their normal daily activities, one of which is listening to music to improve their singing skills. This can be done using headphones or earpieces or very loudspeakers at home or in the studio.
While the musician thinks these exercises improve his skills, unknown to him, he is also damaging his ears. The major part of the ear that is affected by exposure to loud noise levels is the hair cells in the inner ear.
Constant exposure to loud noise can cause these hair cells to deteriorate, and when they are finally damaged, there is no remedy. And this can cause tinnitus, permanent hearing loss, or deafness.
Aside from the fact tinnitus can be annoying and distracting, for most musicians, the effects also spill into their work life. They may be unable to function properly and may experience certain musical difficulties. If not handled well, tinnitus can deteriorate and ruin the career of a musician.
Over the years, many renowned musicians in the world have experienced some form of hearing loss or impairment. For some, it is consistent tinnitus, and for others, permanent hearing loss or deafness. A recent statistic shows that about 60% of the rock and roll hall of fame musicians have hearing impairment; while this may not be shocking because we know the reason for the hearing impairment, the statistics are still alarming.
This huge effect on the hearing of musicians is not restricted to just rock and roll musicians but also other types of musicians, DJs, and instrumentalists.
Below are some famous musicians that have tinnitus.
Richard Melville Hall, popularly known as Moby, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer who was born on September 11, 1965.
He has released many albums, including Moby(1992), Ambient(1993), These systems are failing (2016), Animal Rights(1996), and many more. Moby has sold about twenty million records of his songs worldwide.
Moby has had to battle with tinnitus for a long while. According to him, when he first started playing in bands, he didn't realize the importance of wearing hearing protection, so he never wore any.
Despite not wearing ear protection, he and his team still played as loud as they could. This continued for a while. Suddenly, one night, after coming back from a punk rock show, he discovered his ears were ringing.
This wasn't the first time he experienced this, he had experienced ringing in his ears almost after every show, but this ringing was different. Because unlike the previous ringing episodes, this one didn't disappear overnight. When he woke up the next day, the ringing was still there; well, the ringing never disappeared.
This made him realize the importance of protecting his ears from exposure to loud noise. He started wearing hearing protection from then to prevent losing his hearing. According to him, "I realized that once my hearing is gone, it will never return"
Even though Moby has joined the statistics of musicians with tinnitus, he has learned to manage his tinnitus well without taking any toll on his career.
Christopher Anthony John Martin is an English songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer born on the 2nd of March 1977. He is the co-founder, primary songwriter, and lead singer of a rock band known as Coldplay. The band was formed in 1996, but it was called Starfish then. It was renamed Coldplay in 1998.
In an interview he granted in 2012, Chris Martin revealed that he had developed hearing problems. He admitted to not paying much attention to his hearing until he developed a hearing problem.
Ever since he revealed his hearing problems, every team member wears sound monitoring headphones or custom-molded earplugs at concerts.
Chris Martin also ensures that he wears hearing protection. Even though this has not cured the hearing problem, it has prevented the condition from deteriorating.
Popular heavy metal singer John Micheal Osbourne popularly known as Ozzy Osbourne is another musician with tinnitus. Born on 3rd December 1948, he became popular in the 1970s for his lead vocalist role in the Black Sabbath band.
He has many studio albums to his credit, including Blizzard of Oz, UnderCover, Ordinary Man, Diary of a Madman, Ozzmosis, etc.
Osbourne got a crowd in a stadium to scream the longest crowd scream according to the Guinness world record.
In an interview with Sunday Times of London, Osbourne revealed that he suffers from permanent tinnitus. This means that the ringing in his ears is constant. He described the tinnitus noise as a "wheee!! noise," which suggests that the noise may be high-pitched. The tinnitus has also made him mildly deaf.
Ozzy Osbourne admitted that he didn't wear earplugs whenever he was exposed to loud noise, and that's what caused the permanent ringing. He believes that if he had worn earplugs, his hearing wouldn't have been affected.
Philip David Charles Collins is an English songwriter, drummer, singer, and record producer born in 1951. He is popularly known as the singer/drummer of a rock band called Genesis.
Phil Collins is a music legend that is popular amongst the older generation. He also warmed his way into the young generation’s heart with his soundtrack on Disney's Tarzan.
He suffers from permanent tinnitus and now relies on hearing aids. Phil told "Die Zeit' that his hearing loss came suddenly. It started one day after he had spent the day in his studio singing. When he left the studio, he went to get his daughter from school. When they got home, they ate and decided to play a video game; that’s when the ringing started.
According to him, "suddenly my ear went sssssssshh.” Within a second, his left ear felt like it been underwater and then closed down. All efforts to clear out the ear, including pinching his nose, proved abortive.
His hearing loss affected his ability to perform, which made his career partly come to an end.
Anthony Kiedis is an American songwriter and vocalist and a founding member of the rock band Red Hot Chilli Peppers. He is one of the world’s biggest Rockstars and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012 alongside his other band members.
Anthony Kiedis suffers from both tinnitus and hearing loss. This permanent damage to his ear began in the 90s during a musical tour.
He and his team performed better than they had planned on that night in a giant room that was packed full of people.
After his performance, he went backstage with a fellow band member, and that's when he realized his ear was ringing. At the end of the tour, it was obvious that he had permanent ear damage.
Since a permanent hearing loss is difficult to cure, he has had to live with it since that night.
Neil Young is a Canadian-American musician, singer, and songwriter born in 1945. He is also one of the popular musicians that have hearing problems.
Neil's hearing problems(tinnitus) started in 1991 when he was recording his album "Weld.” In the following year, Neil had to stay away from the stage and music because of the tinnitus effect.
His album 'Harvest Moon' was made because he did not want to hear any loud sounds.
During the early stage of the tinnitus, he had a high sensitivity to loud sounds. Even though this sensitivity to loud sounds has reduced, he still has to live with tinnitus.
Ever since he developed tinnitus, Neil Young has decided to take precautions to protect his ears and hearing health.
The English rock and roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter Eric Clapton was born on March 30, 1945. He has been inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame three times. He is also referred to as the most influential and important guitarist of all time.
In the early days of his band Cream, being as loud as they could be was the order of the day, and that's probably why Eric has hearing problems.
In a chat with Daily Express newspaper, Eric Clapton said:
“I probably had two 100-watt stacks at the height of things, and I would turn one on for guitar solos; it was just mad.”
The extended exposure to loud noise on stage and the excessive decibels he was exposed make him have tinnitus continuously. It has even been speculated that he is partially deaf in one ear.
Clapton doesn't blame anyone but himself for the tinnitus; he said he thought he was irresponsible and thought he was invincible. After he developed tinnitus, in 1997, he started using 50 Watts Marshalls and Fender Deluxe Reverb amps.
None of these changes could get rid of the tinnitus, but thankfully it's not as severe as it was when it first started. His advice to others is "take care and wear plugs."
The American rapper, record producer, songwriter, actor, and television personalities Williams James Adam popularly known by his stage name Will.I.Am is the founding and lead member of the musical pop group Black Eyed Pea.
In 2010 he revealed that he was suffering from tinnitus. He described the tinnitus noise as a beeping noise that has always been there every day and all day.
Will.I.Am says he can't be quiet because that's when he notices the ringing. He doesn't know exactly how long he has had it, but it gradually got worse, according to him.
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend is a guitarist, composer, singer, co-founder, and the second lead vocalist of one of the most famous rock bands of the 1960s and 70s named Who.
Peter's band, Who held the world record for being the loudest band for ten years, should tell the degree of noise each band member, including Peter, was exposed to. It is therefore not surprising that Peter Townshend and his other band members suffer serious hearing problems.
Peter's tinnitus manifests as a ringing in his ears; the ringing is at the frequency that he plays his guitar, and not only is it frustrating, it is also painful.
In addition to the tinnitus, Peter Townshend is also completely deaf in one ear. This happened during a live performance in the 90s when his drummer blew up his drum sets.
Brain Francis Johnson is an English singer and songwriter born in October 1947. He became the third lead singer in the Australian rock band AC/DC in 1989, and in 2003 he and his band members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
In 2016, Brian announced that he would stop touring with his band. While many people suspected the decision was based on an internal feud, Brian Johnson revealed that doctors had been advised to quit performing live or face total hearing loss.
As devastating as this news was to his career, he had to stop live performances to avoid becoming deaf.
These are just a few of the musicians who suffer tinnitus; there are many more out there who have not openly admitted their hearing challenges.
As stated earlier, the major cause of tinnitus amongst musicians is extended exposure to loud noise without ear protection. Most of the musicians mentioned in this article admitted that they didn't pay close attention to their ears during their performances, which caused the tinnitus.
If you are a musician, ensure that you limit your exposure to loud noise, avoid extended exposure. Whenever you are unavoidably exposed to loud noise, ensure your ears are protected.
Are you a musician with tinnitus? Or do you know any with tinnitus? Let's hear your opinion on this topic.
Tinnitus is a ringing, buzzing, or humming sound or the perception of noise (like hissing) in the ears. It's a common problem that most people can relate to. That said, though most sufferers refer to tinnitus as a condition, it's a symptom of underlying issues in actuality.
Conditions responsible for tinnitus vary. For example, age-related hearing loss, circulatory system disorders, and ear injuries can cause tinnitus.
Suppose you stay in a quiet room and you hear ringing sounds in your ears with no one around, or you hear consistent sounds in your ears when there's no external source of the noise. In that case, that's tinnitus, and you'd want to consult with your doctor to get your hearing checked for an expert diagnosis on the source of your tinnitus.
Most of such headphones utilize state-of-the-art active noise-canceling technology to counteract environmental noise or sounds. Simply put, most noise-canceling headphones reduce surrounding noise using other noise.
This type of headphones can decrease various types of background sounds like the noise of an airplane engine, city traffic noise, and a train’s rumble, amongst others. This is achieved by generating a sound called "anti-noise" that blocks out unwanted environmental noise.
Noise-canceling headphones feature built-in audio-processors capable of detecting sound and producing the exact opposite wave pattern to combat the sound.
However, not every headphone makes use of such active noise-canceling. Some headphones cancel out environmental sounds because they feature a built-in isolating design due to the materials they are made with.
There are three types of noise cancellation headphones available for users:
These types of noise-canceling headphones are often confused as the same, but they possess some major differences based on how the headphone decreases external noise and the purpose it was created for. So let's see a bit about the differences.
This type of noise-canceling headphones is the most common. It is usually referred to as noise-isolating headphones. With this type of headphones, the external noises are canceled out. This is achieved via the headphone’s physical features like the materials used, the shape, and design.
The physical features act as a blockade for the external noise by stopping it from reaching the user’s ears. If you've ever seen those big bulky headphones, they are made for noise-isolation purposes as they fully cover the ears of the user with additional padding to block out external noises.
While these headphones also utilize their design and shape to cancel out external noise, they go a bit further and use advanced technology to eliminate environmental noise.
These headphones feature a tiny built-in audio processor capable of detecting and analyzing the sound pattern of external noise and then cancels out the noise by creating a mirror anti-noise signal. The result is that the ambient noise disappears, and this gives you a cleaner sound.
This noise-canceling headphone type is quite recent in terms of the headphones industry. The adaptive technology adjusts the headphone's cancellation strength based on the environmental noise type and level. Its noise-canceling capability is much more powerful when the background sound is louder and less when it is low.
There's some degree of evidence on the web from people’s stories regarding noise-canceling headphones and the impact on tinnitus. But there aren't any viable scientific reports currently to solidify such claims.
Most people state that they suffer the symptom of tinnitus after using noise-canceling headphones for a few months. And as they stop the use of noise-canceling headphones, the strange sounds cease. These reports aren't scientific, but there are enough buzz and conversations about this in forums and groups to pick up interest in any relationship between them.
That said, the human brain is an intriguing specimen, and it's capable of picking up various types of background sounds. And when it does, your ears adapt, and most times, you aren't aware of a change.
For example, your home may be silent when everyone is out for the day, and automatically your brain will tune out the soft hum of your air conditioner or fridge in the kitchen. But the moment you begin to use noise-canceling headphones, they're so great at smoothening out such sounds that if you use them for long without playing music, you'll get disorientated. This is the reason most people get dizzy after the first use.
To resist this, the human brain sends a ringing sound to check the ears (just like a concert soundcheck in your head).
So if you wear noise-canceling headphones without playing music or any audio track and have the active noise-canceling switched on, while in a quiet room, you'll discover that you're able to hear sounds in your house that you didn't previously, and they get quite distracting.
When tinnitus occurs, it's often due to you getting exposed to loud sounds or some level of hearing loss. Does this mean your headphones are the cause of it?
That's very likely, especially if you consistently use them to listen to music with the volume turned up. The louder and longer you use your headphones to listen to music (this can be normal or noise-canceling headphones), the more you're likely to encounter hearing loss.
Speak to an audiologist, and they'll inform you that it isn't the earbuds or headphones you use that's the problem but the audio volume of the headphones or earbuds that you're using to listen that is responsible.
Even in short, quick bursts, loud sounds can cause a tremendous amount of damage to your hearing. If you get tinnitus, it's possibly because you're playing your audio for too long and too loud. This is regardless of the kind of headphones you use. Any one of them will eventually get your hearing damaged if you neglect the proper caution required when using them.
So how do you get the best out of noise-canceling headphones without causing damage to your ears? We'll see that in a bit.
For decades tinnitus was a lot more common in the elderly (that's, people ages 55 and above). This is because as humans age, hearing loss sometimes comes along the way. And when hearing loss begins, so does tinnitus. However, these days with the rave of headphones around all of us, middle age and young people expose themselves to loud sounds consistently, which leads to hearing loss for people in the younger age brackets.
That said, it's not just headphones. For young people, the world is a lot louder. Gym classes are louder. Clubs are louder. Concerts are louder as well. Such constant exposure to loud sounds is the kind of environment young people encounter nowadays. And when you have such loud sounds blasting into your ears consistently, you can very quickly affect your inner ear structure.
For example, the American Osteopathic Association states that 1 in every five young adults suffers from hearing loss, which is 30% greater than it was decades ago (the 1980s to 1990s). There's also research from the World Health Organisation that shows about 1.1 billion young adults at risk of hearing loss because they listen to loud audio on their devices consistently and attend noisy and loud events.
Audiologists also report a rise in the frequency of visits from young patients and state headphones as primary causes. However, it isn't the headphones that are causing the problem but how people utilize them.
Years ago, headphones were not as common as they are now. And one of the things to keep in mind is that many people who use regular headphones aren't that loud at low volumes, increasing the volume to drown out the surrounding sounds that interfere with their audio. This is why most people opt for noise-canceling headphones, as they permit the user to enjoy the sounds they intend to hear without increasing the volume to suppress environmental sounds.
So it's obvious that wearing headphones and listening to audio at high volumes for extended periods will result in poor hearing. And hearing loss is an underlying cause of tinnitus.
Sometimes this kind of tinnitus may be temporary if you are just exposed to loud volumes for brief periods, like after attending a concert. It may also occur after you listen to audio on your headphones at high volumes and reduce or go away after some time but regardless, it will result in permanent damage to your hair cells within your ears.
These cells control your hearing ability, and if they are affected negatively, it will cut down your ability to hear. This isn't an immediate process, but these cells are damaged over time, and the loss of hearing starts gradually. It isn't sudden radio silence.
There is currently ongoing research on how these hair cells within your ears can be regrown. Still, regardless of the outcome, it's much better to focus on keeping your ears safe, and this can be done by only using your noise-canceling headphones at the recommended volumes.
As you limit the frequency, length, and volume when listening to audio with your headphones, you can protect your ears and still enjoy a great audio experience.
The damaging effects of noise exposure are dependent on how often, how long, and how loud you listen. And the general rule of thumb is that it isn't safe to listen to noise or sounds at 85 decibels for over 8 hours per day.
This is because the sound level is about the same as city traffic. If you turn it up to 100 decibels (like a metal concert), you can cause damage to your hearing in only 15 minutes of using your headphones.
So what is the recommendation with regards to noise-canceling headphones as well as other types? Limit the amount of time you use them to no longer than 1 hour at a go to give an hour break in between. This is to let your ears rest.
Regardless of whether you're using earbuds, noise-canceling headphones, or regular headphones, all kinds of headphones can lead to hearing loss if used with caution.
This is irrespective of whether they are cheap or expensive; it makes no difference.
So to help you, here are a few tips that will help safeguard your hearing and make your listening pleasurable with your headphones.
When you use regular headphones in noisy environments, you have to turn up the volume extra loud to hear what you are listening to, but with noise-canceling headphones, you can counterbalance the noise in your surroundings. This keeps you from playing around with the volume whenever the surrounding noise increases.
