What is tinnitus? We’ll put it as simply as possible, Tinnitus is when you have ringing and other noises in one or both of your ears. Other people cannot hear it, it’s just you. It does not come from external, or outside. It varies from continuous noise to periodic noise, either way only you hear it. Adults are the ones affected most commonly. Unfortunately, there are no known cures for this ailment. There are treatments that can be done to lessen your symptoms.

Sounds of Tinnitus

There are different types of sounds with tinnitus and they are:

• Ringing
• Buzzing
• Roaring
• Clicking
• Hissing
• Humming
• Squealing
• Whooshing

What Causes Tinnitus?

It can be hard to pinpoint exactly what causes each individual case of tinnitus. 

The four most common causes are:

• Hearing Loss
• Ear infection or ear canal blockage
• Head or neck injury
• Medications

The less common causes are:

• Meniere’s disease.
• Eustachian tube dysfunction.
• Ear bone changes. 
• Muscle spasms in the inner ear.
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
• Acoustic neuroma or other head and neck tumors. 
• Blood vessel disorders..
• Other chronic conditions.

Possible Alternative Complication:

It’s not always the case, but here are a list of complications that can possibly be caused from Tinnitus:

• Fatigue
• Stress
• Sleep problems
• Trouble concentrating
• Memory problems
• Depression
• Anxiety and irritability
• Headaches
• Problems with work and family life

Hearing Aid Solution

Hearing aids have been an amazing product that has helped many with hearing loss. Many, including our owner, Tod Wright, have found that they also help reduce tinnitus symptoms. There are a few reasons why they do and we would like to share them with you.

They help restore hearing that has been missing

Hearing loss basically makes things seem chaotic within your ears. Your brain will assume that it’s sound though. Since hearing aids restore some of the stimulation that has been missing, they can help manage those tinnitus sounds.

They restore background noise

By restoring subtle environmental background noises, hearing aids contrast in the brain to the tinnitus by increasing those in the background that you may be missing.

They reduce stress

Hearing loss can be just as stressful as work, money, relationships, or any other daily stress inducing element. Wearing hearing aids can help to alleviate stress that comes with hearing loss. You don’t have to put as much effort into doing things because you’re hearing better. Simple tasks, like ordering lunch at a restaurant or doing a transaction at the bank no longer feel like a maze of questions to navigate. 

Summary

We know from experience that hearing aids have time and time again helped reduce patients symptoms of tinnitus. As there is no known cure for the ailment, we strongly recommend those suffering to look into hearing aids. You can schedule a free hearing exam with us and that will get you a start talking to a hearing specialist.