In the movies, invisibility is a powerful power. Whether it’s a mud-covered hero, a cloaked spaceship, or a stealthy ninja, invisibility allows characters in movies to be more effective and, often, achieve the impossible.
Invisible health disorders, regrettably, are equally as potent and much less fun. As an illustration, tinnitus is a very common hearing condition. But there are no outward symptoms, it doesn’t matter how well you look.
But just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean tinnitus doesn’t have a significant affect on those who experience symptoms.
What is tinnitus?
So we recognize one thing: you can’t see tinnitus. Actually, tinnitus symptoms are auditory in nature, being a disorder of the ears. You know when you are sitting in a very quiet room, or when you get back from a loud concert and you hear a ringing in your ears? That’s tinnitus. Tinnitus is so prevalent that about 25 million people experience it daily.
There are many other manifestations of tinnitus besides the typical ringing. Noises like humming, whirring, crackling, clicking, and a number of others can manifest. Here’s the common denominator, anyone who has tinnitus is hearing noises that are not really there.
For most individuals, tinnitus will be a short-lived affair, it will come and go very quickly. But for somewhere between 2-5 million people, tinnitus is a chronic, sometimes incapacitating condition. Think about it like this: hearing that ringing in your ears for five or ten minutes is annoying, but you can distract yourself easily and move on. But what if that sound never goes away? Clearly, your quality of life would be significantly affected.
What causes tinnitus?
Have you ever tried to determine the cause of a headache? Maybe it’s stress; maybe you’re getting a cold; maybe it’s allergies. A number of things can cause a headache and that’s the issue. The symptoms of tinnitus, though rather common, also have a large number of causes.
The cause of your tinnitus symptoms might, in some cases, be obvious. But you might never really know in other cases. Here are a few general things that can cause tinnitus:
- Noise damage: Tinnitus symptoms can be caused by exposure to excessively loud noise over time. This is so prevalent that loud noises are one of the top causes of tinnitus! The best way to prevent this kind of tinnitus is to stay away from excessively loud settings (or use ear protection if avoidance isn’t possible).
- Certain medications: Tinnitus symptoms can be caused by certain over-the-counter and prescription drugs. Once you quit using the medication, the ringing will usually go away.
- High blood pressure: High blood pressure can trigger tinnitus symptoms for some individuals. Getting your blood pressure under control with the help of your physician is the best way to handle this.
- Ear infections or other blockages: Inflammation of the ear canal can be caused by things like seasonal allergies, a cold, or an ear infection. This often causes ringing in your ears.
- Colds or allergies: If a lot of mucus backs up in your ears, it might cause some swelling. This swelling can cause tinnitus.
- Meniere’s Disease: This is a condition of the inner ear that can cause a wide range of symptoms. Tinnitus and dizziness are amongst the first symptoms to manifest. Permanent hearing loss can happen over time.
- Head or neck injuries: The head and neck are really sensitive systems. Ringing in your ears can be triggered by traumatic brain injuries including concussions.
- Hearing loss: There is a close connection between tinnitus and hearing loss. In part, that’s because noise damage can also be a direct contributor to sensorineural hearing loss. They both have the same cause, in other words. But the ringing in your ears can seem louder with hearing loss because the outside world is quieter.
Treatment will clearly be easier if you can figure out the cause of your tinnitus symptoms. Clearing out a blockage, for example, will relieve tinnitus symptoms if that’s what is causing them. Some individuals, however, might never recognize what causes their tinnitus symptoms.
Diagnosing Tinnitus
Tinnitus that only lasts a few minutes isn’t something that you really need to have diagnosed. Still, having regular hearing tests is always a good idea.
But you should absolutely schedule an appointment with us if your tinnitus won’t subside or if it keeps coming back. We will ask you about your symptoms, talk to you about how your quality of life is being affected, perform a hearing test, and most likely discuss your medical history. All of that insight will be used to diagnose your symptoms.
How is tinnitus treated?
There’s no cure for tinnitus. But it can be treated and it can be controlled.
If you’re using a specific medication or have an underlying medical condition, your symptoms will improve when you deal with the underlying cause. However, if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus, there will be no root condition that can be easily fixed.
So managing symptoms so they have a minimal affect on your life is the objective if you have chronic tinnitus. There are lots of things that we can do to help. Among the most common are the following:
- A hearing aid: When you have hearing loss, external sounds get quieter and your tinnitus symptoms become more apparent. The buzzing or ringing will be less noticeable when your hearing aid raises the volume of the outside world.
- A masking device: This is a device much like a hearing aid, except instead of boosting sounds, it masks sound. These devices create just the right amount and type of sound to make your particular tinnitus symptoms fade into the background.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: We might refer you to a different provider for cognitive behavior therapy. This strategy uses therapy to help you learn to disregard the tinnitus sounds.
The treatment plan that we formulate will be custom-tailored to your specific tinnitus requirements. The objective will be to help you regulate your symptoms so that you can get back to enjoying your life!
What should you do if you have tinnitus?
Tinnitus might be invisible, but the last thing you should do is pretend it isn’t there. Your symptoms will likely get worse if you do. You might be able to prevent your symptoms from getting worse if you can get ahead of them. At the very least, you should purchase hearing protection for your ears, be certain you’re using ear plugs or ear muffs whenever you’re around loud noises.
If you have tinnitus that won’t go away (or keeps coming back) make an appointment with us to get a diagnosis.