A great rule to follow is to keep your volume around 60% of the maximum and not go beyond listening for more than 90 minutes daily.
It can be hard work keeping track of time, especially when you are into the audio you are listening to, but some of the noise-canceling headphone models have certain features built-in that can show you how loud and how long you've been listening.
This makes it easy to adjust the volume to a level that is safe for your hearing.
Headphones are made to function like your ears. That is, they work in unison to create a unified sound. So if you use just one side (like if you're sharing with a colleague while on transit), it won't sound as loud. And when you increase the volume to hear better, you'll be blasting the single ear with a harmful volume level.
Even though listening to audio tracks with your headphones while jogging or riding a bike is common, it is recommended that you don't do this for other reasons beyond hearing loss.
Except you're safely using stationary gym equipment, it's very dangerous when you're unable to hear what's going on around you, especially when jogging.
This goes without saying, but you also want to avoid wearing headphones while you're driving. Aside from being illegal and that for a good reason, you need to hear everything around you and stay alert so you can drive safely. Try to use headphones that allow you to hear outside noises while listening to your audio.
To prevent tinnitus, you don't have to stay away from headphones of any kind, including noise-canceling headphones. However, it's important to know that whatever you put in or over your ears to listen to audio must be used with the necessary cautionary measures to safeguard your ears from exposure to loud sounds. To achieve this:
This isn't exclusive to your noise-canceling headphones. When you are attending a concert or increasing your home stereo volume, try to keep such times to the barest minimum. And avoid exposing your ears to any other form of loud noise consistently if possible.
Sometimes there is no way you can get around exposure to loud sounds. In such scenarios, you can ensure that you take breaks from the loud noises around you so your ears can have time to recover.
Suppose you have to be in a noisy environment. In that case, whether attending a concert or your day job demands that you work around loud machinery, you can protect your ears from these sounds by wearing head protection that'll help cut down your exposure to the hurtful sounds.
Earplugs are an excellent option for such scenarios as some kind of earplugs balance out the noise, so you can still hear it without damaging your ears.
How does it relate to noise-canceling headphones? Well, if your ears are regularly exposed to loud noises, and you use noise-canceling headphones even for an hour, you can easily get tinnitus because much damage has already been done.
Alcohol makes the hair cells in your ears more susceptible to damage from loud sounds. This is also true for dehydration. So if you're at an event or party dancing to loud music, you should balance your intake of alcoholic beverages with enough water.
When you use your noise-canceling headphones, make sure that you take the necessary precautions by placing time limits on the length of use and restrictions on how loud you increase the volume.
Earbuds usually have an audio signal that you can elevate by 9 decibels, so go for big headphones that cover your ears. And when listening to your audio, stick to 60% of the total volume range and limit the time you do this to just one hour every day. But if that's not possible, take breaks in between and listen every other hour.
However, noise-canceling headphones are the best options as you can use them for much longer at lower decibel levels.
Staying concerned about the health of your ear is crucial, so if you are regularly exposed to loud noises via your noise-canceling headphones, where you work, or your lifestyle, especially when you notice symptoms of tinnitus, then you need to schedule a visit with your doctor to have your ears checked out.
Loud noises can trigger tinnitus, so sufferers of the condition can use noise-canceling headphones to help ease the tinnitus that might occur later in the day.
Some individuals may be on a flight where they have to hear the persistent engine sound. By eliminating the loud environmental noise, the sufferer can ensure that the tinnitus sound that occurs later won't be too bad. So noise-canceling headphones can be seen as a tinnitus preventive measure. This can or not work for you.
It is advisable that when using noise-canceling headphones in a bid to prevent tinnitus from occurring later on in the day due to loud sound exposure that you listen to an audio track. This is because simply placing a noise-canceling headphone over your ears may make the quietness that results quite uncomfortable and can even amplify the tinnitus sound.
Most tinnitus patients state that the condition is easier to manage if they're able to hear some form of audio or have background noise, as the phantom sounds are hard to ignore if there is no ambient noise getting through the noise-canceling headphones.
You can use noise-canceling headphones if you are suffering from tinnitus, and yes, even expert advice recommends patients to wear headphones.
But people should seek medical advice on the right kind of headphones to use. That said, there is a ton of information on the various tinnitus forums online where individuals talk about how they manage tinnitus while listening to audio and music they love.
Also, as we have just seen, noise-canceling headphones can reduce the effect of tinnitus for patients by decreasing the loud noises that cause later episodes. Noise-canceling headphones can also prevent some of the underlying causes of tinnitus, like hearing loss, by eliminating users’ need to increase the volume.
The conclusion is simple: does noise-canceling headphones help ease or cause tinnitus? It all depends on how it is used.
If you intend to safeguard your hearing, you may want to go for the noise-canceling headphones to get sound clarity without increasing the volume so loud that it drowns out all the environmental sounds as loud sounds can cause tinnitus.
However, making the mistake of using noise-canceling headphones to listen to loud music for extended periods will cause damage to your ears. But suppose you want to use them not just to listen to audio but also to shield your ears from loud noise in your environment to prevent tinnitus surfacing later on in the day. In that case, noise-canceling headphones work great in helping to ease and to avoid tinnitus.
So, in the end, it's all about how and when you use noise-canceling headphones that determine if they are helpful or damaging to your ears.
Head injuries like concussions can result in a continuous ringing in your ears, known as tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a symptom of an underlying problem and not a disease in itself. So treating tinnitus post-concussion is dependent on the type of head injury that caused the ringing noise to appear.
So in this piece, you'll learn the various possible reasons for tinnitus following head injuries like concussions and how to treat them. We will also go through the many ways you can cope with the noise if treatment isn't possible.
Tinnitus is the perception of noises within the ear without an external source of the sound. Tinnitus can happen in one ear or the two, intermittently or continuously, and varies in pitch and intensity in different patients.
Most times, the tinnitus noise is perceived as coming from within the ear. And at other times, it may be heard like it has an external source.
The sound that you may experience when you have tinnitus is explained as a high-pitched ringing sound. Other tinnitus-related noises patients describe are:
Some people may even hear musical sounds, even though this symptom isn't common. Feeling pressure (aural fullness) and a painful sensation around or in the ear is also a tinnitus sign.
Tinnitus can happen for several reasons post-concussion. So here are the most common reasons for tinnitus as a result of head injury:
This happens when there is damage to the inner ear. Unlike most causes of tinnitus post head injury, this doesn't result in bone fractures. Instead, the extent of the injury itself almost destroys the patient's cochlea.
Labyrinthine concussions generally result in a total loss of hearing and are usually followed by tinnitus.
The ossicular chain is made up of 3 tiny bones. These bones help in the transmission of sound to the inner ear's cochlea from the tympanic membrane.
Head trauma can result in the misalignment of these three small bones, leading to conductive hearing loss. And ultimately cause tinnitus.
When tinnitus is a result of damage to bones, it is called somatic tinnitus.
At times a head injury can result in a problem called Meniere's Syndrome. This issue occurs due to pressure build-up within the ear.
The pressure makes the ear fluid move more than necessary, affecting both your balance and hearing.
Besides damaging your hearing, this unusual ear pressure can result in tinnitus symptoms. There isn't a cure for Meniere's Syndrome, but certain medications and steroids can relieve you from its symptoms, including tinnitus.
Tinnitus often accompanies the sensorineural loss of hearing. This occurs when damage to the auditory nerve or the hair-like cells within the inner ear responsible for transferring sound occurs.
It may often not result in a total hearing loss, but it usually affects some frequencies. However, researchers do not yet completely understand why tinnitus happens with hearing loss but what's clear is that the loss of particular sound frequencies transforms how the human brain processes sound.
This means, when your brain receives lower than normal external stimuli from a particular frequency, your brain will adapt to the new change.
Certain researchers hypothesize that tinnitus could be due to the brain filling the lost sound frequencies it no longer gets.
Another type of head injury-related tinnitus (somatic tinnitus) happens post damage to the temporomandibular joint. This joint is found in front of your ears, where there's a connection of the lower jaw to the skull.
The temporomandibular joint shares nerve connections and ligaments with the middle ear, making it possible for damage to the jaw cartilage or muscles after a hit to the head to result in tinnitus.
If you get tinnitus that results from a temporomandibular joint disorder, you'll also get other symptoms like:
Most times, when you treat the temporomandibular joint disorder, you will get rid of the tinnitus symptoms.
Most issues of tinnitus after head injuries like a concussion can be treated by fixing the root cause. For instance, undergoing surgery to fix the ossicular chain disruption results in the alleviation of tinnitus symptoms, most times.
This is why having an in-depth diagnosis with an ear specialist is vital. That said, if tinnitus results from the way the brain processes sounds, there's no way to treat it. But there are still ways the patient can manage the accompanying symptoms. Let's have a look at that below.
In post-concussion situations where tinnitus can't be fixed. The best move is to learn various methods of managing it. A common technique to achieve this used by many tinnitus patients is known as "masking.”
In masking, a tiny device that looks like a hearing aid is worn by the patient (headphones can also be used). The device creates customized noises that drown the irritating ringing sounds associated with tinnitus.
Standard masking sounds like white noise from fans, nature sounds, or music can also be used.
In certain situations, masking engages neuroplasticity to retrain the brain to tune out repetitive or annoying sounds. In the long run, the result will be that the individual won't have to use masking. But this method doesn't always work. Hence, it's common for most patients to have to depend on masking all their life.
Besides masking, other techniques can be used to cut down the severity of tinnitus. Tinnitus symptoms often arise in times of high stress and anxiety, so finding ways to reduce your anxiety can sometimes be helpful. Here are other ways you can decrease tinnitus symptoms:
While such methods cannot directly treat tinnitus can help you reduce the effect of the disorder on your mental well-being.
Tinnitus results in a continuous irritating ringing in the ear post-concussion, and it can be a very annoying condition. It happens for several reasons after damage to the head, including how the brain processes sound.
There's no one-fix-all cure for tinnitus, but you can manage it if the treatment of the cause doesn't work. To know the best move to make, fix an appointment with an ear specialist immediately. They'll help you figure out the root cause of your tinnitus and recommend the best ways to handle it.
]]>In some cases, doctors may be able to hear the sound with the aid of a stethoscope.
Tinnitus sound can be heard as a ringing, hissing, buzzing, roaring, clicking, whistling, or whooshing sound. For some persons, the noise may sound like a familiar tune.
The volume and pitch of the noise may vary. Depending on the cause, tinnitus can also be temporary or permanent.
While tinnitus is not a disease, it is often a sign that something is wrong, and if the cause is not quickly identified, the situation may worsen. In some cases, tinnitus is a symptom of an impending hearing loss.
Some people with tinnitus can go about their regular business without experiencing the effects of tinnitus, but others may find it difficult to concentrate or carry out their daily activities.
A common complaint from tinnitus patients is their inability to sleep. The majority say that the tinnitus noise becomes unbearably loud when they lay on the bed, making it difficult for them to fall asleep.
In this post, we will answer why tinnitus gets worse when you lie down. But first, let's briefly examine some causes of tinnitus.
Let's see some common causes of tinnitus.
Constant exposure to loud noise is a major cause of tinnitus. Loud noise can cause permanent damage to the cells in the cochlea.
Recreational and occupational noises from sources like heavy equipment, bombs, firearms, concerts, clubs, and chainsaws can also lead to tinnitus. The effects of the noise on the ear can either be temporary or permanent.
The duration of the tinnitus is dependent on how long the exposure lasted. In some cases, the tinnitus can degenerate to loss of hearing.
These are drugs that can have side effects that can damage the ear. These drugs are often used to treat health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, infections, and cancers. Some pain relievers also fall in this category.
Ototoxic drugs usually cause high-pitched tinnitus, which can be temporary or permanent, depending on the degree of damage done to the ear.
Examples of drugs that can cause tinnitus are aspirin, loop diuretics, some antibiotics, antidepressants, anti-inflammatories, and quinine medications.
The massive buildup of earwax in the ear can cause tinnitus. Tinnitus caused by earwax buildup is often temporary and usually goes away when the earwax clogging the ear is removed.
Tinnitus can be a result of damage to the hair cells in the inner ear. This is because the inner ear’s hairs are responsible for sending electrical signals from the ear to the brain. This signal is then interpreted as a sound by the brain.
When the hair cells get damaged, they begin to send random signals to the brain, resulting in tinnitus.
Tinnitus caused by damage to the inner ear hair cell is permanent.
Other factors can cause tinnitus. Some of these factors are dental problems, tumors in the head or neck, age, high blood pressure, Meniere’s Disease, Temporomandibular Joint Syndrome (TMJ), Otosclerosis, and injury the head or neck.
If you have tinnitus, you might have noticed that there are times when the tinnitus sound doesn't seem to bother you and times when the noise becomes unbearable.
One of such unbearable times is when you are lying down. This can be very frustrating and can affect the quality of sleep you get; this is why most tinnitus patients suffer insomnia.
Most people who experience the worsening of tinnitus sound when they are sitting or lying or turning their heads usually have pulsatile tinnitus.
Pulsatile tinnitus is often heard as a rhythmical noise in sync with the person’s heartbeat. The sound most people with pulsatile tinnitus hear is often the sound of blood circulating in their body.
Your tinnitus gets louder when you are lying down because of the pressure in the nerves, blood vessels, and muscles.
A change of posture from standing or sitting to lying posture can cause a difference in blood flow through the blood vessels. This change can intensify the tinnitus, especially if a blood vessel disorder causes the tinnitus.
Below are some blood vessel related disorders that can cause tinnitus, especially when lying down.
As you get older, major blood vessels around the middle and inner ear lose their elasticity. There is also a build-up of cholesterol and other deposits in the blood vessels. This causes the blood through the blood vessels to become more forceful and audible.
The development of abnormal connections between veins and arteries, known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM), can cause tinnitus in one ear.
The growth of a tumor in the head or neck can also cause tinnitus. The tinnitus often occurs when the tumor presses against the blood vessels in the head or neck. Or, a benign tumor in the ear that develops from repeated ear infections may cause tinnitus.
When there is a narrowing of the carotid artery in the neck or the jugular vein located in the neck, the blood flow can become irregular or turbulent. This turbulence results in tinnitus.
People with high blood pressure are susceptible to tinnitus. The increase in the pressure of blood flowing through the vein can cause you to develop tinnitus.
Currently, there is no medical prescription on what position or posture people with tinnitus should assume when lying down or sleeping. You are advised to sleep in whichever position you find comfortable and will help you fall asleep faster.
However, it’s recommended that if the noise is in only one ear, lying on your side with the affected ear covered or exposed can improve the quality of sleep you get.
You can also wear earbuds with a sound or music playing to muffle the noise or create a noise distraction from the tinnitus. This is called masking and can be very effective.
If you are using headphones or earbuds, you should lie on your back to avoid putting pressure on the side of your face or your ear. Also, ensure that the volume is not too high.
Bedtime is a period that most tinnitus patients are dread. This is because the tinnitus increases when they lay down to sleep. It can get so severe that you may be unable to sleep throughout the night.
The primary reason why your tinnitus intensities at night are the lack of auditory input. Even without your knowledge, your ear constantly picks up sound during the day. But you may not notice it because you have gotten accustomed to it, and the noises no longer get your brain's attention, so the sound is not interpreted or comprehended.
These background noises being picked help to drown the tinnitus noise so you may not hear the noise throughout the day.
However, at bedtime, everywhere goes quiet, and the lack of background noise makes the tinnitus noise unbearable.
Also, the brain can create noise by itself, even without external noise. This is because your brain is already used to having background noise throughout the day. The lack of noise experienced in the night doesn't tally with what happens during the day, so the brain begins to fill the silence with its sensation.
Asides from lack of auditory input, certain medications that are taken at bedtime can worsen tinnitus.
One such drug is aspirin, a painkiller most people take for relief before they retire to bed. Aspirin is an ototoxic drug, and it will worsen tinnitus.
The consumption of aspirin at night, coupled with the lack of auditory input, can make the tinnitus terrible, and it can cause psychological problems like anxiety and depression. Drinking alcohol at night can also have similar effects.
One of the best ways to manage tinnitus that worsens when you lay down is to use white noise generators in your room.
This won't only help reduce the intensity of the tinnitus noise; it will also reduce the need for the brain to create noise to fill the void created by the lack of background noise.
For tinnitus associated with blood vessels problem, certain medications can give relief by dilating the blood vessels and creating room for more oxygen to be circulated to the outer and inner ear. This enables the ears to function better. We, however, advise that you consult with your doctor before taking any form of medication.
Does your tinnitus get worse when you lay down? How do you manage it? Let's hear your suggestions in the comments section.
