■ Tips are offered for seniors on coping with tinnitus made worse by COVID.
Dear Savvy Senior: I’ve had mild tinnitus — ringing in my ears — for years, but when I got COVID in January it got worse. Are there any treatments that can help? — Almost 60
Dear Almost: Unfortunately, new research indicates that tinnitus, a common hearing problem affecting about 50 million Americans, may be worsened by COVID-19 or possibly triggered by it.
Here’s what you should know along with some tips and treatments that may help.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing a ringing, buzzing, roaring, hissing or whistling sound in one or both ears when no external sound is present.
The sounds, which can vary in pitch and loudness, are usually worse when background noise is low, so you may be more aware of it at night when you’re trying to sleep in a quiet room.
For most people tinnitus is merely annoying, but for many others it can be extremely disturbing.
Tinnitus itself is not a disease, but rather a symptom of some other underlying health condition. The best way to find out what’s causing your tinnitus is to see an audiologist or an otolaryngologist — a doctor who specializes in ear, nose and throat ailments. The various things that can cause tinnitus are:
■ Hearing loss, the most common cause.
■ Middle ear obstructions usually caused by a buildup of earwax deep in the ear canal.
■ The side effects of prescription and nonprescription medicines such as aspirin, ibuprofen, certain
blood pressure medicines and diuretics, some antidepressants, cancer medicines and antibiotics.
■ Medical conditions such as high blood pressure, vascular disease, diabetes, allergies, thyroid problems, ear or sinus infections, Meniere’s disease, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, otosclerosis, temporomandibular joint disorder, a tumor, an injury to the head or neck, traumatic brain injury, depression, stress and more.
Treatments
There’s no cure, but there are many ways to treat it depending on the cause. For example, if your tinnitus is caused by a wax buildup in your ears or a medical condition like high blood pressure or a thyroid problem, treating the problem may reduce or eliminate the noise. You could switch to a different drug or lower dose if medication is the problem. Or if you have hearing loss, getting a hearing aid can help mask your tinnitus by improving your ability to hear actual sounds.
Another option that can help suppress or mask the sound is “sound therapy,” as simple as a fan or a white noise machine, listening to music or podcasts, or leaving the television on.
And apps created by hearing aid companies, such as Resound Relief (Resound.com) or Relax by Starkey (Starkey.com), allow you to stream customized sounds directly to your hearing aids or, if you don’t use hearing aids, through Bluetooth audio devices such as headphones or speakers to help you manage symptoms.
Cognitive behavioral therapy and psychological counseling can also be helpful. Your audiologist or ear, nose and throat doctor can help you figure out the best options.
There are also medications that may help. There are no Fda-approved drugs specifically for tinnitus, but some anti-anxiety drugs and antidepressants have been effective in relieving symptoms.
You can also avoid things that can aggravate the problem such as salt, artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol, tonic water, tobacco and caffeine.
Visit the American Tinnitus Association at Ata.org.