| Tinnitus FAQ |
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What is tinnitus? It’s a perception of sound in one or both ears, when there’s no external cause for the sound. It can be a ringing in the ears, which almost everyone has experienced for short periods at one time or another, or it can be a hiss, a whistle, a roar or even a clicking sound. It can be constant or intermittent. There’s nothing outside my head making this noise. Does that mean I am imaging it? No, the noise you hear is real. It just has a different cause than the kind of noises in the outside world. How do you pronounce it? Either TIN-it-us or ti-NIGHT-us. Take your pick, they’re both considered correct. If you have it, how loud is it? The volume varies, even in the ears of a single tinnitus sufferer. It could be as soft as a whisper one day and as loud as a scream the next. What causes it? In one sense, no one really knows. But that’s in the strictly physiological sense that only otologists and other hearing experts need to be concerned about. All the lay person needs to know is that there are a number of factors that induce or aggravate tinnitus: exposure to loud noises, wax build-up in the ear canals, some medications (including aspirin, for some people), ear and sinus infections, jaw misalignment, cardiovascular disease, certain tumors, and head and neck trauma are among those factors. Is it hereditary? Tinnitus itself doesn’t seem to be, but some of the diseases that are associated with tinnitus – Meniere’s disease, for example – do have a genetic component. There’s also, according to the American Tinnitus Association (ATA), some evidence of a genetic predisposition for developing tinnitus after exposure to loud noises. How common is it? Very. The (ATA) figures that some 50 million Americans have some degree of tinnitus, and that about two million suffer so badly from it that they can’t carry on a normal lifestyle. Does it lead to deafness or hearing loss? No. Although most people with tinnitus have some hearing loss (the ATA puts the figure at about 90 percent) that doesn’t mean the tinnitus caused the hearing loss. It’s much more likely that whatever caused the tinnitus also caused the hearing loss. Who can gets it? Anyone – young, old, male or female. It’s more common in adults than in children, but that’s because adults have had more exposure to the kind of risk factors that can lead to tinnitus. How can I avoid developing tinnitus? The best thing to do is avoid loud noises. Obviously there’s no way to avoid all loud noises, but you can limit your exposure. Wear earplugs when you’re in very noisy environments, such as a concert, a firing range or a workplace where heavy machinery is used. Even lawn mowers and hair dryers are loud enough to potentially damage hearing. Don’t play music too loudly, especially when you’re listening through headphones or ear buds. Don’t try to clean your ears with cotton swabs. They can push wax up against your eardrum, which can cause damage that leads to tinnitus. Is there a cure? No. Is there any way to at least lessen the severity of my tinnitus? In some cases. For example, if you tend toward heavy buildup of ear wax, have your otologist remove it regularly. The wax itself (or any other foreign object_ that touches your eardrum can cause aggravate your tinnitus. Besides, removing the wax can help you hear the “real” sounds of the outside world, which can make your tinnitus less noticeable. You should always let all your doctors – not just your otologist – know that you have tinnitus. Some medications (several blood pressure drugs, for example) can aggravate tinnitus, and your doctor can avoid prescribing those medications. Tell your doctors about over-the- counter medications you are taking too. Many people find that caffeine, aspirin, salt, nicotine and alcohol can worsen their tinnitus. Quinine (also known as tonic water) and high-sugar foods can also exacerbate tinnitus in some people. The best thing is to pay attention – keep track of what you ingested before your tinnitus got worse, then try avoiding that for a while and see if it helps. Stress can also make tinnitus worse, so simply try to relax and get plenty of sleep and exercise. And of course, avoid loud noises. Some medications have also been somewhat effective is ameliorating tinnitus – certain types of antidepressants, for example. Even hearing aids can help in cases where the tinnitus is accompanied by significant hearing loss, because they amplify “real” sounds and therefore make the tinnitus less noticeable. There are also sound- masking devices that look like hearing aids that “cover up” the tinnitus sound with another that the patient may find preferable. But the mechanism of tinnitus varies so much from one patient to another that there’s no on treatment that is effective in all, most or even many cases. Unfortunately if you have tinnitus, there’s a good chance you may just have to live with it. I can’t imagine having this ringing in my ears for the rest of my life. Will it make me go crazy? This is a commonly asked question. If by “crazy” you’re envisioning becoming the kind of person who asks to be institutionalized, then no. But tinnitus can and often does lead indirectly to depression. Tinnitus sufferers can have trouble sleeping, concentrating and working. Those factors can lead to depression, especially in a person already predisposed toward depression. But that usually happens only when the tinnitus is especially severe. |