]]>Tinnitus can be temporary or permanent, and it can be mild or intense. It can also come with other symptoms like headaches, vertigo, loss of balance, difficulty sleeping, or reduced concentration. Tinnitus is grouped into various subtypes to help us understand it better, including subjective and objective tinnitus, somatic tinnitus, pulsatile tinnitus, and low-frequency tinnitus.
Low-frequency tinnitus is one of the most confusing types because people with low-frequency tinnitus are usually unable to tell if the sound they hear is generated internally or externally.
We’ll extensively examine low-frequency tinnitus, its causes, and possible treatments below.
Tinnitus is often considered a symptom rather than a disease itself. This is because tinnitus is usually a sign that something else is wrong with your ears, body parts related to your ears, or body parts close to your ears.
Common causes of tinnitus include exposure to loud noise, ototoxic medications, autoimmune inner ear disease, earwax blockage, aging, head injury or trauma, and ear disease. Strain to the head and neck muscles and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ) can also cause tinnitus.
No two tinnitus cases are the same. This means that even if the cause of the tinnitus in two tinnitus patients is the same, their symptoms won’t be the same, and it won’t affect their lives in the same ways.
Let's take a look at them.
Subjective tinnitus is the most common type of tinnitus. These tinnitus patients are the only ones who can hear the tinnitus noise. The biggest cause of subjective tinnitus is exposure to loud noise, and it can be temporary or permanent depending on the severity of the damage done to the ears.
This is a very rare type of tinnitus. Unlike subjective tinnitus, objective tinnitus isn’t only heard by the tinnitus patient; it can also be heard by an audiologist using a stethoscope.
Vascular deformities or involuntary muscle contractions often cause objective tinnitus.
Since medical professionals can usually find the cause of objective tinnitus, it’s the only type of tinnitus that medical professionals can cure. When the underlying condition causing the ringing is treated, the tinnitus will stop.
Neurological tinnitus is often caused by a problem with the brain's auditory functions. The brain's auditory function can be affected by disorders like Meniere’s disease. This affects the brain’s ability to interpret sound signals sent from the inner ear.
Somatic tinnitus stems from a problem with the sensory system. It can be triggered or worsened by moving certain parts of the body. In most cases, the cause of somatic tinnitus is outside the ears, like muscle spasms.
Pulsatile tinnitus is a type of tinnitus that’s in sync with the tinnitus patient’s pulse or heartbeat. It’s often caused by turbulence or increased blood flow in blood vessels near your ear. This turbulence can be caused by several factors, like clogged blood vessels.
Musical tinnitus is also known as auditory imagery or musical hallucinations. Instead of hearing random noises in their ears, people with musical tinnitus hear a melody or a tune. Musical tinnitus is common in people with hearing loss.
Low-frequency tinnitus noises sound like the two lowest octaves on a piano. It’s often perceived as a deep droning, murmuring, or rumbling noise.
Because of the way its sounds and the uncertainty of the noise’s origins, it’s one of the tinnitus with the strongest effect on tinnitus patients.
Low-frequency tinnitus isn’t just annoying; some tinnitus patients have described it as a noise that can drive someone crazy or even make them question their sanity.
Low-frequency tinnitus can also sound like a low-pitched hum. This has made it easy for people who have another phenomenon known as The Hum to believe that they have tinnitus, but that isn’t exactly the case.
The Hum is what some people call common reports of an annoying, low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise that not everyone can hear. People from the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada have reported experiencing this phenomenon.
Although it’s most commonly called “The Hum,” some parts of the world have their own name for this phenomenon. For example, you might have heard it called "Taos Hum" in New Mexico or the "Windsor Hum" in Ontario.
People have attributed The Hum to local mechanical sources from industrial plants, highway traffic, and air traffic.
Although scientists have conducted studies, the actual source remains a mystery.
Scientists conducted a study in the United Kingdom to distinguish between environmental hums and low-frequency tinnitus. People who complained about hearing a low-pitched hum were tested to find out if they heard internally produced noise or actual airborne environmental sound.
The acoustic tests included hum-matching and hearing acuity. Researchers asked participants to distinguish between tinnitus and real airborne noise. While the results showed that ten of the 48 participants definitely had low-frequency tinnitus, most individuals couldn't be classified.
A doctor or audiologist can test your hearing and look for underlying causes of tinnitus. Pinpointing a cause can help improve your condition, and it can eliminate the possibility that your humming is part of The Hum.
Even though some studies have tried to prove that The Hum is the same as low-frequency tinnitus, we don’t think it is. This is because many people who hear The Hum have been able to get rid of it by changing location. Some people said they stopped hearing the hum when they left their house and moved to another house in the same city.
If a person can move away from the humming in their ear by going to another house, it's probably not tinnitus. That sound has an external source; you just haven’t identified it yet.
The Hum is a low-frequency sound, and low-frequency sounds can travel miles due to their high energy content. This makes it hard for people to identify the exact source of the noise. People who live close to industrial areas, factories, or railroad diesel locomotives often complain of hearing The Hum.
Some audiologists believe that most people’s Hum problems are based on the physical world and a keen focus on innocuous background sounds. The use of psychology and relaxation techniques can minimize The Hum’s effects.
Now that we’ve established what isn’t a cause of low-frequency tinnitus (AKA, The Hum), let’s dig into some actual possible causes of this pesky tinnitus sub-category.
Even though the exact source of low-frequency tinnitus usually isn’t clear, below are some known causes.
High blood pressure can cause low-frequency tinnitus.
To break it down, the force of blood pushing against your blood vessels is known as blood pressure. When blood pressure is low or high, it can affect the viscosity of your blood. Viscosity is the stickiness and thickness of your blood, and it determines how easily blood flows through blood vessels.
Blood pressure is high when systolic pressure (the pressure when your heart beats) is above 130, and diastolic pressure (the pressure when your heart rests between beats) is higher than 80.
When your blood pressure is high, your blood’s viscosity increases. This reduces the blood flow through your capillaries. When this happens, the capillaries that supply blood to your inner ear’s structure can no longer provide the right amount of blood. Over time, this can result in hearing problems, including tinnitus.
Besides the fact that this change in blood pressure can cause low-frequency ringing in the ear, medications used to treat high blood pressure can also cause tinnitus.
Some high blood pressure drugs are ototoxic. This means that the side effects can affect hearing and cause tinnitus. Examples of ototoxic high blood pressure medications are high doses of loop diuretics and high doses of aspirin.
This may sound strange, but anxiety and stress can cause or worsen tinnitus. Studies have proven that people who have post-traumatic stress disorder are more susceptible to developing tinnitus.
Not only do stress and anxiety cause tinnitus, but they also cause high blood pressure. As you already know, high blood pressure can cause low-frequency tinnitus.
When you are stressed, your body produces hormones that can increase blood pressure. This increase in blood flow can cause the sound of that blood flowing through your body to become audible.
The relationship between tinnitus and stress is circular. Stress and anxiety can cause tinnitus, and tinnitus can worsen stress and anxiety. Anxiety causes you to pay more attention to the tinnitus noise, making it have a more severe effect on your life.
Shifting your focus away from the noise and getting proper treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder can decrease your perception of this tinnitus noise.
There is a link between your heart health and your hearing. Heart diseases like atherosclerosis can narrow or stiffen your arteries.
When diseases plague arteries, they can get blocked by plaque. In more severe cases, they can even spasm and rupture.
When plaque clogged your arteries, it affects your blood flow. This results in inadequate blood flow to the inner ears.
The survival and the proper functioning of hair cells in the inner ear heavily depend on adequate blood supply because they receive oxygen through the blood.
The hair cells located in the cochlea in the inner ear are responsible for converting noise sent from the middle ear into electrical impulses that it sends to the brain, where it’s interpreted as sound.
When poor circulation deprives of oxygen due to poor blood circulation, they can get damaged. This damage can cause phantom noises (tinnitus) in the ear. If the hair cells are destroyed, it can result in hearing loss.
You cannot regenerate hair cells in the inner ear, so sadly, any hearing problem caused by damage to hair cells is permanent.
There is no known cure for tinnitus. In most cases, what’s prescribed as a tinnitus treatment doesn't treat tinnitus. Instead, it treats the underlying health condition responsible for tinnitus. When the underlying cause is identified and treated, the tinnitus will subside and eventually disappear.
It’s a major challenge when treating low-frequency tinnitus when ringing’s actual cause isn’t known, and most people with low-frequency tinnitus have no idea where their ringing originated. In these cases, healthcare providers usually prescribe standard tinnitus treatment and therapies to help alleviate the symptoms.
Below are treatments or therapies that can help relieve low-frequency tinnitus symptoms.
Tinnitus retraining therapy is a habituation therapy aimed at retraining how the brain, auditory system, and central nervous system receive, process, and interpret sound.
The therapy consists of two sections. The first section includes a series of counseling sessions to devise ways to ignore the tinnitus noise the same way you ignore background noise.
The second aspect uses sound therapy to weaken or drown out the tinnitus noise. An audiologist inserts a device that generates low-level noise into the tinnitus patient’s ear. The noise the device generates will have the same volume and pitch as the tinnitus noise.
Tinnitus retraining therapy lasts for 12 to 14 months. It’s currently recognized as the most effective treatment for tinnitus. Tinnitus patients begin to experience relief six months into the therapy.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is psychotherapeutic or psycho-social therapy aimed at helping people handle negative thoughts to improve their mental health.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy effectively treats low-frequency tinnitus, especially if it’s caused by stress and anxiety.
CBT helps tinnitus patients identify and change disturbing and destructive thought patterns that negatively affect their emotions and behaviors.
With this therapy, tinnitus patients focus less on the tinnitus noise and how it’s affected their lives.
Changing how they think about the tinnitus disturbance diverts attention, making the noise less obvious and reducing the anxiety and stress it causes.
During tinnitus masking, audiologists apply an external sound that affects the tinnitus noise. In some cases, low-frequency tinnitus becomes evident at night or in quiet environments; the use of tinnitus maskers can relieve these tinnitus symptoms.
Tinnitus maskers generate white noise, which introduces natural and artificial noise into a tinnitus patient’s environment. This masks the tinnitus noise and makes it less noticeable
You can wear tinnitus maskers above the ear or place them around your room. In the absence of formal tinnitus maskers, tinnitus patients can use air conditioners, humidifiers, and fans to generate a similar white noise effect.
Lifestyle changes can help reduce the severity of low-frequency tinnitus. This is very effective if a known problem like hypertension causes tinnitus.
Lifestyle changes you can make include:
Regular exercise
Eating a healthy diet
Weight loss
Mindful stress reduction therapies
Reducing salt intake
Quitting smoking and drinking
Reducing caffeine intake
Seeking counseling for stress and anxiety
Low-frequency tinnitus is one of the most annoying types, but with the right medical attention and guidance, you can get relief from the symptoms.
While undergoing treatment for your tinnitus, ensure that you pay attention to your mental and emotional health. Avoid activities or circumstances that can heighten your stress and anxiety, and try engaging in relaxing activities like yoga and meditation.
“Although tinnitus can be difficult to deal with, there is hope. Even with some minor adjustments, most people can improve their situation dramatically.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
If you treat any health condition with a medication that you suspect worsens your tinnitus, inform your doctor immediately so they can prescribe an alternative medicine.
Sources:
Tinnitus: Ringing in the ears and what to do about it | Harvard Health
Summary of the 'Windsor Hum Study' Results | Canada
The effect of tinnitus retraining therapy on chronic tinnitus: A controlled trial | NCBI
]]>Musical tinnitus can also be called musical ear syndrome, musical hallucinations, or auditory imagery. Although it has many names, the condition is rare. While sometimes people hear music without an outside source due to mental illness, most patients get musical tinnitus after having had hearing loss for some time. Because the brain doesn’t get any signals from the ears, it invents sound to compensate. Some musical tinnitus patients have neither mental illness nor hearing loss but, for some reason, have become overly sensitive to all sound and start to hear music.
While the mechanics behind MES are not very well understood, medical researchers have identified some causes.
Hearing music that isn't there is likely due to hearing loss. Although how it works isn’t known, experts think phantom sounds are caused by hypersensitivity in the brain's auditory center caused by sensory deprivation. Normally, the brain receives information from the senses to help you understand and interact with the world. The brain doesn't understand why signals stop when hearing is damaged. It doesn't know how to ignore this sense and continues to seek input. When it can't find anything, the brain fills in information it knows from the world. You think you hear sounds when there is none because, in the case of MES or musical tinnitus, the brain chooses to fill in blanks with music. Why music rather than other sounds? That hasn’t been explained.
Cochlear implantation or removal has been known to triggered MES. More studies are needed to discover why this can happen.
Since your brain fills in the blanks with what it knows, your own musical experience will likely dictate what you hear. You could hear simple tones that create a melody or full orchestral compositions. Some people hear popular music or tunes they have heard on the radio. The perception of music or singing can be the same tune repeatedly or different music at different times.
If you hear music without an outside source, consult your doctor for a diagnosis. Treatment for musical ear syndrome should be designed on a case-by-case basis.
Improving your hearing may ease symptoms. If a hearing aid helps you hear more, your brain may stop filling in the blanks with music. Sound therapy through hearing aids may also be helpful.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you deal with the music in your ears. You can train your brain to pay less attention.
You can make small changes in your daily life to help reduce the effects of MES. If you can hear anything, with or without hearing aids, try adding other sounds. While it seems counterintuitive, listening to actual music sometimes discourages your brain from creating phantom music.
Other strategies that can help you deal with the stress of musical tinnitus:
As with other forms of tinnitus, musical ear syndrome is treated very effectively with sound therapy. By using advanced programs on your hearing aid or a tabletop sound machine, these programs will play sound s that can cause your musical hallucinations to fade into the background
If nothing else works, your doctor may try medications that may help. The following medications have been used to treat MES: Cholinergic and GABAergic agents, haloperidol, atypical antipsychotics, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's), or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI.s). Discuss medication side effects with your doctor
Musical tinnitus, also known as Musical Ear Syndrome, may be the auditory equivalent of Charles Bonnet syndrome. People who lose their sight and develop Charles Bonnet can have visual hallucinations because the brain stops getting visual cues and tries to fill in the blanks. Musical tinnitus is rare. Some people don't mind the symptoms, but there are ways to combat them for those who do.
Most people who experience tinnitus want to know why the condition varies so dramatically. For many patients, the noise or sound they experience changes daily or gets worse at a particular time in the day. Others have symptoms after taking a nap. Some are fine after waking up, but experience sounds progressively getting louder throughout the day.
Certain patients even experience a rise in tinnitus symptoms when they move their jaw, head, or body in a specific way. There are so many reasons for the many triggers of tinnitus, such as increased salt usage in meals, stress levels, disease factors, and environmental conditions, all of which are responsible for short-term tinnitus modulations.
That said, a lot of people who experience tinnitus have somatic tinnitus. Before we go into detail about somatic tinnitus, let's develop a general understanding of tinnitus.
As we've learned, tinnitus generally refers to the perception of sound or ringing in a patient's ears.
Often, tinnitus results from underlying issues like circulatory system disorder, hearing loss, or ear injury.
Even though it can affect your quality of life or result in significant impairments to everyday activities, tinnitus typically isn't life-threatening. The most common symptom is the perception of phantom noises in your ears, like:
Clicking
Humming
Hissing
Roaring
Ringing
Buzzing
These phantom noises may vary in loudness from high to low and can happen in one ear or both. In some instances, the sound can be so loud that it hampers the patient's ability to hear external sounds or concentrate. Also, tinnitus can be present consistently, or it can come and go.
There are two significant types of tinnitus, one being more common than the other: objective tinnitus and subjective tinnitus.
Only the patient can hear this type of tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus is the most common form of this condition, and it can happen due to a range of issues, such as:
Problems in the middle inner or outer ear.
Issues with your auditory nerves.
Complexities in your auditory pathways, the area of your brain that interprets nerve signals as sound.
A doctor can hear this type of tinnitus while examining a patient, but it is extremely rare. Objective Tinnitus can be caused by:
Middle ear bone conditions
Muscle contractions
Blood vessel problems
Somatic or somatosensory tinnitus (ST) is a subtype of subjective tinnitus caused by sensory information transmitted from the cervical spine or jaw to the brain.
Your somatosensory system is part of your sensory nervous system, and it responds to changes in your body like movement, pressure, temperature, and pain.
Like muscle spasms, somatic tinnitus can result from cervical (neck) or temporomandibular (jaw) changes.
Somatic tinnitus is also called conductive tinnitus or cervicogenic tinnitus. Conductive simply means “caused by outer functions.” The term cervicogenic means originating from your cervical spine or the nerves and muscles in the neck.
