Tinnitus Facts

Tinnitus is constant sound in the ears that doesn't come from an external source, that is, that doesn't exist in the world outside your body. The term "tinnitus" is the Latin term for "ringing" and that is often how people describe the sound. Other sounds that people report as tinnitus are chirping, ticking, clicking, whooshing, pounding, and buzzing. For some, it's phantom music or voices that they hear. While a vast majority of the population report experiencing these sounds on occasion, the diagnosis of tinnitus is only given in cases where the noise is constant and/or debilitating. In other words, if the noise prevents you from sleeping or otherwise performing the regular duties required by your home life or job, then it's tinnitus and needs to be addressed. It is estimated that 50 million Americans suffer from Hearing Loss. It is more prevalent in adults than children, though children can also experience it. It is believed to affect twenty percent of older adults. Men are more likely to experience it than women. It is also the number one reported disability of veterans. What are the causes of tinnitus? Hearing loss and tinnitus tend to be connected. Not being able to hear external sounds makes it easier to hear the noise in your ear itself. The reason that hearing loss causes tinnitus is still unknown, but one theory postulates that the ear makes noise in the frequency range it can no longer hear. A very loud noise can also cause tinnitus (as well as temporary hearing loss). Some tinnitus is caused by things like muscle movements or tendons or bones "cracking." Blood flow in your head (or problems with it) can also cause you to hear your own pulse in your ears, known as pulsatile tinnitus. Fluid in the ears, an ear infection, and earwax buildup can also cause tinnitus. Tinnitus can also be a side effect of some medications which may also result Meniere's Disease. There are over 260 medications that list tinnitus as a side effect. The list includes many common pain medicines, antibiotics, and anti-depressants, as well as anti-virals, chemotherapy drugs, and diuretics. Rarely, tinnitus is a sign of a more serious, underlying condition. Lyme disease, thyroid disease, multiple sclerosis, and fibromyalgia have all been linked to tinnitus. Iron and vitamin B12 deficiency can also cause tinnitus. In rare cases, tinnitus is actually a sound being created by the ear that can be heard by others ("objective tinnitus"). For many, though, the cause of tinnitus remains a mystery. If your tinnitus is caused by earwax buildup or a medication you are taking, removing the cause can fix the problem. In other cases, treatment varies. Mild tinnitus may be reduced or eliminated with the use of white noise generators. There are drugs and supplements that have been used to treat tinnitus. Stimulating the brain, ear, or nerves with electricity is another method of treatment. Surgery is another alternative.

Preventing Tinnitus

The five senses are absolutely necessary. Our senses define our reality; it is through them that we are able to interact with everything. They allow you to taste things, see things, and feel things. They each play an important role, and each one has its own place. Because of sight, it is possible to enjoy a beautiful painting. The sense of touch is also useful; it allows you to tell how hot a stove is. Perhaps the most useful sense, though, is hearing. The ability to hear things makes it possible to speak to a loved one or tell when a car is coming. Unfortunately, ears can sometimes develop problems that can damage hearing. This can be the result of age, or it can be the result of tinnitus. What is tinnitus, exactly? If there's a sound in your ear that won't go away, that could be tinnitus. You may think that tinnitus is a disease, but it is not. Tinnitus is not hereditary. There at many things that can cause tinnitus. Most people with tinnitus get it by being exposed to high decibel sounds. Other causes of tinnitus include ear infections and neurological problems. Blunt force trauma can also lead to tinnitus. One of the biggest causes of tinnitus is actually very clandestine. If you want to avoid tinnitus, be careful what you do with in ear headphones because sometimes this may develop into greater ear problem like Otitis Media. There are a couple of reasons why they are so dangerous. Usually when you hear things, the source of sound is several feet away from your ear. With in ear headphones, though, the sound goes directly into your ear. Usually, your ear will attenuate the sound before it gets to your eardrum. In ear headphones are different, though, because they completely bypass your ear's natural defense mechanisms. It's easy to turn up in ear headphones too loud, and this can lead to tinnitus. It's important to note that this only happens when they're turned up too loud; it's okay to use in ear headphones at moderate volumes. There are a few things to think about if you think you may be a possible victim of tinnitus. What causes ringing in the ears? First, tinnitus is nothing to be ashamed of. In reality, tinnitus is one of the most common problems for people to have. Today, one in five people have developed tinnitus on some level. You should also know that the older you get, the more likely it is that you will develop tinnitus. If you don't want to get tinnitus, remember to protect your ears from loud noises.

