Tinnitus is an extremely common condition of the ear. It’s one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world with some estimates indicating that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one point or another. The condition manifests as a sound in the ear that isn’t actually there, typically, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can manifest as other sounds also.
While the preponderance of tinnitus might be obvious, the causes are often more opaque. 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 really important. If the background sound of your particular setting is very noisy, you might be damaging your hearing. If your tinnitus is caused by damage, it could end up being permanent.
Why do so many people experience tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear a sound that isn’t actually there. For the majority of individuals, tinnitus manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but it might also present as thumping, humming, screeching, or other sounds as well. Typically, the sounds are consistent or rhythmic. Tinnitus will normally clear itself up after a short time period. In less common cases, tinnitus could become effectively permanent, a condition known as chronic tinnitus.
There are a couple of reasons why tinnitus is so common. The first is that the environmental factors that contribute to tinnitus are also relatively common (more on that soon). Underlying conditions and injuries can bring about tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are lots of conditions and injuries that can trigger tinnitus. Tinnitus is quite common for these reasons.
How is tinnitus impacted by environmental factors?
There are a large number of factors that can contribute to tinnitus symptoms, including ototoxic chemicals and medications. But when it involves “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest culprit. For example, some neighborhoods are louder than others (traffic noise in some areas can get extraordinarily high). Somebody would be in danger of environmental tinnitus, for example, if they worked around loud industrial equipment.
These environmental factors can be incredibly significant when considering your hearing health.
Noise related damage, as with hearing loss, can activate tinnitus symptoms. In these cases, the resulting tinnitus tends to be chronic in nature. Here are some of the most prevalent noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Music: Listening to music at high volumes is a pretty common practice. Doing this on a regular basis can often cause tinnitus symptoms.
- Noise in the workplace: It may come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are fairly loud. Whether it’s industrial equipment or gabby office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around continuous workplace noise can eventually result in tinnitus.
- Traffic: You may not even realize how loud traffic can be in densely populated locations. And noise damage can occur at a lower volume than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these noisy locations.
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes be caused by loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long duration. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this type of noise.
People frequently mistakenly think hearing damage will only happen at extreme volume levels. Consequently, it’s crucial to use hearing protection before you think you might need it. Hearing protection can help prevent tinnitus symptoms from developing in the first place.
If I have tinnitus, what should I do?
Will tinnitus go away on its own? Well, in some cases it could. In other situations, your symptoms may be irreversible. At first, it’s basically impossible to know which is which. Likewise, just because your tinnitus has gone away for now doesn’t mean that noise damage hasn’t occurred, leading to an increased chance of chronic tinnitus in the future.
Individuals often underestimate the minimum volume that damage begins to happen, which is the most significant contributing factor to its advancement. Damage has most likely already happened if you’re experiencing tinnitus. If this is the situation, identifying and changing the source of the noise damage is essential to prevent additional damage.
Here are some tips you can try:
- Reducing the volume of your environment when possible. If you have any machinery that’s not in use, turn it off, and close 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.
- Wearing hearing protection (either earplugs or earmuffs) in order to prevent damage. Noise canceling headphones can also be an asset in this regard.
How to handle your symptoms
Many people who experience chronic tinnitus find the symptoms to be tremendously disruptive and uncomfortable. This prompts them to try and find a way to ease the severity of their symptoms.
You should give us a call for an appointment if you’re hearing a persistent buzzing or ringing in your ears. We can help you determine the best way to handle your particular situation. For most cases of persistent tinnitus, there’s no cure. Here are a number of ways to manage the symptoms:
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been linked to an increase in the severity of tinnitus symptoms. So taking some time to relax (with meditation, for instance) can sometimes help diminish your tinnitus symptoms.
- White noise devices: In some cases, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by using a white noise generator around your house.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify other sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits similarly to a hearing aid and plays sounds to mask your symptoms. The exact calibration of your device will depend on your specific symptoms.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the help of a specialist, which will gradually retrain the way you process sound.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. That’s why managing your environment to protect your hearing is a practical first step.
But addressing and managing tinnitus is possible. We’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan according to your hearing, your tinnitus, and your lifestyle. For some, managing your tinnitus might simply mean using a white noise machine. In other situations, a more intensive approach may be needed.
Schedule an appointment to learn how to manage your tinnitus symptoms.