Typical risk factors for other forms of tinnitus include hearing problems, being male, and your age. However, patients with somatic tinnitus show a different set of characteristics. Somatic tinnitus patients are usually younger females with no known hearing problems.
The most typical musculoskeletal conditions that cause somatic tinnitus are cervical spine disorders and temporomandibular joint disorders. These patients show a significantly higher prevalence of craniomandibular disorder as well.
This makes sense since somatic tinnitus is modulated by pressure to the head, limbs, neck, eye, electrical stimulation of the median nerve, or muscle contraction.
Studies also show that somatic modulation appears in about two-thirds of tinnitus patients.
Your body transmits sensory information to your brain through neural fibers in the brain's trigeminal, ganglion, or dorsal root ganglia. Because these fibers project to the auditory system, the signals can confuse somatic tinnitus patients’ brains into believing they hear sounds.
The Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus (DCN) is the first relay point or synapse that auditory signals pass through while heading to the auditory cortex for continued processing. The DCN is located at the base of your brain, and “dorsal” means the back of your cochlear nucleus.
Your DCN is the most vital brainstem region for relaying auditory signals to your brain’s auditory cortex segments. This area receives auditory signals from the cochlear hair cells responsible for detecting sound and signals associated with eye movements.
The DCN also receives signals from muscle position sensors and sends them to other sections of your brain. Acoustic data emanating from your ears and sensory data from muscles are sent to the brain simultaneously in the brainstem.
This DCN can get damaged in various ways. For example, blows to the head, noise trauma, teeth grinding, whiplash, muscle spasm, and TMJ dysfunction can harm your DCN.
Once your DCN is damaged, your neuronal structures shift into a hyperactive state that initiates acoustics between sensory and auditory signals. At this point, sensory input affects auditory input and can worsen, cause, or modulate your tinnitus.
Although the sounds seem to be coming from the ear, the nerve impulses are generated in the DCN.
Because the DCN is so important for tinnitus, tinnitus is often considered a brain phenomenon. Tinnitus even occurs after the auditory nerve is removed, and deaf patients still experience tinnitus.
Specific triggers like muscle spasms, dental problems, and TMJ can cause somatic tinnitus.
A spasm is an involuntary tightening of muscles in the body, which causes severe pain that can last for minutes or days. Spasms happen in any part of the body where there are muscles, including the neck.
One of the most common muscles around the neck is affected by spasms in the Sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle. The sternocleidomastoid muscle is located on either side of the neck behind the ears at the base of the skull.
The SCM goes down the front of the neck and attaches to the top of the collarbone and sternum.
The sternocleidomastoid muscle is responsible for:
Side to side head rotation
Chewing and swallowing
Bending the neck forward to bring the chin to the chest
Aiding respiration and breathing
Turning the neck to bring the ear to the shoulder
Stabilizing the head when it drops backward
Muscle tension or tightness in other parts of the body often causes sternocleidomastoid spasms.
Repeated activities like turning your head when using a computer, bending forward to type, poor posture, looking down at your phone, whiplash, sudden movements, sleeping on your stomach with your head turned to one side, and tight shirt collars or ties can cause sternocleidomastoid spasm or pain.
Severe health conditions like bronchitis, pneumonia, meningitis, herniated discs, and asthma can also cause this neck muscle spasm.
Asides from the above causes of sternocleidomastoid pain, the following can cause neck spasm:
Carrying heavy objects
Placing a lot of weight on one of your shoulders
Poor posture like head tilting and slouching
Holding the neck in an unnatural position for a long time
Dehydration
Trauma from falls or accidents
Emotional stress
Spasms from any of these causes can, in turn, cause somatic tinnitus.
Muscle spasm in the ear, such as eardrum spasms, can cause somatic tinnitus.
The stapedius muscles and tensor tympani muscles found in the middle ear are responsible for the dampening and reduction of sounds coming from outside the ear and inside the body, respectively. The spasm of these muscles results in Middle Ear Myoclonus (MEM) tinnitus. The synchronized and repetitive contractions of the two muscles cause somatic tinnitus.
Other health conditions like neurologic diseases and multiple sclerosis can cause the middle ear muscles to spasm, causing a repetitive clicking noise.
Dental problems can also cause or aggravate somatic tinnitus. Below are some dental issues linked to tinnitus.
Impacted Wisdom Teeth
Impacted wisdom teeth are third molars at the back of the mouth that do not emerge or develop normally due to a lack of enough space for the teeth to grow.
Wisdom teeth are often the last to grow; they emerge between the ages of 17 and 25. If the mouth is already crowded, wisdom teeth may get trapped and not develop properly.
In some cases, the tooth may partially emerge with a visible crown and be partially impacted. In other cases, it can be fully impacted; this means that it didn't grow through the gum.
The tooth can also grow at an angle towards the back of the mouth, grow straight or down but get trapped within the jawbone, grow toward the second molar, or grow at a right angle towards the other teeth.
Some impacted wisdom teeth cause no immediate problems but some cause damage to other teeth, excruciating pain, tinnitus, and other dental problems.
It is always advisable to have an impacted wisdom tooth removed whether or not it causes any immediate problems because it can get infected in the future and cause serious dental challenges.
Bruxism / Teeth Grinding
Bruxism is the formal term for teeth clenching and grinding. Teeth grinding can cause ear pain, tinnitus, or damaged teeth.
The temporomandibular joint is very close to the middle and inner ear, so any problem in the jawbone can affect the ear and cause tinnitus.
The majority of teeth grinding occurs while sleeping, and the grinding can be so hard that it cracks the crown of the teeth, fractures teeth fillings, or destroys dental implants. Most people who grind their teeth are unaware that they are nocturnal grinders.
Bruxism is associated with improper tooth lining, stress, and anxiety. Medications like Zoloft and Prozac can also cause teeth grinding.
Toothache
Toothache is another major cause of tinnitus and ear pain. It is often caused by an abscess, a cavity, gum disease, or tooth injury.
Tinnitus caused by dental problems like toothaches often disappears when the toothache’s underlying cause is identified and treated.
Tinnitus can be linked to problems in the temporomandibular joint. As stated earlier, the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is located close to the middle and inner ear, so the hearing can be affected if it malfunctions.
The TMJ connects the jawbone to the skull and enables the free movement of the skull.
The TMJ can be damaged by teeth grinding and clenching, direct injury to the jaw and neck, and spinal injuries.
TMJ dysfunction is characterized by pain around and in the ear, headache, earache, migraine, hearing loss, difficult or painful chewing, inability to open and close the mouth, reduced movement of the jaw, persistent pain in the jaw, and somatic tinnitus that occurs when chewing or when the mouth is opened.
Mild TMJ disorders often go away without treatment, but you need to seek professional medical help if the pain is severe and persistent.
After proper examination, the dentist may treat the problem using muscle relaxing medications, moist heat, relaxing muscle therapies, rest, or an oral splint. An oral splint will help reposition your jaw and bite so the TMJ can heal.
Somatic tinnitus is diagnosed by a healthcare professional when the buzzing and ringing noise in the ear coincides with jaw or neck pain. A physical therapist or doctor may make the diagnosis after giving a neck Bournemouth questionnaire about the patient's symptoms and conducting various cervical spine tests.
This list explains how to identify somatic tinnitus. If these criteria are present, it strongly suggests that your tinnitus is somatic or its cause stems from the somatosensory system. However, you cannot self-diagnose somatic tinnitus, and you will need to visit a healthcare professional to receive an official diagnosis.
These tinnitus modulation abilities strongly indicate that your tinnitus has a somatosensory influence:
If you can modulate your tinnitus via voluntary movement of your eyes, neck, jaw, or head.
If you can modulate your tinnitus through somatic maneuvers like a jaw clench.
If your tinnitus is modulated through pressure on your myofascial trigger point.
Various therapies have successfully treated somatosensory cervicogenic tinnitus. Although there is no definitive cure, managing the cause manages the tinnitus symptoms. Somatic tinnitus can go away in patients who participate in physical therapy or seek chiropractic treatment.
Massage may help relieve tinnitus symptoms by reducing stress, resolving postural problems, and relaxing tensed muscles. Two places around the ear and neck can be massaged to alleviate tinnitus:
1) The mastoid process: The part of the skull behind the ear connects to muscles surrounding the ear and neck. Massaging the mastoid process with a gentle Swedish massage can relieve tension in the neck and ear muscles and help correct neck alignment.
2) The masseter muscle: This muscle attaches the jaw to the skull. Located close to the earlobe at the jawbone's hinge, the masseter muscle is the strongest in the body in proportion to its size. When tense, it contributes to structural misalignment and ringing in the ear. Massage releases tension and realigns bones to relieve tinnitus.
A TENS unit uses an electric current to stimulate the nerves for therapeutic purposes. It can be applied close to the upper cervical nerve or near the ear to relax muscles.
Your doctor may recommend these injections to stop the pain and inflammation in your body that may contribute to your somatic tinnitus.
A physical therapist or chiropractor may manipulate your skeletal structure to normalize the cervical spine or jaw. If structural deviations cause muscle tightness or spasms, correcting them may alleviate your tinnitus symptoms.
Acupuncture has been proven to treat many types of tinnitus effectively. This is also true for acupressure, as it can relieve tinnitus through a massage on the right pressure points.
By taking steps to treat your TMJ, you can help relieve the ear-related symptoms you're experiencing, such as somatic tinnitus or hearing loss.
When you book an appointment with the dental professional to talk about your TMJ, you must inform them of every symptom you experience so they can help pick an appropriate treatment.
One effective and popular way to get relief from TMJ is the use of a TMJ mouthguard. This will be recommended if bruxism is the cause of your TMJ.
Stretching of the suboccipital muscles and rotation movements in the atlanto-occipital joint often helps relieve somatic tinnitus.
Aside from easing neck stiffness, spasms, and soreness, exercising can help increase your heart rate, which helps boost blood circulation in your ear, reducing the tinnitus noise.
If you have somatic tinnitus, here is one neck exercise that can give you some relief:
Sit up straight on a chair
Bend your left arm to prevent you from pulling your shoulder up during the exercise
Using your right hand, reach over your head to the left ear
Bring your head to a stretching position
Remain in this position for two to three minutes
Change sides
As we've seen in this piece, somatic tinnitus is caused by problems in the somatosensory system, which translates to tinnitus challenges that exhibit themselves as a ringing, buzzing, or humming sound void of an external source.
“A good choice may be an Audien hearing aid because of its low cost and ease of use.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
It’s important to visit a physician to properly diagnose the cause of your somatic tinnitus and assign the appropriate treatment. It is important to know that tinnitus is not the problem in itself but is the symptom of an underlying problem. Solving the cause of your tinnitus will help relieve the condition, as can masking through the use of hearing aids.
Sources:
Tinnitus: Characteristics, Causes, Mechanisms, and Treatments | NCBI
Impact of Temporomandibular Joint Complaints on Tinnitus-Related Distress | NCBI
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Tinnitus - ringing in the ears - is actually one of the most common hearing problems celebrities experience. This frustrating hearing problem affects people of all ages and several factors can cause it. Some of the most common causes include:
Depending on the cause, tinnitus can be permanent or temporary. Brief hearing problems that can be easily rectified often cause temporary tinnitus, while permanent ear damage often causes permanent tinnitus. Furthermore, tinnitus can be mild or severe. Tinnitus patients may function properly without much interference or they may experience severe difficulties going about their daily activities.
In this article, we will be identifying some of the many famous people with tinnitus and touch on how their hearing problems came to be as well as how they handle such hearing problems.
Micheal Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, popularly known as Sylvester Stallone, is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, and director born in Manhattan on July 6, 1946.
When Stallone's mother was about to give birth, she suffered labor complications. The obstetrician had to use two pairs of forceps to aid his birth. Unfortunately, the forceps damaged one of his nerves, resulting in paralysis on the lower left side of his face (parts of his tongue, chin, and lip). The effect of the paralysis gave him slurred speech and a snarling look. The paralysis of his face’s left side could not hamper his success and he has grown to be one of the greatest actors of all time.
Stallone also has tinnitus, which is not necessarily surprising because of the activities in his movies. Stallones' roles as a super soldier, fighter, or boxer in his movies easily could have contributed to the tinnitus considering one of the significant causes of tinnitus is trauma to the head or head injury. Actors who engage in action movies with lots of violence have received some tough punches on their heads. Stallone seems to have received many of these blows.
Aside from having tinnitus in real life, in the 1997 crime movie Cop Land, Stallone played a sheriff’s role suffering from tinnitus and hearing loss.
Keanu Charles Reeves is a Canadian actor born in Beirut September 2,1964 and raised in Toronto. Reeves has starred in many movies, including Youngblood (1986), Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Point Break (1991), The Matrix (1999-2021), Constantine (2005), and John Wick (2014).
Reeves experiences tinnitus in his left ear. While he has stated in interviews that his tinnitus doesn't bother him anymore, this does not mean that the tinnitus has disappeared. It means that the ringing in his ear is not too distracting, as he has learned to ignore it. Thus, he can go about his normal activities without any interference from his tinnitus.
Ronald Reagan was an American politician who served as the 40th president of the United States of America from 1981 to 1989.
Before he became the president, he was the 33rd governor of California and a Hollywood actor. We decided to add Reagan to this list because of his role in encouraging widespread public acceptance of hearing aids. Reagan suffered from tinnitus in his later years. The exact cause of his tinnitus is unknown but many attribute it to a blank pistol fired too close to his ears when he was on the set of a movie before becoming president.
Reagan is the first American president to wear hearing aids while in office. This spread awareness and acceptance of hearing aids amongst the general public. Unfortunately, Reagan had Alzheimer’s disease in the last ten years of his life and died of Alzheimer-related pneumonia on June 5th, 2004.
Stephen Glenn Martin is an American actor, writer, playwright, comedian, musician, and producer born on August 14th, 1945. In 2004, Steve Martin was ranked sixth on Comedy Central’s list of the one hundred greatest stand-up comics. He has also received 5 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Kennedy Center Honors, and the Mark Twain Award for American Humor.
Steve has had tinnitus since 1986. He developed tinnitus while filming "The Three Amigos". The tinnitus was caused by sudden exposure to loud noise from a pistol shoot-out scene. Steve Martin seems to have gotten used to the ringing in his ears because there is no proof that it has any visible effects on his life. When asked about his experience with tinnitus, he responded that you get used to it.
Barbara Joan Streisand is an American singer, filmmaker, and actress born on the 24th of April 1942. She has achieved tremendous success in multiple entertainment fields and had the rare opportunity to be awarded an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
In 1985, Streisand revealed that she had been experiencing tinnitus since she was nine years old. She doesn't know the cause of the tinnitus, though, she said in an interview that it suddenly started one day while she was sitting in the classroom at school and the ringing never stopped. In a bid to block out the tinnitus noise as a child, Streisand said that she constantly wrapped scarves around her head.
Streisand said she waited years before seeing an audiologist because she was afraid to find out what it was. With the right diagnosis she has managed tinnitus and reached the peak of her career. She has, however, attributed her short temper to irritation caused by tinnitus. This is not far-fetched because tinnitus noise can cause irritation.
William Shatner is a Canadian actor, director, producer, singer, screenwriter, and author born on March 22, 1931. Shatner is popularly known as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek. He has co-written a series of science fiction novels called TekWar and several other novel sets in the Star Trek Universe.
Shatner actually developed tinnitus during the filming of Star Trek during a special effects explosion that he happened to be standing too close to. He describes the tinnitus as a loud screeching sound in his head.
Shatner tried to live with the tinnitus on his own for years without much success until he finally sought the help of an audiologist. With professional care, he has been able to manage his tinnitus. He has also learned to suppress and ignore the ringing noise by retraining his brain to treat the tinnitus as background noise. He says he does this by listening to calming and soothing sounds, reducing alcohol and coffee consumption, and exercising. Shatner is also a vocal member of the American Tinnitus Association.
Caryn Elaine Johnson, professionally known as Whoopi Goldberg, is an American actress, author, comedian, and television personality born on November 13, 1955. Goldberg is one of the few entertainers to have won an Emmy award, Grammy award, an Academy Award, and a Tony award.
Goldberg experiences both hearing loss and tinnitus, and she wears hearing aids in both ears. She is very vocal about her hearing problems and she believes her tinnitus comes from many years of exposure to loud music.
Halle Maria Berry is an American actress born on August 14, 1966. Berry has appeared in films like Cloud Atlas (2012), the X-Men series (2000-2014), Die Another Day (2002), The Flintstones Film (1994), and many more. She started her career as a model, placing sixth in Miss World 1986 and first in the Miss USA pageant in 1986.