How Tinnitus Works

Have you ever experienced the sensation of hearing a ringing, if there was no external sound? This is called tinnitus, and there are many underlying causes. Tinnitus can happen in one or both ears, and it can take the form of whining, buzzing, humming, crickets, locusts, songs, beeping, sizzling, or a steady tone. You can hear the whining, buzzing, humming, crickets, locusts, songs, beeping, sizzling, or a steady tone type of noises of tinnitus in one or both ears. Tinnitus can be a continuous tone, or happen intermittently. If you want to learn more about tinnitus and its causes and treatments, keep reading. What causes ringing in the ears? There is a large range of the severity of tinnitus. Some people may only be inconvenienced by a small background noise, but for others, tinnitus can be so severe that it inhibits the activities of daily life. The intensity of the tone can be changed for some people based on how they move their head, neck or jaw. For people who have tinnitus, they have difficulty hearing sounds in the same range as the tone that they have constantly ringing. Most people have heard a ringing sound in their head at some point, so tinnitus usually just refers to those who have the most severe cases. Severe tinnitus can even lead to depression, musical hallucinations, irritability and fatigue. Objective and subjective are the two types of tinnitus. Objective tinnitus is very rare. In objective tinnitus, a doctor can also hear a sound emanating from the patient's ear. Sounds that are from muscles working in the inner ear or sounds that are in rhythm with a patient's heartbeat are two examples of this. More serious conditions may underlie objective tinnitus. The second type of tinnitus that was already mentioned was subjective. Out of the two types, subjective is more common. Subjective tinnitus usually arises from hearing loss same as the decease called Meniere's Disease. One other cause that may be adding to tinnitus is ototoxic drugs. Sometimes tinnitus is also a side effect of the over the counter drugs, like those for minor aches and pains. One more possible cause is tinnitus as a side effect of withdrawal from benzodiazepine. So how do people treat hearing loss and this ringing in the ears? You might want to limit your exposure to loud noises and music as best you can. It is also a good idea to stay away from headphones that go in the inner ear, with nothing else to absorb sound. Also, industrial workplaces like a warehouse can be especially noisy, so it is best to use earplugs if you can. Trying to prevent hearing loss now is best, because consistent exposure to loud sounds will make a difference down the line for you, even if you can't tell a significant difference right now. There are some treatments for tinnitus. One is surgery on the ear. Some people also try using cochlea implants, drugs, or electric stimulation. See a doctor if you think you have tinnitus.

The Ins and Outs of Tinnitus

For as long as people have been going to rock concerts or working in extremely loud environments, they have been dealing with a condition known as Tinnitus. However, you don't have to subject yourself to these kinds of environmental hazards to be affected by tinnitus; it is actually quite a common occurrence. It is important to remember that tinnitus is not a disease; it is a condition, and it has many potential causes. Anything from persistent loud volumes to ear infections, allergies or congestion in the nasal cavity, or foreign objects in the ear canal can cause someone to suffer from tinnitus. We have not yet, however, actually addressed what tinnitus is. The simplest way to describe tinnitus is as a consistent ringing in the ear. Otitis Media and Tinnitus are both hearing problems.

Tinnitus is a condition that has two separate categories that depend on the symptoms that the sufferer is experiencing; subjective tinnitus or objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus is when another person, who is not the sufferer, can hear the sound that is coming from the victim's ear. Objective tinnitus can be caused by a series of muscle spasms taking place inside of the ear canal, which can cause a sound akin to cracking knuckles. The other type of tinnitus, subjective tinnitus, can have a number of different causes, however. Subjective tinnitus is the kind that you are experiencing if your ears are ringing after attending a rock concert, due to the extreme volume levels you have exposed yourself to. There are also a number of medicines that can cause one to suffer from subjective tinnitus, including aspirin. Aside from these outward factors, there can also be emotional factors that can lead to subjective tinnitus.

If you suffer from anxiety issues, depression, or some other psychological ailments, these could contribute to the development of subjective tinnitus. But you're probably wondering what possible treatments there are for Hearing Loss condition. For objective tinnitus, treatment can vary from something as simple as cleaning out your ear canals, to something so serious as having to undergo surgery to alleviate the problem. And as long as someone suffering from subjective tinnitus has not let it persist for a very long time, treatment could be accomplished by wearing a hearing aid. A hearing aid can benefit someone suffering from subjective tinnitus in two ways. To begin with, a hearing aid will help to amplify the sound around them, which will divert the sufferer's attention away from the ringing in their ears. Subjective tinnitus is also caused by anxiety and depression, both of which will be reduced when the sufferer can hear everything around them much more clearly.

All About Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a word that one doesn't encounter often, though what it describes is relatively common. To put it simply, tinnitus is a medical condition which means that you are hearing sounds which aren't there. As opposed to psychological disorders like schizophrenia in which those afflicted hear voices, talking, and other concrete auditory hallucinations, those with tinnitus usually hear something more akin to a ringing in the ears. This symptom is actually what gives tinnitus its name: tinnitus is a Latin word which means "ringing".

The best way to avoid hearing loss is to avoid the things that cause it: therefore, it is good to learn what exactly causes tinnitus if you'd rather avoid suffering from it later in life. Tinnitus has multiple causes. Certain neurological disorders can induce tinnitus.
 One cause of tinnitus in many people is drug use. Tinnitus is a possible side effect of many life saving prescription drugs. You can also have the symptoms of tinnitus from medication withdrawal; for example, withdrawal from benzodiazepines reliance can be accompanied by a ringing in the ears. If there's something stuck in your ear, you can also experience ringing or other persistent, ambient sounds that aren't really there. You can also experience tinnitus from a build up of fluid (from sickness or allergy) or ear wax in the ear canal.

Tinnitus also often accompanies many types of hearing damage. Most people who have hearing damage like Meniere's Disease have it because of exposure to excessive or excessively loud noise. This excessively loud noise can come from a number of places. People who go to work every day in loud workplaces such as factories or gun ranges can experience hearing damage as well as the tinnitus that often accompanies it. You've also probably heard the old adage from your parents that loud music damages your ears. The moms of the world have your back on this one. Loud music actually does hurt your ears just like mom says it does. Many people have experienced tinnitus after rock concerts; if you have ever left a loud concert with your ears ringing, then you have experienced it too. The most common causes of noise damage related tinnitus, however, isn't at huge rock concerts; its actually in-ear headphones.

If you protect your hearing, you can prevent yourself from getting noise damage related tinnitus. If you work in a musical venue or as a musician or DJ, you can get special earplugs that will make everything quieter but not distort sound. If you work in a loud place and you want to reduce your chances of coming down with the symptoms of tinnitus, consider adding earplugs or earmuffs to your daily work wear. If you are able to take these simple measures in reducing your exposure to excessively loud noises, you'll definitely reduce your risk of tinnitus.