Constant, annoying ringing, buzzing, hissing, or roaring in one or both ears is known as tinnitus. Ask around and you’ll find that many people of all ages have this problem. Most people describe it as a high-pitched, steady ringing, pulsing, rushing, or humming sound. Movement or exercise can sometimes make the sounds get louder or softer. Sometimes it comes and goes, sometimes it lasts for months or years. It can be so annoying that it eventually disturbs people’s sleep, work, focus, relationships, and overall happiness. Thankfully, it is not usually a sign of a serious problem but can be a serious annoyance.
So what does cause tinnitus? Thousands of little cells line the inner part of the ear and when those are damaged, signals are sent to the brain that makes you think you are hearing things that you aren’t. Factors that contribute to the damage of those cells are age, loud noise, head or neck injuries, certain diseases, and medications such as antibiotics, anti-seizure medications, and painkillers such as aspirin. Since several things can cause tinnitus, it’s best to be checked out by a medical professional to find the cause and see if anything can be done to stop the symptoms.
Treatment for tinnitus includes treating the cause. For example, if you are taking a medication that commonly causes tinnitus, substituting it with something else or stopping it, if possible, can decrease or stop the tinnitus. For those who can’t treat the cause, there is still hope. Tinnitus commonly accompanies hearing loss but most individuals find that the tinnitus bothers them less if they wear hearing aids. Sounds are clearer and louder with hearing aids which helps make tinnitus less noticeable. Sound therapy is very helpful for tinnitus. Bringing in more noise to the ear can block some or all of the tinnitus. In the daytime, music or the television are great answers. White noise at night can be very helpful to block the tinnitus and help you sleep. Sometimes a fan is loud enough to drown out the tinnitus but you can also download white noise onto your smart phone or buy a white noise generator. Ocean sounds and rainforest sounds work well at night.
A therapy called “tinnitus retraining therapy,” or TRT focuses on retraining the brain to accept the ringing in your ears as normal background noise rather than aggravating annoyances. Biofeedback and cognitive behavioral therapy are two other methods that aim at decreasing the stress that tinnitus naturally causes. With biofeedback, you learn to breathe deeply when you hear the buzzing thus working on changing your reaction to tinnitus. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) helps you cope with tinnitus and find ways to distract yourself. For some, tinnitus is long-term but it doesn’t have to be annoying.