Tinnitus is an incredibly common condition of the ear. 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 manifests 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 also.
Sadly, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as obvious as the symptoms. Some of the wide variety of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more permanent.
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 damaging your hearing. This environmental tinnitus might sometimes be permanent or it might sometimes respond to changes to make your environment quieter.
Why do so many individuals experience tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear a noise that isn’t actually there. For most individuals, tinnitus manifests as a buzzing or ringing, but it may possibly also present as thumping, humming, screeching, or other noises as well. The sounds are usually rhythmic in nature. Tinnitus will typically clear itself up after a short period of time. Though not as common, chronic tinnitus is effectively permanent.
Tinnitus is so prevalent for a couple of reasons. The first is that the environmental factors that play a role in tinnitus are also relatively common (more on that soon). Root 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 rather common for these reasons.
How is tinnitus impacted by environmental factors?
There are a wide variety of factors that can bring about tinnitus symptoms, including ototoxic chemicals and medications. But when it involves “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest culprit. Some locations, such as noisy city streets, can get quite loud. Someone would be at risk of environmental tinnitus, for example, if they worked around loud industrial equipment.
When assessing the state of your health, these environmental factors are really important.
As with hearing loss, noise-related damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is caused by noise damage, it’s normally chronic and frequently permanent. Here are a few of the most prevalent noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Events: If noise is loud enough, even over short stretches, tinnitus can sometimes be the result. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this type of noise.
- Noise in the workplace: Many workplaces, including offices, are frequently the source of loud noises. Whether it’s industrial equipment or chatty office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around constant workplace noise can eventually lead to tinnitus.
- Music: Listening to music at loud volumes is a pretty common practice. Tinnitus will often be the outcome if you do this frequently.
- Traffic: Traffic in heavily populated areas can be much louder than you might expect it to be. And you may not even realize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you may expect. Long commutes or consistent driving in these loud environments can eventually cause hearing damage, including tinnitus.
Hearing damage can happen at a much lower volume than people generally expect. As a result, it’s crucial to use hearing protection before you think you may need it. Hearing protection can help prevent tinnitus symptoms from developing in the first place.
What should I do if I’m experiencing tinnitus?
So, does tinnitus resolve? Perhaps, in some cases. In other situations, your symptoms may be irreversible. There’s no way to identify which is which at the beginning. Moreover, just because your tinnitus has reseeded doesn’t mean that noise damage has not occurred, resulting in an increased risk of chronic tinnitus down the road.
One of the most significant contributing factors to the advancement of tinnitus is that individuals tend to underestimate the volume at which damage happens to their ears. Damage has most likely already occurred if you’re experiencing tinnitus. If this is the case, finding and changing the source of the noise damage is crucial to prevent further damage.
For instance, you could try:
- Wearing hearing protection (either earplugs or earmuffs) in order to prevent damage. Noise canceling headphones can also be an asset in this regard.
- Decreasing the volume of your environment where possible. For example, you could close the windows if you live in a loud area or turn off industrial machinery that is not in use.
- If you’re in a loud setting, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
How to manage your symptoms
Lots of people who experience persistent tinnitus find the symptoms to be extremely distracting and unpleasant. This prompts them to try and find a way to ease the intensity of their symptoms.
You should give us a call for an appointment if you’re hearing a persistent buzzing or ringing in your ears. We can help you determine the best way to handle your specific situation. There’s no cure for the majority of kinds of chronic tinnitus. Here are a few ways to manage the symptoms:
- Masking device: This device is similar to a hearing aid, only instead of amplifying sounds, it masks them. Your device will be specially calibrated to mask your symptoms of tinnitus.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the assistance of a specialist, which will progressively retrain the way you process sound.
- White noise devices: Using a white noise device around your home can help you tune out your tinnitus in some cases.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify outside sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been associated with an increase in the intensity of tinnitus symptoms. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by using relaxation techniques like meditation, for instance.
Tinnitus is not curable. That’s why controlling your environment to protect your hearing is a practical first step.
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. A white noise machine, for many, may be all that’s necessary. For others, management might be more intense.
Learn how to best control your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!