Hearing Things? What’s the Buzz About Tinnitus and How to Take Action
Photo by Uday Mittal on Unsplash
Are you the only one hearing cricket sounds in the middle of the day, or maybe a faint hum that brings back memories of buzzing old fluorescent lights in school? If you're experiencing sounds no one else hears, you're not alone—more than 50 million people in the U.S. live with a condition called tinnitus(1).
With tinnitus, the sounds from your surroundings soften, and you primarily hear sounds that seem to come from within your ear instead of the outside world. This occurs as your brain searches for the auditory signals it's used to receiving, resulting in various ‘ringing’ sensations in your ears and is usually a symptom of an underlying medical condition. Read on to discover more about what’s behind the buzz.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is ringing in your ears and can manifest in a variety of sounds. The severity varies from hardly noticeable to overwhelming. In some cases, it overpowers the background noises of your environment and instead of hearing the world around you, you hear sounds like ringing, buzzing, hissing, or whistling, to name a few.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a symptom of other conditions. It is often a result of hearing loss, but there are other causes too. It can also result from an injury, ear blockage, ear infection, medications, or stress.
Your auditory nervous system, specifically the nerve responsible for hearing, experiences signal levels that it comes to expect. When hearing loss occurs, the nerve wants to be active, as it always has been. So, it can fire, looking for sound, but instead the result is that you hear sounds that aren’t there. The hearing loss could be age-related, result from ear blockage due to ear wax, or from an ear infection. Side effects of medications and stress could also cause tinnitus.
If you experience ear trauma, an injury to nerves, or an injury to the areas of your brain that impact hearing, then you could experience tinnitus symptoms after the event. Depending on the area of the injury, your symptoms may be isolated to only one ear.
If you’re experiencing tinnitus, you’re not alone, you may be searching for answers to these frequently asked questions….
How do I relieve the symptoms of tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be relieved through different techniques, this includes physical exercises and various practices.
Meditation(2) can be an effective treatment because it helps you focus your attention away from the tinnitus and onto your meditation practice. During this practice, you are focusing on breathing or pleasant background sounds of the meditation instead of focusing on the tinnitus. Meditation can also be beneficial because it aims to reduce anxiety and overcome feelings of negativity.
Deep breathing exercises may also help. Similar to meditation, you are focusing on your breathing to relax.
Because your brain is searching for signals, one solution is to give it what it wants through a sound machine or masking therapy. The use of background sounds keeps your brain satisfied by receiving the signals it's looking for.
If you feel like your tinnitus is worse at night, that is because your surroundings have fallen silent. In the absence of noise, your brain is searching for its stimulation. This is why a sound machine can be very effective in helping to relieve tinnitus, it brings sounds back into your environment for your nerves to receive. Check out my video for more on what’s happening while you sleep.
What are the best vitamins and supplements for tinnitus relief?
Medical News Today (2) references supplements that may relieve tinnitus symptoms. Keep in mind that many studies need to be conducted to prove these are viable treatments. Be sure to research what is right for you and consult your doctor before taking supplements to avoid complications. Two supplements of note include Acai and Red Asian Ginseng.
Acai is a fruit that has been tested for its effectiveness in relieving tinnitus symptoms. Although more research is needed to conclude that Acai is an effective treatment, there was a randomized placebo study that showed tinnitus sufferers who took Acai had a significant reduction in their discomfort compared to the placebo results.
Red Asian Ginseng is a root. It may provide benefits as it can help protect against cochlear damage and noise-related hearing loss. One study showed that taking 3,000 milligrams of ginseng per day significantly reduced tinnitus as compared to participants who took smaller doses of Red Asian Ginseng or took Ginkgo Biloba instead. Again, more research and a larger study is needed to prove this as a treatment as well as Ginkgo Biloba.
I thought hearing aids were only for hearing loss, can they help with tinnitus symptoms?
Yes! Much like the sound machine concept, hearing aids provide the external sounds needed to satisfy your nervous system and reduce tinnitus. It can also help reprogram your auditory nervous system and have long-lasting effects by restoring the function that was missing (3).
Hearing aids provide two primary benefits - they mask the tinnitus and improve your communication.
If your tinnitus is a result of hearing loss, a hearing aid provides the necessary signals for your brain to receive what it’s looking for instead of searching and creating various sounds that only you can receive.
It improves communication by reducing distracting tinnitus sounds. Instead, it helps you focus on conversation and listening to others.
If the tinnitus persists, there are additional treatment options such as prescription medications and cognitive behavioral therapy.
Over time, the nuisance of tinnitus can make you irritable, can make it difficult to communicate and concentrate, and lead to depression and anxiety. It can also lead to cognitive decline. Because it is a symptom of other conditions, it’s important to have an examination, possibly have your hearing tested, and discuss your medical history to determine the underlying root cause.
Your sanity is important to me. If tinnitus is driving you crazy, it’s best to get checked out and determine the underlying cause. Contact me if you experience tinnitus for over a week or if it mimics the sound of your heartbeat. If your hearing declines, you feel dizzy, or have symptoms of vertigo, make an appointment as soon as possible.
Call 817-261-3000 to book an appointment with me to discuss how we can investigate the root cause of your tinnitus today!
References:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/14164-tinnitus
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/natural-remedies-for-tinnitus
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17956798/