What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is when you experience ringing or other noises in one or both the ears. The noise you hear when you have tinnitus isn’t caused by an external sound, and other people cannot hear it. The noise can be intermittent or continuous.

What causes Tinnitus?

It is one of the most common, but misunderstood conditions. A popular myth is that it is a type of disease. In fact, tinnitus is a symptom. The underlying diseases and conditions that can trigger tinnitus are at least as varied as people’s individual experiences of it, making treatment difficult. Its onset can be associated with a wide array of conditions involving:

• Trauma to the head or ear•Stress or anxiety
• Acoustic Tumors•Ear wax, hair or other foreign objects that block the eardrum
• Jaw or Neck problems
• Common cold or upper respiratory infection
• High dosage of certain chemicals or medications – anti-inflammatory drugs, sedatives, antidepressants, antibiotics, and chemotherapeutic agents
• However, tinnitus can be the major cause for the person with hearing loss

What are the effects of tinnitus?

Tinnitus can cause various emotional problems, ranging from mild irritation to suicidal depression. Reported consequences include:

• Poor concentration
• Disrupted sleep patterns
• Frustration and anger
• Reduced patience

What should I do if I have Tinnitus?

Schedule an appointment with an audiologist. To rule out the cause and severity of your tinnitus. The audiologist will examine your ears and conduct hearing testing. The test results give information on choosing the best treatment options for the tinnitus. If any medical assistance is required, the patient will be referred to an ENT doctor.

How is tinnitus diagnosed?

Your doctor will examine your ears, head, and neck. Common tests include:

Hearing Test: - During the test, you will sit in a soundproof room wearing earphones that transmit specific sounds into one ear at a time. You will have to indicate when you can hear the sound, and your results will then be compared with results considered normal for your age. This can help rule out the possible causes of tinnitus.

Imaging tests: - Your doctor may ask for imaging tests such as CT or MRI scans, depending on the suspected cause of tinnitus.

What are the treatments available for tinnitus?

Sometimes, tinnitus is not completely curable, there are several treatments that may give you some relief. Not every treatment works for everyone, so one may need to try several techniques to find the most appropriate treatment depending on the cause and severity of their tinnitus.

Some forms of treatment include:

Masking - Masking involves using artificial sound to mask or cover up the ringing in the ear. Tinnitus is more noticeable in quiet settings. Another constant sound at a low level may mask the tinnitus and make it less noticeable.

Medicine or drug therapy: Some medicines may reduce the effect of tinnitus. However, only prescribed medicines should be used.

Use of Hearing Aids: Most of the people with tinnitus have some measurable degree of hearing loss, so amplification is an appropriate intervention for them. Hearing aid use has been shown to reduce tinnitus annoyance.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT): This therapy utilizes counseling to decrease tinnitus-evoked reactions and sound to decrease the strength of the tinnitus signal. This is usually administered by a trained professional.

The goal of Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is:

• To remove any negative thought or fears that may be associated with tinnitus perception (Retraining counseling)
• To remove the tinnitus from conscious perception (Sound therapy). Sound is used to shift attention away from the tinnitus. The beneficial effects of using sound can be immediate, delayed, or both.

Retraining Counseling:

The primary goal of counselling is to achieve reclassification of tinnitus to a category of neutral stimuli. This is achieved by teaching patients about mechanisms of the tinnitus origin. The counselling session contains:

• Explanation of the results of audiological testing
• Presentation of basic functions of the auditory system
• Presentation of basic functions of brain
• Explaining why tinnitus create problems
• Explanation of theoretical basis of habituation and how it can be achieved

Counselling: People with tinnitus may become depressed. Counselling may help people deal with the mental stress and distraction associated with tinnitus. Discussing the problem with your counselor or audiologist will be helpful.

What can I do to help myself?

Appropriate lifestyle changes can facilitate this process. Some of the recommended lifestyle changes are as follows:

• Improve sleep patterns: People who experience insomnia also tend to experience tinnitus. Improvement in sleep patterns can help in reducing tinnitus severity.
• Reduce anxiety: Almost anything that reduces the level of stress or anxiety will decrease the severity of tinnitus and will also help the person relax and sleep.
• Regular Exercise: If tinnitus is related to high blood pressure, increasing your activity level can help get your blood pressure under control and reduce tinnitus. So, people should engage in a variety of physical activities when possible.
• Reduce excessive noise exposure: Excessive noise exposure can cause tinnitus. So, use of earplugs or earmuffs as protection against harmful sounds (gunfire, leaf blowers, heavy machinery, loud music etc.) is always recommended because noise-induced hearing loss will compromise persons’ communication abilities and may also contribute to permanent increase in their tinnitus.
• Listening to soft music or recorded nature sounds may help
• Avoid substances that may make your tinnitus worse like: Alcohol, Tobacco & Caffeine (coffee/tea)

What makes tinnitus worse?

• Listening to loud sounds may trigger tinnitus.
• Excessive use of alcohol or recreational drugs can increase the level of tinnitus in some individuals.
• Excessive use of Caffeine and nicotine, found in coffee, tea, chocolate, some cola drinks tobacco products, can also increase tinnitus.
• Aspirin, quinine, some antibiotics, and some other drugs are causative tinnitus agents and can make existing tinnitus worse.
• Stress: - Excessive stress will always make tinnitus worse. Anything that reduces the level of stress will decrease the severity of tinnitus.

Tinnitus can be frustrating and really challenging, but with proper care from an audiologist, tinnitus can be reduced. Tinnitus is also an indication of several other health conditions, so if you are facing tinnitus, we would suggest that you consult an ENT doctor or an audiologist immediately. For a Free tele consultation, give a missed call at 9654940400