She is the first Black woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role and she has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. Berry lost eighty percent of her hearing ability in her left ear after suffering a blow to the head during a domestic violence incident with her boyfriend. This happened in 1991 while she was filming the movie The Last Boy Scout. The beating punctured her eardrum and she now has reduced hearing in her left ear. Although Berry refused to name her abuser, she has stated that he is a well-known person in Hollywood.
Aside from being an award-winning actress, Berry is one of the biggest advocates for domestic violence awareness in Hollywood.
Liza May Minnelli is an American actress, singer, and dancer born on March 12, 1946. She is the daughter of director Vincente Minnelli and actress Judy Garland. Minnelli is known for her award-winning performance in Cabaret in 1972. However, unfortunately, her performance in Cabaret is also responsible for her tinnitus.
She developed tinnitus during the Academy Awards in 1973. Minelli was seated next to her father when she was announced as the Best Actress award winner for her role in Cabaret. Her father was so excited that he screamed. Since her father turned towards her out of excitement and yelled directly into her right ear. The scream damaged her hearing. As you might already know from Audien Hearing’s article on tinnitus, sudden exposure to loud noise can cause tinnitus and that's exactly what happened to Liza. She has lived with tinnitus ever since.
Joseph Daniel Turner Mawle is an English actor born on March 21, 1974. He is popularly known as Benjen Stark in Game of Thrones.
Mawle developed tinnitus when he was sixteen years old after he developed labyrinthitis. Labyrinthitis is a disorder caused by the inflammation of the inner ear or the nerves that connect the inner ear to the brain. An infection often causes this inflammation.
Three-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eric Clapton has performed with Cream and The Yardbirds in addition to his highly successful solo career. This rock star played electric guitar on stage for years without ear protection, which led to hearing loss and tinnitus.
Clapton says he used to turn up his guitar amps and blast music loud enough for his fellow musicians to complain. He continues to perform and live his life, but he now wears hearing aids and takes steps to protect his hearing on stage and in the studio.
The heavy metal musician from the group Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne once screamed at 105 decibels for 68 seconds.
He claims all the headbanging during live concerts caused him to develop tinnitus. Whatever the cause, Ozzy reports hearing a constant whooshing in his ears and wishes he had used earplugs when he was younger. He continues to perform at the age of 72.
Neil Young of Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young fame experiences tinnitus.
During mixing production on Weld, a live album and concert video by Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Young suffered hearing loss and became extremely sensitive to loud sounds. His hearing is better now, but Young still experiences painful tinnitus, which frustrates him.
Vincent Van Gogh famously cut off his ear, and some historians think he did it after about tinnitus. Spanish painter Francisco de Goya also had tinnitus, as did Charles Darwin.
In addition, American civil rights activist Martin Luther King and composer Ludwig van Beethoven experienced tinnitus. Finally, astronaut Alan Shephard had an ear operation for tinnitus to pilot Apollo 14 to the moon.
Despite having tinnitus, these famous people have gone on to excel in their careers. This is proof that it is possible to live an everyday life even after being diagnosed with tinnitus.
All you need to do is seek help from a medical professional (or, more specifically, an audiologist or an ENT specialist) who will explain how to ignore your tinnitus or train your brain to adapt to the noise. Regardless of whether you have been diagnosed with tinnitus, you should always protect your ears from exposure to loud noise to prevent hearing loss problems down. Also, ensure that you report any hearing difficulties to your doctor.
“Hearing loss and tinnitus can affect all walks of life. Entertainers have a particular struggle because their livelihood can depend on good hearing. Famous people can be role models for all of us with the same problems.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
Sources:
What Is Tinnitus? — Causes and Treatment | NIDCD
]]>Tinnitus is an ear condition characterized by hearing a noise in the ear when there is no external noise. Tinnitus noise is internal and can only be heard by the tinnitus patient.
The noise can be severe or mild, intermittent or constant, and it can be heard as a humming sound, whirring, ringing, clicking, hissing, whistling, buzzing, whooshing, or grinding sound. Some tinnitus sounds can also have musical tunes or can beat with the same rhythm as your pulse.
In whatever form tinnitus noise comes, it can be very discomforting. While some patients can carry out their normal activities without the tinnitus causing any hindrance, people with severe tinnitus may experience difficulty in their daily lives, have issues concentrating, or engage in conversations.
They also find it difficult to sleep (insomnia), and this can lead to psychological problems. Sensitivity to noise and difficulty hearing can also be experienced.
As stated earlier, while tinnitus may not sign underlying severe health issues, it can be discomforting. If you have tinnitus, you may be wondering if it is temporal or permanent.
The answer is "Yes" and "No.” Tinnitus can be temporary or permanent.
To determine whether or not your tinnitus will go away, certain factors should be considered.
The primary determinant of whether your tinnitus can go away is the cause. Knowing the cause of the tinnitus will help you ascertain the level of damage done to the ear, which will help you understand if the ear will heal.
One of the significant causes of tinnitus is loud noise. Exposure to a high level of noise for an extended period can damage your ear. Noise from loud music, explosives, firearms, and heavy equipment can cause varying degrees of damage to the ear.
If the exposure to the noise is for a short period, the damage may be temporary. For instance, after a night at a club or concert, you may experience tinnitus, but the tinnitus will disappear after a while.
If, however, the noise exposure is for an extended period, the damage can be permanent.
Asides from noise exposure, other factors can lead to tinnitus. If your tinnitus is caused by blockage from growth or the build of earwax, it means the tinnitus is temporary.
If the blockage is removed, the tinnitus will disappear.
Once the cause of the tinnitus is known, you will know if the tinnitus is temporary or permanent.
The sound of the tinnitus can tell you if it's permanent or temporary. If the sound can be heard by someone else, especially with a listening device, there is every likelihood that the tinnitus is temporary. If, however, you are the only one that can hear the sound, the damage may be permanent.
The volume of the sound can also help you determine if the tinnitus is temporary. Permanent tinnitus tends to be much louder.
The tinnitus’s duration and frequency are another way to tell if the tinnitus is permanent or temporary. It is, however, essential to note that this is dependent on the cause of the tinnitus.
If the tinnitus lasts long for months or years, there is every tendency that it is permanent. But if it occurs in short intervals or for just a short period, it may fade away.
Like pain, tinnitus is subjective; this means that even though two people have the same type of tinnitus, each person’s effects may vary.
This difference is often based on how each person reacts to the situation. But the effect notwithstanding, it is always a relief to know that your tinnitus is finally going away.
Certain signs can herald the exit of tinnitus. While tinnitus may just disappear, you may require a medical procedure to deal with the tinnitus causes. These procedures are often successful, especially for temporary tinnitus.
Below are some of the signs that your tinnitus is going away.
The tinnitus noise can come in different forms and at different volumes or pitch. The noise can be high-pitched or low-pitched loud or muffled. People with loud tinnitus often hear it above every other noise in the environment.
When the tinnitus is going away, you will notice that the volume of the noise will reduce. The noise may go from loud ringing to a hissing sound, which can only be heard in a tranquil environment and can be ignored.
If the tinnitus affected both ears, you will notice that the high-pitched noise in both ears can now be heard as white noise in just one ear. This will get quieter and quieter until it gradually fades away. You may not even be able to tell when the tinnitus stopped.
The common symptoms associated with tinnitus are fatigue or stress, memory problems, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, irritability, depression, and trouble concentrating.
The reduction of the tinnitus volume can cause some of these symptoms like anxiety and irritability to disappear.
If you notice that you no longer feel most of these symptoms or the severity has reduced, there is every likelihood that your tinnitus is going away.
For instance, if your tinnitus is the type that usually gets louder when you lay down, thereby causing difficulty to sleep, but you can now sleep without it bothering you, it's a sign that the tinnitus is going away.
Most tinnitus patients complain that the noise is always there. It's there when they are sleeping, walking, reading, and throughout the entire day; if your tinnitus is like this, then a break in the frequency of sound could sign that the tinnitus is going away.
You will notice that there are periods every hour when the noise disappears for a while and surfaces again. This is often accompanied by a reduction in the volume of the tinnitus.
The sound may even disappear for days and return, but the severity will be reduced. After a while, the tinnitus may go on one of such breaks and never resurface.
Knowing the signs that your tinnitus is going away, it is important to identify things you shouldn't do when you have tinnitus. Doing these things can worsen your tinnitus and also jeopardize the progress of healing tinnitus.
This is a significant cause of tinnitus. It should be avoided if you have tinnitus because constant exposure to loud noise can permanently damage your eardrum, leading to deafness.
Suppose the source of the loud noise is at work, probably from machinery or musical equipment. In that case, you should protect your ears by wearing earplugs as constant exposure to loud noise can make your tinnitus degenerate from being temporary to permanent.
Cigarettes contain nicotine and other products that can worsen tinnitus. Also, when you smoke, the blood vessels that bring oxygen to the ears can become narrow, leading to an increase in blood pressure.
Due to the increase in the pressure of blood flow, the tinnitus noise can become louder.
Putting a stop to smoking is a great way to ensure that your tinnitus goes away.
If you have tinnitus, keeping your blood pressure at a regular rate is essential. High blood pressure can put more strain on the ear’s nerves and cause the sound to increase. But low blood pressure can also worsen tinnitus.
We advise you to have your doctor monitor your blood pressure.
Most tinnitus patients are advised to stay off alcohol because it can worsen the symptoms. The components of alcohol cause dehydration and an increase in blood pressure.
Excruciating headaches often accompany the hangover experienced after consuming alcohol; this can make tinnitus unbearable.
If you have tinnitus, there are certain foods you should avoid because they worsen tinnitus symptoms.
Here are some foods you should avoid.
Reduce your salt intake and also avoid processed and pre-packaged foods.
Ultimately, this will prevent the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the ear and prevent toxins from the inner ear.
If you have tinnitus, replace Saturated fat with unsaturated fat from fish, nuts, and vegetables.
Stress can worsen the frequency and volume of the tinnitus noise. Avoid strenuous activities. Whenever you notice tension, find ways to relax like deep breathing, massage, acupuncture, and mild exercise.
If none of these helps to relieve the stress, you should visit your doctor.
Having known the signs that your tinnitus is going away and factors that can worsen tinnitus, it is essential to avoid anything that can cause temporary tinnitus to linger. As with other health conditions, we do not advise self-medication for tinnitus.
Even if the cause of your tinnitus is an earwax blockage, don't try to remove it by yourself; you will only worsen the situation and cause permanent damage to your ears. Book an appointment with an ENT doctor and let the doctor identify the tinnitus’s cause and prescribe treatment where necessary.
Did you have tinnitus in the past? What signs did you experience before it disappeared? Share with us in the comment section.
]]>To cope with tinnitus, patients look to sound therapy. Sound or acoustic therapy was initially developed as a distraction for people who have tinnitus. Doctors used low-level sounds as background noise to help manage the condition. White noise devices provide the needed sounds. Tinnitus maskers and sound therapy have advanced to the point where most people can get relief.
White noise helps tinnitus patients by:
Some devices can be customized for your specific case of tinnitus. They play sounds at frequencies and tones tailored to your needs. The sound that will help you depends on your symptoms and sensitivities. People who are overly sensitive to sounds like running water, for example, may not benefit from white noise. A doctor can help you find the right sound and volume.
Different devices offer different sound choices.
Broadband noise sounds like radio static and comes in different "colors." The various colors, including white, pink, brown, and blue, are produced by different musical pitches. The number of vibrations per second determines pitch or frequency.
Modulated tones sound like they are pulsing.
Notched sounds stress-specific frequencies or tones that can be customized to match your tinnitus symptoms.
Music can be relaxing and distracting for some people. Usually, moderate tempo instrumental music works best for sound therapy.
Nature Sounds can help you relax but won’t necessarily help with tinnitus noise.
Tabletop - there are many white noise machines for your desk or bedside table. Most plug into the wall, but there are also rechargeable, portable devices. Some provide only white noise, like the sound of a fan or rushing air, but most offer a choice of sounds to include waves crashing, music, rain falling, and binaural beats. More sophisticated machines allow you to adjust the pitch or frequency to match your internal noise. Some have timers you can set to shut off after 30, 60, or 90 minutes.
Headbands- These fleece headbands you can wear have built-in headphones that play soothing sounds or music to help you sleep. These have 20-hour rechargeable batteries and a timer.
Tinnitus Relief Sound Pillow - These pillows are just like regular pillows but have built-in stereo speakers. You connect the pillow to a stereo or sound machine to play the sounds you need for tinnitus relief while you sleep.
Online Tone Generator Websites – If you have tonal tinnitus, some websites offer practical help with analyzing the frequency you hear because of tinnitus. Knowing your frequency can help you find the best tinnitus masking machine.
If you can think of your tinnitus ringing or buzzing as a bright light in a dark room, imagine what would happen to the bright light if you were to turn on the overhead lights. The bright light would not seem so brilliant anymore. Sound therapy using tinnitus maskers provides the equivalent of an overhead light. With the masking sound, your internal noise doesn't seem as dominant and annoying.
]]>The medical community also calls subjective tinnitus either non-pulsatile or non-rhythmic tinnitus, because it does not have anything to do with the cardiovascular system. In other words, the sound does not relate to the beating of the heart or movement of blood through the arteries. The second, less common, type of tinnitus, objective tinnitus, is caused by defects in the cardiovascular system. With objective tinnitus, also called pulsatile or rhythmic tinnitus, the patient hears a rhythmic sound that pulses with the heartbeat. Subjective/non-pulsatile/non-rhythmic tinnitus contrasts with objective/pulsatile/rhythmic tinnitus.
Subjective tinnitus, the most common type of tinnitus, accounts for over 90% of cases. Subjective tinnitus can be caused by external, middle, or inner ear conditions or problems with the brain's auditory nerves or pathways.
A doctor or examiner cannot hear your subjective tinnitus. Usually, this non-pulsatile or non-rhythmic tinnitus starts with hearing damage or loss. Subjective tinnitus treatments endeavor to improve a sufferer's quality of life.
]]>Although Tinnitus symptoms are different for patients, the impact of this epidemic can be debilitating. While some hear low pitch sounds, others experience high pitch sounds that impair hearing and cause mental exhaustion.
These intrusive and annoying sounds take different forms and may happen frequently or at different intervals.
Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most prevalent triggers of tinnitus. It typically occurs due to short and long-term exposure to occupational noise, recreational or leisure noise, and acoustic trauma.
Why is this epidemic a growing concern for medical experts and audiologists? Tinnitus is invisible, and there is no medical cure. So the increasing number of patients shows a troubling trend. Research has shown that over 30 million workers in the US are exposed to hazardous noise levels.
Beyond noise-induced tinnitus, there are other common causes of tinnitus, such as
This article will provide deep insights into noise-induced tinnitus, its causes, and recommended treatment methods.
Let's get to it.
Every day, we are exposed to sounds and noises from multiple sources such as vehicles, devices, human speech, traffic, music, etc. In most cases, these sounds may be at safe levels. But at other times, the noise levels may be unsafe and can potentially damage the ear.
Tinnitus is directly related to short and long-term exposure to unsafe noise levels. According to the World Health Organization, about 50 percent of people between the ages of 12 and 35 could be exposed to hazardous sound levels and frequencies from audio devices. Another research has shown that people with a positive history of work-related noise exposure have a 70 percent increased risk of experiencing tinnitus than people without a history of noise exposure.
You may experience tinnitus during a single traumatic experience. Even a short-term exposure of up to 15 minutes is enough to produce auditory fatigue, damage the auditory system, and cause hearing loss.
The hearing loss may sometimes be unilateral (one ear only) or unilateral (two ears) and prevents patients from hearing sound around the trauma’s frequency.
During diagnosis, it is not always possible to unequivocally identify the cause of the noise exposure associated with the individual's tinnitus. Albeit, work-related noise exposure, and recreational noise exposure result in more new tinnitus cases than all other etiologies combined.
Noise-induced tinnitus is sensorineural and is triggered by loud noise exposure.
But how loud is too loud?
Experts believe that any sound that is above 85 decibels (dB) is harmful, especially when you are exposed to it for more extended periods.
Traumatic noise exposure can be work-related. However, the potential causes of non-work-related vulnerability are numerous, including
Another potential source of tinnitus is noise exposure during active military service or accidents.
Some leisure activities are dangerously loud, and people that engage in them face the risks of tinnitus. Here are typical examples we can relate to.
Shooting firearms may be work-related if you are in the military. But when used for hunting and target practice, it is purely recreational and a leading cause of noise-induced tinnitus and hearing loss.
