In the movies, invisibility is a powerful tool. Whether it’s a mud-covered hero, a cloaked starship, or a sneaky ninja, invisibility allows people in movies to be more effective and, often, accomplish the impossible.
Unfortunately, invisible health disorders are no less potent…and they’re a lot less fun. As an example, tinnitus is a very common hearing disorder. But there are no external symptoms, it doesn’t matter how well you look.
But for individuals who experience tinnitus, though it may be invisible, the affect may be considerable.
Tinnitus – what is it?
One thing we recognize for sure about tinnitus is that you can’t see it. In fact, tinnitus is a disorder of the ears, meaning that symptoms are auditory in nature. You know that ringing in your ears you sometimes hear after a rock concert or in a really quiet room? That’s tinnitus. Tinnitus is so common that about 25 million people experience it daily.
There are lots of other presentations of tinnitus besides the common ringing. Some individuals might hear humming, crunching, metallic noises, all sorts of things. The common denominator is that anyone who has tinnitus is hearing sounds that are not actually there.
For most people, tinnitus will be a short-term affair, it will come and go very quickly. But tinnitus is a persistent and debilitating condition for between 2-5 million individuals. Sure, it can be a bit annoying to hear that ringing for a few minutes now and again. But what if that sound doesn’t go away? Obviously, your quality of life would be substantially affected.
Tinnitus causes
Have you ever had a headache and tried to figure out the cause? Perhaps it’s stress; maybe you’re getting a cold; maybe it’s allergies. Lots of things can cause a headache and that’s the challenge. The symptoms of tinnitus, though rather common, also have a large number of causes.
Sometimes, it may be really clear what’s causing your tinnitus symptoms. But you might never really know in other cases. Here are several general things that can trigger tinnitus:
- Hearing loss: There is a close connection between tinnitus and hearing loss. Partly, that’s because noise damage can also be a direct contributor to sensorineural hearing loss. In other words, both of them have the same cause. But hearing loss can also exacerbate tinnitus, when the rest of the world seems quieter, that ringing in your ears can become louder.
- Meniere’s Disease: A good number of symptoms can be caused by this condition of the inner ear. Among the first symptoms, however, are usually dizziness and tinnitus. With time, Meniere’s disease can cause irreversible hearing loss.
- Certain medications: Tinnitus symptoms can be caused by certain over-the-counter and prescription medicines. Typically, that ringing subsides when you stop using the medication in question.
- Noise damage: Damage from loud noises can, after a while, cause tinnitus symptoms to develop. One of the top causes of tinnitus is exposure to loud noises and this is very common. Using ear protection if exceptionally loud locations can’t be avoided is the best way to prevent this type of tinnitus.
- Head or neck injuries: The head and neck are incredibly sensitive systems. Ringing in your ears can be triggered by traumatic brain injuries including concussions.
- Colds or allergies: Inflammation can happen when lots of mucus backs up in your ears. And tinnitus can be the result of this inflammation.
- High blood pressure: For some individuals, tinnitus may be the result of high blood pressure. Getting your blood pressure under control with the help of your primary care provider is the best way to address 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. Consequently, your ears may begin to ring.
If you’re able to figure out the cause of your tinnitus, treatment could become easier. For instance, if an earwax obstruction is causing ringing in your ears, cleaning out that earwax can relieve your symptoms. But the cause of their tinnitus symptoms might never be identified for some people.
How is tinnitus diagnosed?
Tinnitus that only lasts a few minutes isn’t something that you really need to have diagnosed. That said, it’s never a bad plan to come see us to schedule a hearing screening.
However, if your tinnitus won’t subside or continues to come back, you should make an appointment with us to get to the bottom of it (or at least begin treatment). We will execute a hearing test, discuss your symptoms and how they’re affecting your life, and perhaps even talk about your medical history. Your symptoms can then be diagnosed utilizing this information.
Treating tinnitus
Tinnitus is not a condition that can be cured. The strategy is management and treatment.
If your tinnitus is due to a root condition, like an ear infection or a medication you’re using, then addressing that underlying condition will lead to a noticeable difference in your symptoms. However, if you’re dealing with chronic tinnitus, there will be no root condition that can be easily corrected.
For those with chronic tinnitus then, the goal is to manage your symptoms and help make sure your tinnitus does not negatively impact your quality of life. There are a number of things that we can do to help. Here are a few of the most common:
- A masking device: This is a hearing aid-like device that masks sounds instead of boosting them. These devices generate just the right amount and type of sound to make your specific tinnitus symptoms fade into the background.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy: We may refer you to another provider for cognitive behavior therapy. This strategy uses therapy to help you learn to disregard the tinnitus sounds.
- A hearing aid: In some cases, tinnitus becomes obvious because your hearing loss is making everything else comparatively quieter. The buzzing or ringing will be less evident when your hearing aid raises the volume of the external world.
The treatment plan that we develop will be custom-designed 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’re dealing with tinnitus?
Tinnitus might be invisible, but the last thing you should do is pretend it isn’t there. Odds are, those symptoms will only get worse. You may be able to prevent your symptoms from getting worse if you can get in front of them. At the very least, you should get yourself 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.
