Tinnitus is an extremely common condition of the ear. It’s one of the most common health conditions in the world with some estimates indicating that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one time or another. The condition is experienced as a sound in the ear that isn’t actually there, normally, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can take the form of other sounds too.
While the preponderance of tinnitus might be evident, the causes are frequently more cloudy. In part, that’s because tinnitus could be caused by a wide range of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be critically important. After all, every setting has a soundscape, and when that soundscape is noisy, you might be doing damage to your ears. If your tinnitus is a result of damage, it could end up being permanent.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so prevalent)?
When you hear sounds that aren’t actually present, that’s tinnitus. Tinnitus typically manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other sounds, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are usually rhythmic in nature. For the majority of individuals, tinnitus will manifest over a short period of time before resolving itself and going away. Though not as common, chronic tinnitus is effectively permanent.
Tinnitus is so prevalent for a couple of reasons. The first is that the environmental factors that play a role in tinnitus are also fairly common (more on that soon). The second reason is that tinnitus is usually a symptom of a root condition or injury. Put simply, there are lots of such injuries or conditions that can cause tinnitus. Tinnitus is quite prevalent for these reasons.
How is tinnitus affected by environmental factors?
Other things can also trigger tinnitus, including ototoxic medicines and chemicals. However, when most people discuss “environment” in terms of tinnitus, they actually mean the noise. Some settings, such as noisy city streets, can get quite loud. Likewise, anybody who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment exacerbating their tinnitus.
When evaluating the state of your health, these environmental factors are really important.
Noise related damage, as with hearing loss, can activate tinnitus symptoms. In these circumstances, the resulting tinnitus is often chronic in nature. Here are some of the most prevalent noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Music: Many individuals will frequently listen to their music at high volumes. Doing this on a regular basis can often result in tinnitus symptoms.
- Noise in the workplace: It might come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are fairly noisy. Whether it’s industrial equipment or chatty office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around continuous workplace noise can eventually result in tinnitus.
- Events: If noise is loud enough, even over short periods, tinnitus can sometimes be the result. For example, going to a concert or using firearms can both lead to tinnitus if the volumes reach a loud enough level.
- Traffic: Traffic in heavily populated areas can be much louder than you might expect it to be. And you might not even recognize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these noisy settings.
People often mistakenly believe hearing damage will only occur at extreme volume levels. Consequently, it’s important to use hearing protection before you think you may need it. Noise induced tinnitus symptoms can frequently be avoided altogether by doing this.
What should I do if I’m experiencing tinnitus?
So, does tinnitus go away? Well, in some instances it may. In other situations, your symptoms could be permanent. Initially, it’s basically impossible to know which is which. If you have tinnitus due to noise damage, even if your tinnitus does go away, your risk of having your tinnitus come back and become chronic is a lot more likely.
One of the most main contributing factors to the advancement of tinnitus is that individuals tend to underestimate the volume at which damage happens to their ears. If you experience tinnitus, your body is telling you that damage has already probably occurred. If this is the situation, finding and changing the source of the noise damage is crucial to prevent further damage.
Here are some tips you can try:
- Prevent damage by utilizing hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some amount of protection from noise canceling headphones.
- Reducing the volume of your environment where possible. If you have any machinery that isn’t in use, turn it off, and shut the windows if it’s noisy outside, for example.
- If you’re in a loud environment, regulate the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
Dealing with symptoms
Many people who experience persistent tinnitus find the symptoms to be enormously distracting and uncomfortable. This prompts them to try and find a way to ease the intensity of their symptoms.
You should contact us for an appointment if you’re hearing a persistent ringing or buzzing in your ears. We will be able to evaluate your symptoms and figure out how to best manage them. For the majority of cases of chronic tinnitus, there’s no cure. Here are a number of ways to manage the symptoms:
- White noise devices: In some instances, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by utilizing a white noise generator around your home.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been connected to an increase in the severity of tinnitus symptoms. So taking some time to relax (with meditation, for example) can sometimes help diminish your tinnitus symptoms.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify outside sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus.
- Masking device: This device is a lot like a hearing aid, only instead of amplifying sounds, it masks them. Your device will be specifically calibrated to mask your symptoms of tinnitus.
- Retraining therapy: In some situations, you can work with a specialist to retrain your ears, slowly changing the way you process sound.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. That’s why controlling your environment to protect your hearing is a practical first step.
But addressing and controlling tinnitus is possible. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan for you. For some, dealing with your tinnitus might simply mean using a white noise machine. For other people, management may be more demanding.
Make an appointment to learn how to address your tinnitus symptoms.