The noise intensity for a round of most firearms exceeds 132db. And it is unreasonable for anyone to fire a single shot without wearing protective hearing equipment. Exposure to such sound levels can cause acoustic trauma and, in most cases, permanent hearing loss.
Attending a Formula 1, NASCAR, or a MotoGP event may be an incredible and unforgettable experience. But the noise that comes from powerful engines and cheers from the crowd can affect your hearing.
Powerful engines from power bikes, sports cars, and jet skis generate sound in the range of 100 dBA and above. Although exposure to this sound level may not have an immediate impact, it may subject the ear to wear and tear and can cause tinnitus in the long run.
Music can be classified as both a recreational and work-related exposure to sound. The sound level of music on full volume via headsets falls between 100 to 110dB. And listening to loud music via earphones or headphones is a leading cause of noise-induced tinnitus.
Grammy, Emmy, Oscars, and Tony Award-winning American actress Whoopi Goldberg attributes her noise-induced hearing loss to "years and years of listening to music so loudly and so close to the delicate eardrum.”
Here are ways you can protect yourself,
That's not all. Other recreational activities that can trigger noise-induced tinnitus include noise from movie theaters, video arcades, firecrackers, motorboats, etc.
Work-related exposure to dangerous noise levels happens across a wide range of industries. And most industries that use loud equipment and power tools will most likely have workers suffering from noise-induced tinnitus and hearing loss. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)reveals that about 22 million workers are yearly exposed to dangerous noise levels.
Power tools, chipping guns, drill motors, jackhammers, lawnmowers, etc., are all above 85 decibels. Jet and aircraft engines have noise levels between 110 and 140 decibels. So, when workers have increased exposure to these noise frequencies, it could rupture their eardrums and cause tinnitus.
Tinnitus and hearing loss is the most significant service-related disabilities and impairments among veterans and active service members. In 2012, 9.7 percent of veterans received disability benefits for tinnitus, while 5.8 percent received compensation for hearing loss.
It is no surprise as military personnel are frequently exposed to loud noise from weapons, explosives, gunfire, and heavy military equipment while in active service.
Higher noise levels are also found in aircraft and ship engine rooms. For instance, patrol vessels and ship tanks generate noise levels between 98 to 103 decibels. Missile gunboats generate about 120 decibels of noise. Carrier decks have dangerously loud noise that ranges between 130 to 160 dBA.
In such settings, long term exposure can stretch ear tissues beyond their elastic limits and cause permanent damage to the ear.
It is important to note that whether noise-induced tinnitus is recreational or work-related, the impact varies among patients. Some victims of tinnitus tolerate and manage their symptoms with less difficulty. Yet others suffer from a wide range of problems, including
Patients living with noise-induced tinnitus may also face work-related problems that may decrease productivity, such as
.
Entertainer's lives practically revolve around loud noises, so they face huge risks of noise-induced tinnitus.
Musicians are exposed to loud noises from speakers, musical instruments, and sound enhancers. Beyond stage performances, they attend practice and production sessions and listening parties.
Well, that's how they make their living.
Regardless of their genre of music, frequent noise exposure can induce tinnitus and hearing loss. About 35 percent of symphony orchestral musicians experienced tinnitus. And up to 19 percent of them report that tinnitus has a severe effect on their daily life.
Actors, movie directors, and stunt doubles are not left out. They perform stunts to create blockbuster movies that bring enjoyable and memorable experiences. While creating films for the big screens, they are exposed to loud noise from gunshots, explosions, special effects, and pyrotechnics.
Many of these celebrities, including actors and musicians, have spoken up and attributed their tinnitus diagnosis to loud noises.
Here's what some of them had to say.
"I have severe hearing damage. It's manifested itself as tinnitus, ringing in the ears at frequencies that I play guitar. It hurts, it's painful, and it's frustrating."
Pete Townshend of The WHO, Musician
"I've had tinnitus for about ten years, and since I started protecting my ears, it hasn't got any worse—touch wood. Unfortunately, looking after your ears is something you don't think about until there's a problem. I wish I'd thought about it earlier."
Chris Martin of Coldplay, Musician
"I suffer from permanent tinnitus . . . which means I've got this constant ringing in my ears, which has also made me somewhat deaf (or 'conveniently deaf,' as Sharon calls it). It's like this 'whee!' noise in my head all the time. Should have worn earplugs, I guess."
Ozzy Osbourne, Musician
"Tinnitus, big time. That's the price you pay for having a darn good time. Nothing's free!"
Tim Bogert, Musician
Exposure to dangerously loud noises damages sensitive components of our auditory system. We cannot fully understand how these damages occur without understanding how we hear and how the brain process sounds.
We hear the sound because of a series of events that convert vibrations (sound waves) that reach our ear into electrical signals. Auditory nerves transmit these signals to the brain, allowing us to classify sounds into noise, music, or speech.
Sound waves that penetrate the outer ear travel through the ear canal. The ear canal is a narrow pathway that leads to the eardrum. The eardrum vibrates due to the incoming sound waves and automatically transmits these vibrations to three tiny bones (malleus, incus, and stapes) located in the middle ear.
These bones couple the sound vibrations and send them to the cochlea in the inner ear, which is snail-shaped and filled with fluids. These sound vibrations create waves that cause the cochlea to ripple and form a traveling wave along the basilar membrane.
As the waves form, they cause tiny hair cells that can detect sound to bend. Bending causes pore-like channels to open up, and when that happens, chemicals enter into the cells and create electrical signals. The auditory nerve transmits the electrical signals to the brain, and the brain translates the signals into sounds that we recognize and understand.
Now here's the point.
The average human has about 16,000 hair cells within the cochlea, and without these hair cells, the brain cannot detect sounds. So, noise-induced hearing loss occurs when your hair cells are damaged or dead. Unfortunately, human hair cells do not regenerate and cannot be repaired.
In most cases, the patient may not directly observe the hearing loss or lost frequencies. But this doesn't mean that the damage has not occurred. A hearing health professional or trained audiologist can perform several audiometric tests to measure hearing impairment’s true extent.
Noise-induced tinnitus is usually permanent. Unfortunately, the cure for this condition has eluded scientific understanding. So, while progress is being made in finding a cure, it's critical to take precautionary measures to protect your ears.
However, if you experience noise-induced tinnitus, there are treatment options that can help you manage your condition, improve your health and mental well-being.
Here are some of the ways you can avoid exposure to noise loud noise and noise-induced tinnitus.
Do your best to keep away from loud noise. If the noise hurts your ears, or you can't hear what others say, and you have to raise your voice while responding, the noise is loud enough to induce tinnitus.
If you cannot avoid places with a loud noise, you need to protect your hearing during loud events or recreational activities such as nightclubs, sports events, or concerts.
These options might help.
When listening to music via your headphones, you can
If you're exposed to loud noise during work, you may need to
Visit the audiologist for hearing checks as frequently as possible, especially if you're facing a higher risk of noise-induced tinnitus. For example, if you work in a noisy place or you're a musician.
Extensive hearing examinations can provide baseline reports about your hearing status, track changes, and flag abnormalities.
Numerous treatment options can help you reduce the impact of chronic and severe noise-based tinnitus. Let's take a look at some of them.
Hearing aids are electronic sound amplification devices that are worn in the ear to improve hearing and communication.
According to a 2007 survey of 230 hearing care professionals, respondents agreed that 22 percent of patients experience significant tinnitus relief when using hearing aids. About 60 percent enjoy minor to considerable relief.
Here's why hearing aids are effective in minimizing the burden of tinnitus.
Sound Masking
The intrusive noise from tinnitus can make it difficult for patients to concentrate. But hearing aids cover the sound of tinnitus by increasing the intensity of sound from external sources. Hearing aids recalibrate the brain to focus on external sounds.
Improved Communication
Loud tinnitus negatively impacts normal communication flow. The condition makes it almost impossible for patients to engage in work or social activities. With hearing aids, patients can enjoy improved communication and cope better with tinnitus.
Sound therapies also involve the use of external noise to counter sounds from tinnitus. The term represents a wide range of different methods that help to alter a patient's reaction to noise-induced tinnitus, including
Habituation helps the human brain to recategorize tinnitus as an insignificant sound.
Distraction uses external sound sources to divert your focus from the sound of tinnitus.
Neuromodulation utilizes unique sounds to minimize hyperactivity in the brain.
There are a couple of medical-grade and technology-enabled devices that are used to mask sound, such as
Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
The burden of tinnitus can be mentally and emotionally draining. And stress, anxieties, and trauma can further aggravate its impact. So, it is essential to engage in activities that improve your mental and emotional well-being.
Here are some recommended activities that may help a great deal
The dynamics of human communication and interaction with our physical environment makes it inevitable for us to face exposure to loud noises.
Albeit exposure to dangerous noise levels over a long period can cause tinnitus. Tinnitus hurts the mental and emotional well-being of patients. And people that experience this condition suffer a great deal.
Whether it's recreational or work-related noise, noise-induced tinnitus can be prevented. You can reduce your exposure by wearing hearing protective devices or simply avoiding loud noise sources.
If you experience tinnitus, consult an audiologist or hearing professionals. They will evaluate your condition and recommend the best treatment methods that will help you.
]]>Research has shown that about 25 million adults experience tinnitus, a condition that causes persistent buzzing and ringing sounds in their head and ear. These intrusive sounds don't come from external sources and can only be heard by patients. Despite the prevalence of tinnitus, scientists and medical professionals are yet to find a cure.
Tinnitus has been found to influence essential life functions like relaxation, interaction, and socialization. The condition negatively impacts a person's hearing or communication, ability to sleep or concentrate, and general health well-being.
In severe cases, tinnitus can interfere with your ability to perform well at work. The frequency of tinnitus and the perceived lack of control can instill fear, which exacerbates the problem. Tinnitus leads to an ever-increasing cycle of distress and contributes to psychological disorders such as
Over the years, professionals have attributed the causes of tinnitus to environmental factors such as
However, new research is forcing us to ask critical questions like
This article will address our concerns and provide answers to these questions.
In the past decade, researchers have attempted several attempts to establish the relationship between genetics and tinnitus. Some of these studies had several limitations, including
However, recent twin research carried out by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and members of a European research network, TINNET Consortium, has made a huge step towards linking tinnitus and genetics. These researchers studied the genetics of tinnitus by utilizing critical data from the Swedish Twin Registry, one of the world's largest twin registries.
Let's take a look at the findings of this study.
The study shows that certain tinnitus forms are hereditary, especially in men who have bilateral tinnitus - that is, tinnitus in both ears. The research team surveyed twins, and out of 70,186 twins that answered questions related to tinnitus, about 15 percent of them had experienced tinnitus.
But, when the study compared twins based on gender, unilateral tinnitus (tinnitus experienced in one ear) and bilateral tinnitus ( both ears), bilateral tinnitus reached a heritability of 0.68 in men 0.41 in women.
In earlier studies, the researchers had analyzed all forms of tinnitus and had similar results and conclusions on heritability. But, grouping the study population based on gender, unilateral, and bilateral provided a clearer insight into the correlation between tinnitus and genetics.
Here's what Dr. Christopher R. Cederroth, one of the researchers at Karolinska Institutet's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, had to say.
"We've been able to show that different forms of tinnitus have a significant heritability and thus a dominant genetic influence over environmental factors,"
According to Dr. Cederroth, the results were astounding and mostly unpredictable. And it shows that although environmental factors primarily drive tinnitus, genetics influences bilateral tinnitus, which is more noticeable in men.
The study also shows that unilateral and bilateral tinnitus is made up of two distinct sub-groups. Albeit, only the bilateral tinnitus subgroup is influenced by genetic factors.
This discovery is very significant from a medical perspective. Its clinical relevance stems from the belief that understanding the genetic pattern of tinnitus will form the basis for finding a cure.
Tinnitus is a critical health concern that can alter the quality of human life. Although 16 million Americans seek medical care for tinnitus, patients need better treatment when compared to the quality they're currently receiving.
That's one of the many reasons why the findings of the twin study by Dr. Cederroth and his team are essential.
Current treatment options are designed to manage the symptoms and reduce the burden associated with tinnitus. But, treatment options could be better.
Extensive genetic research and a better understanding of tinnitus at the molecular level could open unexpected avenues to drug discovery. Typically, the early steps of drug development begin with understanding the root cause. It also involves identifying the molecular entities that may be of value in the treatment of that disease.
Establishing a genetic link to tinnitus means that scientists, audiologists, and medical professionals will be able to develop preventive therapies or find a cure. Developing preventative treatments is the best way to prevent the surge in the number of tinnitus patients. If scientists can identify the genes that cause tinnitus, health professionals will effectively design a better framework for early diagnosis and prompt treatment.
There are several ongoing efforts to find a cure for tinnitus. And the discovery that genetic factors cause tinnitus offers a glimmer of hope that scientists will someday develop medications that will treat the affected genes and eliminate tinnitus.
Of course, we have a long way to go. The process of drug development usually takes a series of steps and several years. Researchers hope that supplementary research will validate previous findings and offer more insight leading up to clinical trials.
More useful treatment or cure for tinnitus is the goal of all tinnitus research. The most promising data are yet to emerge. Albeit, this data will generate paths for future research and offer more in-depth insights into the role of genetics in tinnitus.
While we are waiting for a cure, there are a couple of measures that can prevent future complications and keep tinnitus at bay, such as
Whether you are experiencing unilateral and bilateral tinnitus, the sounds you hear may manifest in different forms.
Tinnitus is associated with underlying health conditions. So, it's essential to visit your audiologists and explain the kind of sounds you are hearing. This information will help your doctor to diagnose the ailments and identify the underlying cause.
For instance, Otosclerosis is a genetic condition and abnormal bone growth that causes tinnitus and hearing loss. Tinnitus, in this case, maybe progressive, and patients may hear low-pitched to high-pitched noises.
Acoustic neuroma is a non-cancerous tumor that grows on the vestibular and auditory nerves leading from the inner ear to the brain. Patients suffering from this condition can experience ringing on the ear’s side where the tumor is located.
If you are exposed to intense noise during a concert or recreation, you may experience high-pitched ringing that fades off after a few hours. But when this exposure becomes frequent, the high-pitched sounds may become permanent.
Presbycusis or age-related hearing loss can cause you to hear buzzing sounds and high-pitched sounds. Also, Meniere's disease may cause you to hear a loud noise and feel like your surroundings are spinning. The condition usually starts with one ear and may affect both ears later.
Obstructions in the ear caused by ear wax, dirt, and loose hair can cause patients to hear low-pitched noises. Sinus pressures resulting from blocked nasal passages can cause loud clicking noises and tinnitus.
Patients that have acute barotrauma hear intrusive rushing or humming sounds. This condition is due to extreme water and air pressure from
Your doctor may not find the underlying cause of the intrusive noises in your ears in most cases. But he should be able to proffer solutions to help you reduce the impact of tinnitus or help you cope with it.
If you have a history of tinnitus in your family or a gene-related disease like otosclerosis, you need to visit your audiologist for an evaluation. Your doctor will perform some medical and hearing tests to determine the future course of action.
Your audiologist may ask a series of questions about your symptoms and your family's medical history during your initial visit. And then, he will check your ear for possible blockages. He may also ask you to move your body’s physical parts like your eyes, arms, and legs.
These checks will help your doctor identify other underlying health conditions and the most effective treatment methods.
After the physical examinations, your audiologists will perform a hearing test to determine your hearing sensitivity. Hearing tests are typically carried out in a specially designed booth that's soundproof or a quiet environment. And you will be required to wear earphones or headsets. If you suspect hearing loss, you can even take a free online hearing test before seeing your audiologist.
Here are the most common types of hearing tests.
This hearing test uses air conduction to measure your ability to hear sounds at different frequencies, volumes, and pitches. Your audiologist will play a couple of sounds and ask you to either write what you hear, raise your hand, or press a button. Then he will go ahead to chart the results on an audiogram.
The bone conduction testing technique uses a conductor positioned behind your ear to transmit tiny vibrations (air) to your inner ear.
Speech Testing measures your speech reception threshold and your ability to separate the faintest speech from background noise.
Tympanometry helps identify ear blockages like wax or fluid buildup, tumors, or perforations in the eardrum.
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) test measures your brain activity in response to different sound intensities. It is mostly used to determine hearing abilities for newborns and infants.
Acoustic reflex testing helps identify specific parts of the ear, such as the auditory nerves, cochlea, ossicles, etc., where there's a hearing problem. It also allows doctors to identify hearing loss.
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs) test stimulates the cochlea and measures the sounds it generates. Normal hearing generates sounds and emissions, while people with hearing loss do not produce sounds at all. This test helps determine if there is ear canal blockage or damage to the cochlea’s hair cells.
