It isn’t unusual for individuals to have ringing in their ears, also known as tinnitus. It’s one of the most common health conditions in the world with some estimates indicating that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one point or another. The condition is experienced as a sound in the ear that isn’t actually there, typically, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can take the form of other sounds too.
Sadly, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as evident as the symptoms. In part, that’s because tinnitus could result from a wide range of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be really important. After all, every environment has a soundscape, and when that soundscape is noisy, you could be causing damage to your ears. If your tinnitus is due to damage, it may end up being permanent.
Why do so many people experience tinnitus?
When you hear noises that aren’t actually present, that’s tinnitus. Tinnitus typically manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other sounds, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are typically rhythmic in nature. Tinnitus will typically clear itself up after a short period of time. Though not as common, chronic tinnitus is effectively permanent.
There are a couple of reasons why tinnitus is so common. Firstly, environmental factors that can play a role in tinnitus are fairly common. Underlying conditions and injuries can contribute to tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are quite a few conditions and injuries that can result in tinnitus. Tinnitus is quite common for these reasons.
How can the environment affect tinnitus?
Other things can also trigger tinnitus, including ototoxic medicines and chemicals. However, when most individuals discuss “environment” in terms of tinnitus, they actually mean the noise. For example, some locations are louder than others (traffic noise in some settings can get extraordinarily high). Likewise, anyone who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment worsening their tinnitus.
When evaluating the state of your health, these environmental factors are very important.
Noise induced damage, as with hearing loss, can cause tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is caused by noise damage, it’s usually chronic and frequently permanent. Here are some of the most common noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes result from loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long duration. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this kind of noise.
- Traffic: Traffic in heavily populated areas can be a lot louder than you may expect it to be. And noise damage can happen at a lower volume than you might expect. Long commutes or consistent driving in these noisy settings can eventually result in hearing damage, including tinnitus.
- Music: Listening to music at loud volumes is a pretty common practice. Tinnitus will frequently be the result if you do this frequently.
- Noise in the workplace: It might come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are fairly loud. Tinnitus can eventually result from being in these settings for eight hours a day, whether it’s industrial equipment or the din of lots of people talking in an office.
People frequently wrongly believe damage to their ears will only happen at extreme volume levels. Because of this, hearing protection should be utilized at lower volumes than you might expect. Hearing protection can help prevent tinnitus symptoms from developing in the first place.
If I have tinnitus, what should I do?
Will tinnitus clear up on its own? Well, in some instances it might. But your symptoms might be permanent in some cases. There’s no way to identify which is which at the outset. Likewise, just because your tinnitus has gone away for now doesn’t mean that noise damage hasn’t happened, resulting in an increased risk of chronic tinnitus in the future.
One of the most significant contributing factors to the development of tinnitus is that people tend to underestimate the volume at which damage occurs to their ears. Damage has most likely already happened if you’re experiencing tinnitus. This means that there are a number of things that you should do to change your environment so as to prevent more permanent damage.
For instance, you could try:
- Wearing hearing protection (either earplugs or earmuffs) in order to counter damage. You can also get some degree of protection from noise canceling headphones.
- Lowering the volume of your environment when possible. If you have any machinery that’s not in use, turn it off, and shut the windows if it’s noisy outside, for instance.
- Decreasing the amount of time you spend in loud environments without giving your ears a chance to recover.
Dealing with symptoms
Many people who experience chronic tinnitus find the symptoms to be extremely disruptive and uncomfortable. This prompts them to attempt to find a way to ease the intensity of their symptoms.
If you hear a buzzing or ringing sound, it’s essential to set up an appointment, especially if the sound won’t go away. We can help you figure out the best way to regulate your particular situation. For most cases of chronic tinnitus, there’s no cure. Here are a number of ways to manage the symptoms:
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been connected to an increase in the intensity of tinnitus symptoms. So taking some time to relax (with meditation, for example) can sometimes help decrease your tinnitus symptoms.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify outside sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus.
- Retraining therapy: In some situations, you can work with a specialist to retrain your ears, gradually changing the way you process sound.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits similarly to a hearing aid and plays sounds that mask your symptoms. The precise calibration of your device will depend on your particular symptoms.
- White noise devices: In some instances, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by utilizing a white noise generator around your home.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. That’s why managing your environment to safeguard your hearing is a great first step.
But tinnitus can be managed and managed. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to develop a specific treatment plan for you. For some, dealing with your tinnitus may simply mean using a white noise machine. In other cases, a more intensive approach might be needed.
Learn how to best control your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!