Understanding facts about Tinnitus
Tinnitus is a persistent problem for many, and its prevalence has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Beukes, et.al, 2020). If you are one of the millions of people in the world who has tinnitus, you know it can impact everything from your work to your family and social life. That constant ringing in the ears can also lead to stress and depression.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ears or head not caused by an external sound. It can either be ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling or other sounds. In rare cases, the sound beats in sync with your heart, which is also known as pulsatile tinnitus. Tinnitus itself can be intermittent or it can be continuous and it can vary in loudness.
It is often worse when background noise is low. One can be more aware of it at night when trying to fall asleep, or if they are in a quiet room. It is important to note that tinnitus itself is not a disease. Rather, tinnitus is a symptom of an auditory disorder. Usually it occurs when the inner ear is damaged or impaired in some way.
So what causes tinnitus?
Hearing loss is the most common cause of tinnitus. Prevalence of tinnitus increases more so from noise-related hearing loss than from age-related hearing loss. Beyond hearing loss, there are many other causes of tinnitus, both related and unrelated to the ear.
Some of the causes of tinnitus include, but not limited to, the following:
l Exposure to excessive loud noises
l Ear infections
l Head injury
l Wax build-up in the ear
l Stress
l Depression
l Fatigue
l Oto-toxic medications (eg chemotherapy, MDR-TB drugs)
l Hypertension
l Diabetes
l Cancer/tumour
l Migraines
The impact and burden of tinnitus is relative to the individual patient’s experience. For some people, it’s a mild, annoying thing that they can tend to forget. Then perhaps during times of heightened anxiety or stress, they become more aware of it. For some individuals it can negatively affect their overall health and social well-being. It can lead to disrupted sleep, poor concentrations, frustration, anxiety or irritability.
Is there treatment for tinnitus?
“There is no one unique treatment for tinnitus,’’ says One Tom. It is treated by addressing the underlying causes such as removing earwax, treating ear infections or recommending hearing aids. If the cause of tinnitus is unknown or cannot be treated, tinnitus counselling can be done to help with ways of coping with it.
Referral can be done to a Psychologist for cognitive behavioural therapy to help a patient change how they think about the tinnitus and alleviate anxiety. Things you can try to help cope with tinnitus
try to relax- meditation or yoga can help
try to avoid tinnitus triggers such as exposure to loud noise or stress
avoid total silence- play soft music or sounds to distract you from the tinnitus
l do not give it too much attention as this can worsen it- hobbies and activities may take your mind off it.
Some of the myths about tinnitus
One Tom highlights that it is important to understand the facts about tinnitus because you will be in a better position to deal with it. In what follows, I will present the three most common misconceptions regarding tinnitus.
Tinnitus is a disease
People wrongly assume that tinnitus is a disease when, in reality, it is a symptom of an underlying health condition. Damaging noise, neurological damage, vascular disease, or even traumatic brain injury are just some of the health issues that can cause tinnitus. It can also develop as a reaction of some medications.
There’s nothing you can do about tinnitus
There is something you can do! Research on tinnitus is ongoing and treatments are constantly evolving and improving. Whether your tinnitus is mild, moderate, severe, in both ears or just a one, an Audiologist (Hearing Specialist) or Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist can offer solutions and treatments to help lessen the symptoms and make it more manageable.
Also, other healthcare professionals can diagnose and treat the medical conditions that might be causing the tinnitus in the first place.
Tinnitus leads to deafness
Tinnitus does not cause deafness or a hearing loss! Hearing loss usually reveals itself through tinnitus. Many people with tinnitus also have a hearing loss, but often they are not aware that they also have a (mild) hearing loss. Tinnitus does have a variety of causes, but it’s important not to accept tinnitus misconceptions as fact. Determining what’s causing your tinnitus and treating it can significantly reduce or eliminate the unpleasant symptoms. If you’re dealing with tinnitus, talk to an Audiologist or Healthcare Professional as soon as possible
One Tom
Clinical Audiologist
Letsholathebe II Memorial
Hospital, Maun
Tel: 71792996