Your audiologists may need to perform a combination of these tests to determine your tinnitus level and effective treatment options.
Beyond audiometry, your doctor can recommend magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) scans. These scans may reveal tumors or other abnormal growth near the ear or auditory nerve.
With imaging tests, doctors can examine changes in the ear’s critical organs and the underlying medical condition causing tinnitus.
As previously mentioned, tinnitus is associated with a wide range of medical conditions. However, scientists are yet to find a cure. So recommended treatment options are designed to help you manage tinnitus.
Identifying the underlying health condition causing tinnitus is a critical step towards an effective treatment plan. For instance, if your tinnitus is due to obstruction in the ear, removing the blockages may eliminate the tinnitus.
Similarly, if ototoxic medications cause your tinnitus, discontinuing the medication may stop the tinnitus symptoms. Before you stop or change your medication, please consult your healthcare provider.
Here are some of the recommended treatment options for tinnitus.
Sound masking involves using external sounds that are loud enough to cover the tinnitus sound either partially or wholly. Most sound masking devices produce ambient sounds, white noise, red noise, pink noise that aid sleep and relaxation.
White noise machines produce "shh" sounds typically found in radio and television static. Other noise applications may make simulated environmental sounds such as ocean waves or rain.
Multiple sound-producing devices like radios, TV, fans, computers can also serve as sound masking devices.
Hearing aids are electronic sound therapy devices that improve hearing for tinnitus patients with hearing loss. The device amplifies sounds in the environment and masks patients from hearing tinnitus sounds. With hearing aids, tinnitus patients can listen, communicate, and regularly participate in daily activities.
Most tinnitus patients experience mental exhaustion and insomnia. But sleep apps can help them get a good night's rest. These apps are available for download on the Google Playstore and Apple App Store.
Currently, there are no approved medications for tinnitus. But some medicines can help to alleviate the psychological effect of tinnitus.
Some of the antidepressant drugs used to manage tinnitus include Clomipramine (Anafranil), Nortriptyline (Pamelor), Protriptyline (Vivactil), etc.
Anti-anxiety medications that can help reduce anxiety include Diazepam (Valium), Clonazepam (Klonopin), Lorazepam (Ativan), and more.
Some of these prescription drugs are not without their side effects. So it would be best if you took these treatments under the strict guidance of a healthcare professional. Your doctor will help you to determine the benefit of the drugs exceeds the potential side effects.
Subtle and major lifestyle changes can help you cope with tinnitus. Here are some tips that may help you live an unencumbered life free of tinnitus-related anxiety and worry.
Exposure to deafening noises can cause tinnitus. More so, noise can exacerbate tinnitus for patients already living with the condition.
Hearing protective devices like earplugs, earmuffs, earplugs, canal caps, and sound mufflers can shield you from hurting sounds and prevent further damage to the ear and auditory system.
Tinnitus is often associated with psychiatric disorders like stress, anxiety, and depression. And of the most effective ways of managing tinnitus is dealing with stress. Here are some useful tips that may help you
There you go. Recent research has shown that tinnitus can be linked to genetics. Although the study is still in its infancy, the discovery represents a massive advancement in the field. This study will provide a basis for the development of preventive and optimized therapies for tinnitus patients.
It is also critical to note that tinnitus is associated mainly with underlying health conditions like otosclerosis, a rare condition that can be hereditary. So, if you experience any of the symptoms we have mentioned in this article, you need to consult your audiologists for further evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.
]]>Tinnitus is a medical situation that results in the hearing of sound in the absence of any external sound. The noise that's heard can be a ringing, hissing, whooshing, buzzing, humming, whistling, or chirping sounds.
Tinnitus can affect one or both ears, and in some cases, it might seem like it's in the middle of the head or hard to pinpoint.
The noise can be continuous or intermittent. The loudness of the noise often varies, and it often gets worse when there is little or no background noise, especially at night.
Some people suffering from tinnitus often think that the noise is from an external source and will hunt for the noise source to no avail.
In some cases, older people interested in music and have suffered hearing loss have tinnitus that has a musical quality and sounds like a familiar song or tune.
Tinnitus is quite common, affecting people of different age groups, but it is more common in people who have ear problems or hearing loss.
Statistics from the U.S. Center for Disease Control shows that about 50 million Americans (15%) experience some form of tinnitus.
Most people who have tinnitus can carry on with their normal activities without any consequence; only a few people have complained of tinnitus having a drastic effect on their life.
Tinnitus is classified into three different types based on the type of sound the person hears. The types of tinnitus are explained below.
This tinnitus type is the most common type of tinnitus; about 99 percent of tinnitus cases are subjective tinnitus.
Subjective tinnitus is also referred to as non-auditory tinnitus, non-vibratory tinnitus, or tinnitus aurium.
If tinnitus is subjective, the sounds that the person hears can not be detected by doctors or hearing technicians; only the tinnitus patient can listen to the sound.
Subjective tinnitus is often caused by exposure to excessive noise, and it can be accompanied by hearing loss, especially if the hair cell nerve is damaged.
Tinnitus caused by damage of the auditory nerve or the inner ear is called otic. However, if the tinnitus is not associated with the disorder of the auditory nerve, it is called non-otic.
There is also a type of subjective tinnitus known as somatic tinnitus. The sound’s intensity and frequency are altered by the person’s body movement, especially the neck and the head.
This is why somatic tinnitus is also referred to as craniocervical tinnitus.
Body actions like applying pressure to the neck and head, turning the eyes, and clenching the jaw can affect the sound.
For some persons, the tinnitus vanishes when they are sleeping and gets louder when they are awake; this is due to the lack of movement of neck muscles and the head when sleeping.
Subjective tinnitus is often caused by abnormal neuronal activity in the auditory cortex.
The auditory cortex is a part of the temporal lobe responsible for the processing of information in humans.
When the auditory cortex begins to malfunction, input from the auditory pathway (this includes the cochlea, auditory nerve, and auditory cortex) is altered or disrupted.
This leads to creating new neural connections and the body’s inability to suppress intrinsic cortical activities.
Other known causes of subjective tinnitus are:
This is a very common cause of subjective tinnitus. Hearing loss that is caused by injury to the cochlear often leads to tinnitus.
The cochlear can get damaged by exposure to extremely loud noise, and the hearing loss can either be temporary or permanent.
Ototoxic drugs are drugs that can cause damaging side effects to the ear.
There are over 200 Ototoxic drugs that are sold over the counter and given by prescription. These drugs are used to treat health issues like cancer, infections, heart diseases, kid diseases, and pain relievers.
The effects of Ototoxic drugs can be temporary or permanent depending on the degree of damage done to the ear. The impacts of ototoxic medicines on the ear can lead to hearing loss or an increase in the ear’s susceptibility to getting damaged when exposed to loud noise.
Tinnitus associated with ototoxicity is usually high-pitched (it is higher than 2000 Hz).
Meniere syndrome or disease is a disorder of the inner ear and can result in loss of balance, feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear, dizzy spells, and hearing loss.
Meniere disease usually affects one ear, and it is a known cause of subjective tinnitus.
Tinnitus caused by Meniere syndrome is often low pitched (less than 1000Hz). It usually ranges between 125 and 500 Hz.
Other factors like discontinuation of prescribed drugs like benzodiazepines and bupropion can cause subjective tinnitus, which can persist for months.
Also, issues like head injury, acoustic shock, neurological disorder, lead or mercury poisoning, vitamin B12 deficiency, depression, psychiatric disorder, eustachian tube dysfunction, and iron deficiency anemia vasculitis could lead to subjective tinnitus.
Less than 1% of total tinnitus cases are objective.
Objective tinnitus, also known as pseudo-tinnitus or vibratory tinnitus, is a rare type of tinnitus caused by a vascular condition or the involuntary twitching of a muscle or group of muscles.
Muscle spasms around the middle ear can also cause it.
Objective tinnitus can be heard by other people, especially using a stethoscope.
People with objective tinnitus have eustachian tube dysfunction, vascular abnormality, or neurologic disease, and the symptoms can worsen at night.
In hypertensive patients, a soft, low pitched venous hum can be heard.
This hum can often be heard in the anterior neck and upper chest, and it is caused by turbulence in the internal jugular vein.
This turbulence causes the vessel's walls to vibrate. However, the hum can be altered by pressure on the jugular, positioning, and movement of the head.
When objective tinnitus is associated with an exposed eustachian tube, it is in sync with breathing, especially when a person is in an upright position.
When the person lays down, snorts, or sniffs, the tinnitus gradually disappears.
Objective tinnitus associated with the abnormal muscular contractions of the middle ear muscle often comes with a regular clicking sound, continuous clicking sound, or series of sharp sounds.
Various factors can cause objective tinnitus; below are some of the possible causes of objective tinnitus:
This is the reason why the person hears vascular noises from the internal jugular vein. Vascular tumors, vascular stenosis, and intracranial hypertension can also cause objective tinnitus.
The good thing about objective tinnitus is that the causes can be easily identified, and this means that the tinnitus can be treated, unlike subjective tinnitus, which is often incurable.
Pulsatile tinnitus is a form of objective tinnitus that is in tune with the pulse of the person. Pulsatile tinnitus is also known as vascular, rhythmic, or pulse-synchronous tinnitus.
Pulsatile tinnitus can be caused by increased blood turbulence near the ear, altered blood flow, or increased awareness of blood flow in the ear.
People with pulsatile hear a pulsating thumping or whooshing sound that is often loud, distracting, and in some cases.
Other symptoms like hearing loss, vision problems, headaches, and dizziness also occur, especially if they suffer from idiopathic intracranial hypertension (high pressure in the fluid around the brain).
Several reasons can cause pulsatile tinnitus. Below are certain health problems that can lead to this type of tinnitus.
When the thyroid is overactive, it causes blood to flow quickly and loudly, causing pulsatile tinnitus.
This is one of the most common causes of pulsatile tinnitus. When blood flows through kinked or damaged vessels in the brain around the ear or through a narrow artery or vein, it can lead to tinnitus.
Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries due to the clogging of fats or cholesterol in them. This clogging of fats in the blood vessels makes them less flexible.
This lack of flexibility causes the blood moving through the middle and inner ear to flow with more force. Pulsatile tinnitus caused by Atherosclerosis can often be heard in both ears.
People with high blood pressure are often susceptible to pulsatile tinnitus; the increase in blood pressure flowing through the blood vessels can create a rhythm. The tinnitus often gets worse and more noticeable when the person is stressed or takes caffeine or alcohol.
Tumors in the head or neck can put pressure on blood vessels, causing noise to be heard in the head.
Also, if there is a connection problem between arteries and veins, pulsatile tinnitus may be experienced.
Asides from the various causes of each type of tinnitus that we have examined above, other factors can cause tinnitus; let’s examine them.
The delicate hairs in the inner ear play a vital part in hearing sound; they move with the pressure of sound waves.
This movement triggers cells to send out an electrical signal from the ear to the brain through a nerve. It is this signal that the brain interprets as sounds.
When the inner ear hair cells are damaged, they may begin to send random electrical impulses to the brain; this results in tinnitus.
Damage to inner ear hair cells is a common cause of tinnitus, but unfortunately, the damage can not be repaired. This means that the person may have to live with the tinnitus permanently.
One of the significant causes of tinnitus is constant exposure to loud noises.
Noise exposure has been identified as one of the major causes of damage to inner ear hair cells, which we discussed above.
About 30 million workers in the United States are exposed to hazardous noise levels. Also, tinnitus is the major cause of service-related disability among veterans.
Loud noises from firearms, heavy equipment, motorcycles, chain saws can cause tinnitus.
Exposure to loud musical noise from earpods, earpieces, concerts, clubs, and bars can damage the ear.
This is why musicians are 57 percent more likely to have tinnitus and 400 percent more likely to have hearing loss than the general public.
Tinnitus caused by exposure to loud noise can either be temporary or permanent, depending on the level of damage done to the ear.
The temporomandibular joint is the joint that connects the jaw to the skull. This joint acts as a hinge and makes the movement of the jaw easy.
When the TMJ is damaged, it causes a localized pain disorder known as TMJ syndrome or disorder.
This damage can be caused by the jaw or teeth’ misalignment, arthritis, poor posture, gum chewing, teeth grinding, or injury to the jaw or teeth.
Common symptoms of TMJ disorder are jaw clicking, earache, headaches, sore jaw muscles, locking of the jaw joint, pain in the temple area, and jaw pain.
TMJ disorder also results in tinnitus. This disorder can easily be treated, and the associated tinnitus disappears when the disorder is corrected.
Thirty percent of seniors experience tinnitus.
Age is a common cause of tinnitus, especially amongst older adults. The older a person gets, the more weak the person’s hearing and the more susceptible they are to hearing challenges.
Older people who suffer hearing loss usually suffer tinnitus.
While some of this hearing loss may not be curable, there are other ways, such as hearing aids, those older people can be assisted with hearing.
The muscles in the ear that control the tension of the eardrum can involuntarily contract or spasm occasionally.
The two major muscles that experience this spasm are the stapedius muscles and the tensor tympani muscles.
These muscles are responsible for dampening and reducing the noise coming from inside the body and outside the ear. The repetitive and synchronized contraction of these muscles can cause tinnitus.
Muscle spasm in the ear can be caused by exposure to loud noise, spasm in the facial nerves, and extreme fatigue.
People with a neurologic disease like multiple sclerosis are also susceptible to ear muscle spasms.
The ear canal naturally produces a waxy oil known as cerumen or earwax, which prevents foreign particles, water, dust, or micro-organisms from getting into the ear.
Naturally, ear wax comes out of the ear canal to the ear opening, where it can be cleaned out. However, if the ear canal produces more earwax than necessary, it can get hard and block the ear.
While some people are prone to excessive buildup of earwax, this natural buildup cannot result in blockage except it is tampered with.
Using objects like bobby pins and cotton swabs can push earwax back into the ear canal and cause a blockage.
Earwax blockage can irritate the eardrum, cause hearing loss or tinnitus.
Tinnitus caused by earwax blockage can be cured when the blockage is removed. Don't try to get rid of the blockage by yourself; you will only push it further and seek medical help.
The process of getting rid of the blockage is usually very easy and painless.
This is a rare condition where there is an abnormal tangling of blood vessels that connect the veins and arteries.
When these veins and arteries tangle, they bypass normal tissues. That said, there is no known reason for this abnormal tangling.
Most people with AVM got it from birth, and some may not experience AVM’s symptoms. The symptoms of AVM in a person can vary based on where the tangling happens.
Symptoms include buzzing sound in the ears, backache, seizures, headache, change in vision, and muscle weakness.
If the tangling happens in the head or anywhere close to the ear, it can cause tinnitus, and it is often experienced in one ear.
Acoustic Neuroma which is also known as vestibular schwannoma is a noncancerous tumor that develops on the vestibular nerve, which goes from the inner ear to the brain. The vestibular nerve plays a vital role in hearing and balance.
This tumor usually grows slowly or doesn't grow at all, but in very rare cases, it can grow until it gets large enough to press against the brain.
The tumor can cause instability, ringing in the ear (tinnitus), and hearing loss. Acoustic neuroma can be treated by radiation and surgical removal.
While some of the tinnitus types discussed in this post can be cured, some of them are permanent.
Therefore, it is essential to do your best to protect your ears from anything that can cause tinnitus or other associated hearing problems. If you notice any form of tinnitus, don't self medicate, seek immediate medical help.
Have you suffered any of these types of tinnitus? Share your experience with us.
Objective tinnitus can be caused by problems with bones in the middle ear, vascular deformities, or involuntary muscle contractions. This condition is uncommon. Thankfully, it’s usually treatable by correcting the mechanical or vascular cause.
The examiner can hear the noise generated by structures near the ear that the objective tinnitus sufferer hears. Most tinnitus is subjective, which means only the patient perceives the sounds. Objective tinnitus is different.
Medical experts also call objective tinnitus pulsatile or rhythmic tinnitus. The sounds the patient hears are pulses, and they relate to your heartbeat or blood moving through arteries.
Objective tinnitus often moves in rhythm with your heartbeat. Pulsatile tinnitus noise sounds like a whooshing or thumping noise.
Since the noise is in sync with your heartbeat, the noise in your ear will increase when your heartbeat increases. When your heartbeat reduces, the noise in your ear reduces.
Pulsatile tinnitus may be benign and simply annoy the tinnitus patient, but it can also be severe and so debilitating that regular activities like sleeping and concentrating are affected.
The causes of objective tinnitus fall into categories according to their origin:
Arterial (relating to the arteries)
Arteriovenous (related to arteries and veins)
Venous (associated with the network of veins that carry blood to your heart from your organs)
Pulsatile tinnitus noise may come and go, or it may be constant. It can also disappear on its own without any treatment. It is, however, essential to visit a doctor when you notice this type of ringing because it may be a symptom of a dangerous health condition that can cause severe damage or death if left untreated.
