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What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a conscious awareness of a sound in the ears or head that
is not due to an external noise. Many people experience tinnitus as a
ringing in their ears but, in fact, it can take a variety of forms.
You may hear a buzzing, whooshing or a humming. The sound can be continuous
or it can come and go and you might experience it in one ear or both.
Throughout our lives we are bombarded with a steady stream of sound
– at home, at work, in social situations and out and about. Sometimes
these sounds get so loud that they begin to damage our hearing.
Today, nearly one in two people over the age of 50 often has difficulty understanding
what people say when it is noisy, and that number is likely to increase in the future.
What causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease or an illness and there are many possible causes.
It can be caused by a gradual development or it can occur suddenly. The causes
are often associated with damage to the inner ear, which can occur naturally with
age, or by prolonged exposure to excessively loud noise. It can also occur as a side
effect of medication, an ear, head or neck injury - or by emotional distress.
Things that can help...
Your hearing is precious.
Make sure you protect it.
Young people are at risk of losing their hearing faster than previous generations
due to more exposure to loud music and noisy environments.
Relaxation
When you first experience Tinnitus it is common to feel anxious
or scared. When we get stressed, anxious or excited, this can
increase our awareness of our tinnitus. By relaxing, you may feel
less stressed and therefore notice your tinnitus less. Breathing
exercises can also help by making you feel calmer and more
able to manage the tinnitus, so you may not notice it as much.
Sound
Tinnitus treatment through sound therapy can help
by reducing the contrast between tinnitus and a quiet
environment. This can allow you to blend the tinnitus
into the background along with other sounds. Additional
background sounds can come from a pleasant low level sound
such as the radio, television, or a fan; or listening to nature
sounds such as the sound of gentle waves and the rain.
Hearing aids
If you have a hearing loss, wearing hearing instruments can be
beneficial for tinnitus as they restore what you can’t otherwise
hear. When environmental sound is heard better, tinnitus may
be less noticeable. With more natural sound, the tinnitus may
move to the background. There are many hearing aids with
special sound programmes for specific tinnitus relief. There
are a variety of sounds available and many can be selected and
fine-tuned to accommodate the individual’s sound preference.
Did you know?
Mild Tinnitus is common – about 10% of the population have it all the time
and in up to 1% of adults, this may affect their quality of life. BTA, 2014.
Tinnitus is often present alongside a hearing loss. If you have tinnitus,
please ask about a hearing test. Your Hearing Healthcare Professional may
be able to help further by helping you to understand what your tinnitus
is and what you can do to help yourself forget about, or overcome it.
Noise at work and at home Sound during leisure time The downside of earphones
If you are surrounded by noise
– whether it’s construction,
engineering, teaching or dentistry
– you can reduce the risks by
using earplugs or other hearing
protection devices. If your ears
are not getting bombarded at
work they might well be under
pressure at home. Be aware that
gardening tools, power tools and
even kitchen electrical utensils
can put your hearing at risk. Like many others, you probably
enjoy a good action film at your
local cinema. However, listening
up to 2½ hours of explosions,
car chases and gunfire at the
staggering volume levels produced
by today’s audio systems can
eventually damage your hearing.
So whenever those levels start
to rocket, be prepared to put
your fingers in your ears! Listening to music through
earphones have become
extremely popular – especially
among young people.
However, listening at a high
volume and for a long period of
time can cause long term damage.
Some simple, protective tips
• Stay as far away from the source of
any extreme noise as possible • Never listen to sound through headphones
at more than 60% of the maximum volume
• At home, turn down the volume on the
television, radio, stereo and MP3 player • Cover your ears
• Reduce the number of noisy appliances
running at the same time • When you are exposed to sudden loud
noises, cup your hands over your ears or
put a fingertip into each ear canal
• Do not insert earbuds or similar into the ear canal
• Use ear protection wherever possible