Tinnitus is an extremely common condition of the ear. Some estimates suggest that 10 percent of people experience tinnitus at one point or another, making it one of the most common health conditions in the world. Although the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds too.
Sadly, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as obvious as the symptoms. Some of the wide variety of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more long term.
That’s why your environment can be very important. If the background sound of your particular environment is very noisy, you might be damaging your hearing. If your tinnitus is due to damage, it may end up being permanent.
Why do so many people experience tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear a noise that isn’t actually there. Tinnitus normally manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other sounds, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are typically rhythmic in nature. For the majority of individuals, tinnitus will occur over a short period of time before solving itself and vanishing. In less common cases, tinnitus could become effectively permanent, a condition referred to as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus is so common for a couple of reasons. Firstly, environmental factors that can play a role in tinnitus are rather prevalent. Underlying conditions and injuries can contribute to tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are lots of conditions and injuries that can result in tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather prevalent for these reasons.
How is tinnitus impacted by environmental factors?
Other things can also cause tinnitus, including ototoxic medicines and chemicals. But when it involves “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest offender. For example, some neighborhoods are noisier than others (traffic noise in some areas can get extremely high). Somebody would be in danger of environmental tinnitus, for example, if they worked around loud industrial equipment.
When assessing the state of your health, these environmental factors are really important.
As with hearing loss, noise-induced damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. In these circumstances, the resulting tinnitus is often chronic in nature. Some of the most prevalent noise and environment-induced causes of tinnitus include the following:
- Traffic: You might not even realize how loud traffic can be in densely populated locations. And noise damage can happen at a lower volume than you might expect. Long commutes or regular driving in these noisy settings can eventually cause hearing damage, including tinnitus.
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes be caused by loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long time-period. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this type of noise.
- Noise in the workplace: It could come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are pretty noisy. Whether it’s industrial equipment or chatty office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around constant workplace noise can eventually lead to tinnitus.
- Music: Listening to music at high volumes is a fairly common practice. Doing this on a regular basis can often trigger tinnitus symptoms.
Hearing damage can occur at a far lower volume than people usually expect. Consequently, it’s essential to wear hearing protection before you think you might need it. Hearing protection can help prevent tinnitus symptoms from developing in the first place.
What should I do if I have tinnitus?
So, does tinnitus go away? Perhaps, in some instances. But your symptoms may be permanent in some cases. At first, it’s basically impossible to tell which is which. Likewise, just because your tinnitus has gone away for now doesn’t mean that noise damage has not occurred, leading to an increased risk of chronic tinnitus down the road.
One of the most main contributing factors to the advancement of tinnitus is that people tend to underestimate the volume at which damage occurs to their ears. If you experience tinnitus, your body is telling you that damage has already probably happened. This means that there are several things that you should do to alter your environment so as to prevent more irreparable damage.
Here are some tips you can try:
- Limiting the amount of time you spend in loud environments without giving your ears a chance to recover.
- Decreasing the volume of your environment when possible. For example, you could shut the windows if you live in a loud area or turn off industrial machinery that is not in use.
- Using hearing protection (either earplugs or earmuffs) in order to counter damage. Noise canceling headphones can also be a benefit in this regard.
How to manage your symptoms
The symptoms of tinnitus are frequently a huge distraction and are really uncomfortable for the majority of individuals who deal with them. Because of this, they frequently ask: how do you calm tinnitus?
You should call us for an appointment if you’re hearing a persistent ringing or buzzing in your ears. We will be able to assess your symptoms and identify how best to manage them. For most cases of persistent tinnitus, there’s no cure. Here are a few ways to manage the symptoms:
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify outside sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been associated with an increase in the intensity of tinnitus symptoms. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by utilizing relaxation techniques like meditation, for instance.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the help of a specialist, which will gradually retrain the way you process sound.
- Masking device: This device is a lot like a hearing aid, only instead of amplifying sounds, it masks them. Your device will be specially calibrated to mask your tinnitus symptoms.
- White noise devices: Utilizing a white noise device around your home can help you tune out your tinnitus in some instances.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. A good first step would be to protect your hearing by controlling your environment.
But tinnitus can be managed and managed. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to develop a specific treatment plan for you. For some, managing your tinnitus may simply mean making use of a white noise machine. In other cases, a more intensive approach might be necessary.
Learn how to best manage your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!