Objective tinnitus is the opposite of subjective tinnitus; while the symptoms may be the same, subjective tinnitus is only heard by the tinnitus patient. The doctor won’t hear the noise even when a stethoscope is placed over the subjective tinnitus patient’s ear.
As we know, objective tinnitus is a rarer kind of tinnitus, but it has an identifiable cause that’s usually treatable. This is different from subjective tinnitus, which is often idiopathic and incurable.
Objective tinnitus is often caused by diseases, abnormalities, or disorders, including Susac syndrome, atherosclerosis, and sinus wall abnormalities.
Let's examine the causes of objective tinnitus in detail.
Susac syndrome is a rare autoimmune disease that makes your immune system attack the smallest blood vessels in your inner ear, brain, and retina. Susac syndrome is also known as Small Infractions of the Cochlear, Retinal, and Encephalic Tissue (SICRET).
Even though the immune system begins to attack tiny blood vessels, the major victims are the endothelium’s endothelial cells.
These cells play a vital part in ensuring the growth, repair, and cleaning up blood vessels. When the endothelial cells are attacked, they swell up. This swelling can entirely or partially stop blood flow through the affected vessel.
This blockage of blood flow prevents oxygen and the required nutrients from getting to the part of the body being serviced by the blood vessel.
Inner ear symptoms of Susac syndrome include tinnitus, hearing loss, and dizziness or vertigo.
Atherosclerosis, also known as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, is the hardening or narrowing of arteries caused by damage to the endothelium. The endothelium is the thin membrane that lines the interior of blood vessels and the heart.
Bad cholesterol can enter the arteries ‘ walls without the endothelium filtering what gets into the blood vessels. The cholesterol is digested by the white blood cells, and over time, the digested cholesterol and the cells form plaque blockages on the wall of arteries.
With the blockage of the arteries, blood flow becomes more forceful and turbulent. This turbulent blood flow is heard as objective tinnitus, which is why it is in sync with your pulse.
Acoustic neuroma (vestibular schwannoma) is a slow-growing tumor on the main nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain. The vestibular nerve branches play an active part in hearing and balance. Common symptoms of acoustic neuroma are sudden or gradual hearing loss, vertigo, tinnitus, facial weakness, and muscle weakness.
Glomus tumors (paragangliomas) are benign but locally invasive in the blood vessels in the head and neck. If the tumor is located in the middle ear, it is referred to as a glomus tympanum tumor. Common symptoms of this glomus tumor include pulsatile ringing in the ear, bleeding from one ear, and hearing loss.
Fibromuscular dysplasia is a rare cause of objective tinnitus. It is a medical condition that causes stenosis (narrowing) and aneurysms (enlargement) of medium-sized arteries in the body.
The carotid artery is the artery leading to the brain. When it is affected, it can cause temporary loss of vision, headache, neck pain, facial weakness, difficulty speaking, dizziness, pulsating ringing in the ear, neck pain, and numbness in the limbs.
Sigmoid sinus diverticulum and dehiscence are the common sinus wall abnormalities that cause objective tinnitus. The sigmoid sinus is located on the side of the brain, and it is a channel that receives blood from veins in the brain.
The sigmoid sinus diverticulum occurs when small pouches that protrude through the sigmoid sinus wall located behind the ear in the mastoid bone are formed. These pouches interfere with the normal flow of blood within the affected area.
On the other hand, Dehiscence is the absence of a bone part that surrounds the sigmoid sinus in the mastoid behind the ear.
Both sigmoid sinus diverticulum and dehiscence cause a change in pressure, noise, and blood flow in the sigmoid sinus. In some cases, the blood vessel leading to the sigmoid sinus can also be damaged. This change in the blood pressure and flow causes the flow to become noisy. This noise is what is perceived as objective tinnitus.
Other causes of objective tinnitus include:
Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence Syndrome: This condition occurs when the temporal bone that overlies the superior semicircular canal is too thin or absent. The superior semicircular canal is found in the vestibular apparatus in the inner ear, which is responsible for hearing and balance. The absence of this thin bone can cause objective tinnitus and balance problems.
Abnormal Capillaries: The abnormal formation of capillaries can affect the flow of blood and cause objective tinnitus.
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension: This buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the head can increase the head’s pressure and cause symptoms like double vision, headaches, and tinnitus.
High-Blood Pressure: When your blood pressure is high, blood flow through the carotid artery becomes turbulent and louder than normal. High blood pressure can either cause or aggravate objective tinnitus.
Patulous Eustachian Tubes: This is a condition in which the typically closed Eustachian tubes are abnormally open. This opening causes vibrations to be sent directly to the eardrum when chewing, talking, or swallowing. This can result in objective tinnitus.
Tinnitus isn’t considered a medical condition; rather, it is a symptom of another underlying condition. Just like every other symptom, tinnitus always has a root cause. This means that the presence of tinnitus is a sign that something is wrong.
This, however, doesn’t mean that the tinnitus noise is the only thing you’ll feel if you have tinnitus. Other symptoms often accompany it. The symptoms may result from tinnitus, but others may stem from the exact underlying cause.
Symptoms of tinnitus include:
The perception of sound or noise in the ear.
Difficulty understanding speech
Difficulty concentrating
Insomnia or difficulty sleeping
Headache
Anxiety
Vertigo
Depression
Also, the severity of the tinnitus noise and its effects on the tinnitus patient’s life varies from patient to patient. No two cases of tinnitus are ever considered the same.
There’s no cure for tinnitus yet, but objective tinnitus can be cured or improved by identifying and treating the primary underlying cause.
High blood pressure, vein conditions, and artery conditions are often treated with medication and lifestyle changes like:
Reducing stress
Low-sodium diet
Increasing exercise
Eliminating smoking
Surgery or a catheter procedure can correct problems in arteries or veins. A stent in a blocked artery opens it up and improves blood flow. Tumors would be removed by surgery.
If the source of the tinnitus isn’t identified, you may have to undergo Tinnitus Retraining Therapy or make use of masking devices such as hearing aids.
This is rarely the case because the cause of objective tinnitus is often known, and there are appropriate treatments available to either cure or manage the underlying cause.
In most cases, tinnitus doesn’t just affect your hearing; it can spill into other aspects of your health. In cases where tinnitus did severe damage due to delay of medical care, death may occur.
If you notice ringing in your ears, don't hesitate to inform your doctor. Even though the causes of objective tinnitus can be identified and handled, the damages may be permanent if they aren’t given prompt medical attention.
“Even in the most difficult to treat cases of tinnitus, ENT doctors are often able to help manage patient’s symptoms effectively.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
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]]>Tinnitus noises can manifest as ringing, clicking, whooshing, thumping, humming, buzzing, or roaring. The frequency or degree of the noise is dependent on its underlying cause. The pitch of the noise also varies.
In some cases, the tinnitus noise can be low and negligible. In others, the noise can be so high that it interferes with daily activities. Tinnitus can affect one or both ears. Depending on the cause, tinnitus can be temporary or permanent.
Common causes of tinnitus are sudden or constant exposure to loud sounds, earwax blockage, trauma or injury to the head, growth of tumors in the ear, autoimmune inner ear diseases, ototoxic medications, and ear infections.
Besides ringing in the ear, tinnitus can be accompanied by other symptoms like an inability to concentrate, difficulty sleeping, and an inability to hear conversations, especially in crowded places.
Our ears are responsible for hearing and balance. Each ear is divided into three major parts: the outer, middle, and inner ear.
The outer ear, also known as the external ear, consists of two major parts: the earlobe and the pinna. The pinna is skin and cartilage, and it’s the shell-like part of the external ear that directs sound waves outside the ear into the auditory canal.
The ear canal transmits the sound wave to the eardrum, which vibrates when the sound hits it. The eardrum or tympanic membrane is a thin membrane that separates the outer and middle ear.
The middle ear is an air-filled space between the outer and inner ear that contains three tiny bones, also known as ossicles. The three ossicles are called incus, stapes, and malleus. These three bones form a link between the eardrum and the inner ear through the cochlea.
When the eardrum begins to vibrate, it transmits the vibration to the ossicles. The ossicles amplify the sound and transmit the vibration to a thin membrane between the middle and inner ear known as the oval window.
The inner ear contains two major structures; the cochlea and three semicircular canals.
The cochlea, which is responsible for hearing, is filled with fluids and also contains the Corti. The Corti holds thousands of specialized sensory hair cells.
When vibrations get to the inner ear, the inner ear fluid forms tiny waves. These tiny waves make projections in the hair cells known as cilia vibrate. The hair cells convert this vibration into nerve signals or impulses and send them to the brain, interpreting them as sound.
The semicircular canals also contain hair cells. Unlike cochlea’s hair cells, these hair cells detect movement.
When your head moves, the fluid in the semicircular canals moves. The hair cells detect this movement, and then they send nerve impulses about the body’s position and head relative to gravity to your brain.
This lets your body make the changes in posture necessary to help you stay balanced. When this function is interrupted, you can experience vertigo or loss of balance.
Tinnitus is classified based on the type of sound patients experience and the tinnitus’s cause. Below are common types of tinnitus:
Subjective tinnitus is the most common type of tinnitus. It is also known as non-vibratory or non-auditory tinnitus. Only tinnitus patients can hear the subjective tinnitus noise.
Exposure to loud sounds often causes subjective tinnitus, which can lead to hearing loss. Subjective tinnitus can appear and disappear suddenly, and it can last for 3 to 12 months.
In cases where the inner ear’s hair cells are damaged, the tinnitus can become permanent or degenerate to hearing loss.
Objective tinnitus, also known as vibratory tinnitus or pseudo-tinnitus, is a rare kind of tinnitus caused by involuntary movements, twitching, or muscle contractions.
Eustachian tube dysfunction, neurologic disease, or muscle spasms around the middle ear can cause objective tinnitus. Unlike subjective tinnitus, accurate tinnitus sounds can be heard by an external observer.
In most cases, the tinnitus noise in the ear will disappear when the cause of the tinnitus is identified and treated.
Tinnitus can present itself as a rhythmic noise that aligns with q tinnitus patient’s heartbeat. A change in the blood flow in the blood vessels close to the ear is usually the culprit. Pulsatile tinnitus is also known as synchronous pulse tinnitus, vascular tinnitus, or rhythmic tinnitus.
Pulsatile tinnitus is often a loud and distracting whooshing or thumping sound. A change in blood flow or difficulty in the blood vessels closest to the ear can also cause this type of tinnitus.
Neurological tinnitus refers to two different aspects of tinnitus. Disorders like Meniere's disease that primarily affect the brain's auditory functions cause neurological tinnitus.
The term neurological tinnitus can also describe how auditory nerves react to hearing loss.
While during objective tinnitus, the patient hears actual sounds produced by disturbances in the cardiovascular system, in most tinnitus cases, patients think they hear sounds because of neurological dysfunction.
It’s important to know what a neurological disorder or disease is to understand neurological tinnitus.
A neurological disorder is a disorder that affects the brain and the nerves found throughout the body and the spinal cord. Neurological disorders are often accompanied by muscle weakness, loss of sensation, poor coordination, and paralysis.
Causes of neurological problems include genetic disorders, congenital abnormalities or disorders, brain injury, spinal cord injury, nerve injury, degeneration, trauma, brain tumor, and malnutrition.
Neurological diseases can affect vision, cognition, movement, communication, or hearing, depending on where the damage happened or the nerve affected. In neurological tinnitus, the part of the brain responsible for receiving sound signals is affected.
Neurological causes of tinnitus include head injury, multiple sclerosis, acoustic neuroma, syphilis, meningitis, whiplash, cerebellopontine-angle tumors, infections such as Lyme disease, and otitis media.
When someone has normal hearing, neurological activity goes unnoticed. When your hearing is damaged or diminished, this neurological activity is "uncovered."
The brain automatically turns up sensitivity in the hearing system to compensate during hearing loss, so a patient perceives neural activity as sound.
Additionally, the brain engages a filtering mechanism that readily detects tinnitus among other signals along the auditory pathways. The increase in the tinnitus patient’s intensity makes the tinnitus patient more uncomfortable, which results in anxiety and stress.
Anxiety and stress can further worsen tinnitus, so doctors occasionally prescribe anti-anxiety drugs to tinnitus patients.
Disorders like Meniere's disease can cause neurological tinnitus because they affect the brain's auditory functions. As you move your head, the inner ear fluid (endolymph) moves. Movement causes nerve receptors to signal the brain.
With Meniere's disease, a buildup of endolymph interferes with balance and hearing signals between the ear and the brain. One result is tinnitus. Fluid volume changes because of things like:
Genetic predisposition
Blockage or anatomic abnormality leading to drainage problems
Abnormal immune response
Infection
The disease usually only affects one ear, and typically patients are in their 40s or 50s. Depending on the cause of the endolymph changes, medication or lifestyle changes can improve symptoms. It’s a chronic condition, but the disease often goes into periods of remission.
While doctors usually use the phrase neurological tinnitus to talk about tinnitus caused by something like Meniere's Disease, they also use the term to differentiate between objective tinnitus caused by cardiovascular problems and subjective tinnitus.
Depending on the causes, tinnitus can be temporary or permanent. The duration of tinnitus is dependent on its underlying cause.
Tinnitus caused by earwax blockage often disappears after removing the earwax because the earwax merely blocked the ear canal and prevented sound from passing through; little or no damage was done to the ear.
If a more serious medical condition like an autoimmune inner ear disease or Meniere's disease caused the tinnitus, the likelihood of the tinnitus being permanent is higher. If prompt medical attention is not given to the ear, underlying conditions can permanently damage the ear’s structures.
Although there is no cure for tinnitus, certain treatments and therapies can help alleviate the clinical symptoms and make it possible for tinnitus patients to go about their daily activities without much interference.
An ENT doctor often prescribes treatment or therapy after conducting an audiological test. Below are commonly recommended tinnitus therapies:
If a blood vessel condition causes tinnitus, treating the blood vessel condition with the appropriate medication or surgery can expel the tinnitus.
Similarly, if tinnitus is caused by an ototoxic medication, discontinuing the medication will make the tinnitus disappear. The same applies to tinnitus caused by earwax blockage; once you remove the ear wax, tinnitus symptoms will disappear.
Since permanent tinnitus cannot be cured, your doctor may recommend devices to suppress the tinnitus noise. Devices used for noise suppression in tinnitus patients are called masking devices or white noise machines.
Masking devices are machines that produce environmental or static sounds. This effectively helps manage neurological tinnitus, where the noise from background neurological activities causes the sound.
White noise devices help create enough background sound to make the noise from neurological activities less obvious.
In the absence of real noise-masking devices, you can use fans, air conditioners, and humidifiers to produce white noise.
Masking devices are similar to hearing aids; they produce a continuous low-level white noise, suppressing the tinnitus noise and making it less noticeable.
Considering the effect of tinnitus on patients’ emotional and psychological health, counseling is often a part of the recommended therapies.
Counseling aims to help tinnitus patients change how they perceive, think, or feel about their symptoms. This makes the tinnitus more bearable.
The major counseling options for tinnitus are cognitive behavioral therapy and tinnitus retraining therapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is carried out by a licensed psychologist who teaches tinnitus patients coping techniques that will enable them to complete their daily activities without difficulty.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) combines sound masking devices and counseling by a trained professional or an audiologist. The tinnitus patient receives a masking device to reduce the tinnitus symptoms while receiving counseling.
Besides helping with tinnitus, counseling can help patients cope with other problems linked to tinnitus, such as depression and anxiety.
Even though there is no specific medication for tinnitus, certain medications such as antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs are often prescribed to tinnitus patients. Most tinnitus patients suffer anxiety and depression.
The relationship between tinnitus and anxiety is circular; tinnitus noise causes anxiety, and anxiety increases tinnitus.
Medications that combat anxiety and depression help alleviate the tinnitus symptoms by breaking this cycle.
As you already know, neurological tinnitus is caused by the brain problem, not the ears. That’s why it’s not possible for you to self-medicate.
“Nothing replaces a full and complete medical evaluation by a trained ENT doctor for symptoms of tinnitus.” - Drew Sutton, MD, Board-Certified Otolaryngologist.
Identifying the exact cause of tinnitus and prescribing the appropriate treatment is the work of an audiologist or a healthcare professional. It’s important always to visit your doctor when you experience ringing or other noises in your ear.
Sources:
Tinnitus: Characteristics, Causes, Mechanisms, and Treatments | NCBI
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