Tinnitus is an incredibly common condition of the ear. Some estimates suggest that 10 percent of people have tinnitus at one time or another, making it one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world. Even though the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds too.
While the prevalence of tinnitus might be evident, the causes are frequently more opaque. In part, that’s because tinnitus may be caused by a wide variety 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 loud, you might be harming your hearing. This environmental tinnitus might sometimes be permanent or it might sometimes react to changes to make your environment quieter.
Why do so many individuals experience tinnitus?
When you hear noises that aren’t really there, that’s tinnitus. For the majority of individuals, tinnitus manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but it could also present as thumping, humming, screeching, or other sounds as well. The sounds are normally rhythmic in nature. Tinnitus will usually clear itself up after a short time period. In less common cases, tinnitus may become effectively permanent, a condition known as chronic tinnitus.
There are a couple of reasons why tinnitus is so prevalent. The first is that the environmental factors that play a role in tinnitus are also relatively common (more on that in a bit). The second reason is that tinnitus is usually a symptom of an underlying condition or injury. And there are a wide variety of conditions and injuries that can trigger tinnitus. Consequently, tinnitus tends to be very common.
How is tinnitus impacted by environmental factors?
Other things can also produce tinnitus, including ototoxic medicines and chemicals. However, when the majority of individuals discuss “environment” when it comes to tinnitus, they actually mean the noise. For instance, some locations are louder than others (traffic noise in some areas can get exceptionally high). Somebody would be in danger of environmental tinnitus, for instance, if they worked around loud industrial equipment.
When assessing the state of your health, these environmental factors are very important.
As with hearing loss, noise-induced damage can eventually cause tinnitus symptoms. In these situations, the resulting tinnitus is often chronic in nature. Here are a few of the most common noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Music: Many people will often listen to their music at loud volumes. Doing this on a consistent basis can frequently cause tinnitus symptoms.
- Noise in the workplace: It might come as a surprise that many workplaces, sometimes even offices, are pretty loud. Whether it’s industrial equipment or chatty office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around continuous workplace noise can eventually result in tinnitus.
- Traffic: You might not even realize how loud traffic can be in densely populated places. And noise damage can occur at a lower volume than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the outcome of long commutes in these noisy settings.
- Events: If noise is loud enough, even over short stretches, tinnitus can sometimes be the outcome. For instance, going to a concert or using firearms can both trigger tinnitus if the volumes get to a high enough level.
Damage to the ears can happen at a much lower volume than people usually expect. As a result, it’s crucial to wear hearing protection before you think you may need it. Noise associated tinnitus symptoms can frequently be avoided altogether by doing this.
If I’m experiencing tinnitus, what should I do?
So, does tinnitus go away? Well, in some cases it could. But your symptoms might be irreversible in some cases. At first, it’s basically impossible to tell which is which. If you have tinnitus due to noise damage, even if your tinnitus does clear up, your chance of having your tinnitus return and become chronic is much more likely.
People often underestimate the minimum volume that damage starts to happen, which is the most significant contributing factor to its development. Damage has probably already happened if you’re experiencing tinnitus. If this is the situation, finding and changing the source of the noise damage is essential to prevent further damage.
For example, you could try:
- Reducing the volume of your environment where possible. If you have any machinery that isn’t in use, turn it off, and close the windows if it’s noisy outside, for instance.
- If you’re in a loud environment, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
- Stop damage by using hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some amount of protection from noise canceling headphones.
How to handle your symptoms
The symptoms of tinnitus are frequently a huge distraction and are really uncomfortable for most people who deal with them. Because of this, they often ask: how do you quiet tinnitus?
If you hear a buzzing or ringing sound, it’s important to set up an appointment, particularly if the sound doesn’t go away. We will be able to evaluate your symptoms and determine how best to address them. There’s no cure for most types of chronic tinnitus. Symptom management may include the following:
- Hearing aid: The ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus can be drowned out by raising the volume of external sounds with hearing aids.
- Relaxation techniques: Tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be exacerbated by high blood pressure. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be eased by utilizing relaxation techniques like meditation, for example.
- Masking device: This device is a lot like a hearing aid, only instead of boosting sounds, it masks them. Your device will be specially calibrated to mask your symptoms of tinnitus.
- White noise devices: Utilizing a white noise device around your home can help you tune out your tinnitus in some instances.
- Retraining therapy: In some situations, you can work with a specialist to retrain your ears, gradually modifying the way you process sound.
Tinnitus has no cure. A great first step would be to safeguard your hearing by managing your environment.
But tinnitus can be addressed and managed. We’ll be able to develop a specific treatment plan according to your hearing, your tinnitus, and your lifestyle. For some, dealing with your tinnitus might simply mean using a white noise machine. For other people, management might be more demanding.
Make an appointment to learn how to regulate your tinnitus symptoms.