Tinnitus is an incredibly common condition of the ear. Some estimates suggest that 10 percent of people experience tinnitus at one point or another, making it one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world. Even though the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds too.
While the preponderance of tinnitus might be obvious, the causes are frequently more opaque. Some of the wide array of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more long term.
This is why environmental factors can play a major role in tinnitus symptoms. If the background sound of your particular setting is very loud, you may be harming your hearing. This environmental tinnitus may sometimes be long lasting or it might sometimes respond to changes to make your environment quieter.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so common)?
When you hear noises that aren’t really present, that’s tinnitus. For most individuals, tinnitus manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but it could also present as thumping, humming, screeching, or other noises as well. The sounds are usually rhythmic in nature. Tinnitus will normally clear itself up after a short period of time. In less common cases, tinnitus could become effectively permanent, a condition known as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus is so common for a couple of reasons. Firstly, environmental factors that can contribute to tinnitus are rather prevalent. Underlying conditions and injuries can bring about tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are quite a few conditions and injuries that can trigger tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather prevalent for these reasons.
How can the environment impact tinnitus?
Other things can also produce tinnitus, including ototoxic medications and chemicals. But when it involves “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest offender. Some locations, such as noisy city streets, can get quite loud. Likewise, anybody who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment exacerbating their tinnitus.
These environmental factors can be exceptionally important when considering your hearing health.
Noise related damage, as with hearing loss, can trigger tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is caused by noise damage, it’s typically chronic and often permanent. Here are some of the most common noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Events: If noise is loud enough, even over short periods, tinnitus can sometimes be the outcome. Shooting a gun or going to a rock concert are examples of this type of noise.
- Music: Many people will often listen to their music at loud volumes. Tinnitus will often be the result if you do this frequently.
- Noise in the workplace: Many workplaces, including offices, are often the source of loud noises. Whether it’s industrial equipment or gabby office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around continuous workplace noise can eventually lead to tinnitus.
- Traffic: You may not even realize how loud traffic can be in heavily populated locations. And noise damage can happen at a lower volume than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these loud settings.
Damage to the ears can happen at a far lower volume than people usually expect. As a result, it’s important to wear hearing protection before you think you might need it. Noise induced tinnitus symptoms can often be avoided altogether by doing this.
If I have tinnitus, what should I do?
So, does tinnitus go away? Well, in some instances it could. But your symptoms might be irreversible in some instances. Initially, it’s basically impossible to tell which is which. Likewise, just because your tinnitus has reseeded doesn’t mean that noise damage has not occurred, leading to an increased chance of chronic tinnitus in the future.
One of the most main contributing factors to the advancement of tinnitus is that individuals tend to underestimate the volume at which damage occurs to their ears. Damage has probably already occurred if you’re experiencing tinnitus. This means that there are a number of things that you should do to alter your environment so as to prevent more irreparable damage.
For example, you could try:
- Decreasing the amount of time you spend in loud environments without giving your ears a chance to recover.
- Stop damage by using hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some amount of protection from noise canceling headphones.
- Lowering the volume of your environment when possible. If you have any machinery that isn’t in use, turn it off, and shut the windows if it’s noisy outside, for instance.
How to handle your symptoms
Many people who experience chronic tinnitus find the symptoms to be tremendously distracting and unpleasant. This prompts them to try and find a way to ease the intensity of their symptoms.
If you hear a buzzing or ringing sound, it’s important to set up an appointment, particularly if the sound doesn’t go away. We will be able to assess your symptoms and determine how to best address them. For the majority of cases of persistent tinnitus, there’s no cure. Here are a number of ways to manage the symptoms:
- Masking device: This is a device that fits similarly to a hearing aid and plays sounds to mask your symptoms. The exact calibration of your device will depend on your specific symptoms.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been linked to an increase in the severity of tinnitus symptoms. So taking a little time to relax (with meditation, for example) can sometimes help reduce your tinnitus symptoms.
- Retraining therapy: In some situations, you can work with a specialist to retrain your ears, gradually modifying the way you process sound.
- White noise devices: In some cases, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by utilizing a white noise generator around your house.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify other sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. A good first step would be to safeguard your hearing by managing your environment.
But tinnitus can be managed and managed. We’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan according to your hearing, your tinnitus, and your lifestyle. For some people, managing your tinnitus may simply mean using a white noise machine. In other cases, a more intensive approach may be necessary.
Schedule an appointment to learn how to manage your tinnitus symptoms.