Tinnitus is an extremely common condition of the ear. It’s one of the most common health conditions in the world with some estimates suggesting that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one time or another. The condition manifests as a sound in the ear that isn’t really there, normally, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can manifest as other sounds also.
While the prevalence of tinnitus may be evident, the causes are often more opaque. In part, that’s because tinnitus may be caused by a wide range of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more long lasting.
That’s why your environment can be critically important. If the background sound of your particular setting is very loud, you may be harming your hearing. If your tinnitus is due to damage, it could end up being permanent.
Why do so many people experience tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear a sound that isn’t really there. Tinnitus usually manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other noises, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are usually rhythmic in nature. Tinnitus will typically clear itself up after a short time period. In less common cases, tinnitus might become effectively permanent, a condition known as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus is so prevalent for a couple of reasons. Firstly, environmental factors that can play a role in tinnitus are rather common. The second reason is that tinnitus is often a symptom of an underlying condition or injury. And there are quite a few conditions and injuries that can trigger tinnitus. Tinnitus is quite prevalent for these reasons.
How is tinnitus affected by environmental factors?
There are a wide variety of factors that can bring about tinnitus symptoms, including ototoxic chemicals and medicines. But when it involves “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest culprit. Some settings, such as noisy city streets, can get very loud. 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 really significant.
Noise induced damage, as with hearing loss, can trigger tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is a result of noise damage, it’s usually chronic and frequently permanent. Some of the most common noise and environment-induced causes of tinnitus include the following:
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes result from loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long duration. For example, going to a concert or using firearms can both lead to tinnitus if the volumes get to a loud enough level.
- Music: Listening to music at high volumes is a pretty common practice. Tinnitus will frequently be the outcome if you do this frequently.
- Noise in the workplace: It might come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are pretty loud. 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 you may not even recognize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the outcome of long commutes in these noisy locations.
Hearing damage can happen at a much lower volume than people usually expect. For this reason, hearing protection should be used at lower volumes than you may expect. Noise induced tinnitus symptoms can frequently be avoided altogether by doing this.
If I have tinnitus, what should I do?
So, does tinnitus go away? Maybe, in some cases. In other situations, your symptoms may be irreversible. 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 happened, resulting in an increased chance of chronic tinnitus down the road.
One of the most significant contributing factors to the development of tinnitus is that individuals tend to underestimate the volume at which damage occurs to their ears. If you experience tinnitus, your body is telling you that damage has already likely occurred. If this is the situation, identifying and changing the source of the noise damage is crucial to prevent further damage.
For example, you could try:
- If you’re in a loud environment, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears breaks.
- Lowering the volume of your environment where possible. For example, you could shut the windows if you live in a loud area or turn off industrial equipment that isn’t in use.
- Prevent damage by using hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. Noise canceling headphones can also be an asset in this regard.
How to handle your symptoms
The symptoms of tinnitus are often a huge distraction and are really uncomfortable for the majority of people who deal with them. As a result, they frequently ask: how do you quiet tinnitus?
If you hear a buzzing or ringing sound, it’s essential to schedule an appointment, especially if the sound doesn’t go away. We can help you figure out the best way to manage your specific situation. There’s no cure for most kinds of chronic tinnitus. Symptom management might include the following:
- White noise devices: In some cases, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by using a white noise generator around your home.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the assistance of a specialist, which will slowly retrain the way you process sound.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify outside sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus.
- Relaxation techniques: Tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be exacerbated by high blood pressure. So taking some time to relax (with meditation, for instance) can sometimes help reduce your tinnitus symptoms.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits like a hearing aid and plays sounds that mask your symptoms. Your device will be specially calibrated to mask your symptoms of tinnitus.
Tinnitus has no cure. That’s why managing your environment to protect your hearing is a practical first step.
But addressing and managing tinnitus is possible. We’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan according to your hearing, your tinnitus, and your lifestyle. For some, managing your tinnitus may simply mean using a white noise machine. For other people, management might be more intense.
Make an appointment to find out how to manage your tinnitus symptoms.