What Are the Causes of Tinnitus?
Ringing, buzzing, whooshing, clicking, ticking – no matter how you describe the “sounds” that tinnitus causes, this common side effect of hearing loss is at best bothersome, and at worst unbearable. While simply losing the ability to perceive certain sounds can be maddening enough, coupling the experience with the persistent and intrusive sounds that tinnitus causes is even more difficult to manage. But just like hearing loss, tinnitus certainly doesn’t come from nowhere.
The causes of tinnitus are as diverse as the people who experience it. Since it’s most commonly a subjective condition, putting a finger on the precise cause behind ringing or buzzing can be difficult, since it cannot be tested with a simple hearing test.
Thankfully, hearing science has taken massive leaps forward in creating aids that help wearers cope with the effects of tinnitus – and in the meantime, have begun to better understand what causes it, too.
The best way to understand the causes behind tinnitus is to first understand what types of tinnitus a person can suffer from. For most, the causes behind tinnitus come down to whether they suffer from subjective tinnitus or objective tinnitus.
Causes Behind Subjective Tinnitus
The majority of those that suffer from tinnitus are experiencing the effects of subjective tinnitus. In this type of tinnitus, the sounds that a sufferer “hears” are not from external sources. Instead, subjective tinnitus arises from causes that make a sufferer think or feel that they are hearing a ringing sound even when there is no sound present. Often, this ringing can vary in severity, sound and persistence depending on the person – and is coupled with general hearing loss as well. But unlike hearing loss, tinnitus cannot be tested or diagnosed with a simple hearing test.
For a majority of subjective tinnitus sufferers, the ringing or buzzing is caused by the same factors that led to their hearing loss – called otologic disorders. Defined simply as damage to the ear from prolonged exposure to loud noise, tinnitus is often a side effect of these same causes that make perceiving sound more difficult.
That said, not all tinnitus is connected to hearing loss and intertwined with the same causes. Some medications called ototoxic drugs can have lasting negative effects on hearing – specifically tinnitus. Nearly 260 different kinds of medicines list tinnitus as a side effect, including common medications like Aspirin and Quinidine. Thankfully, simply discontinuing the use of otoxotic medications can sometimes treat this kind of tinnitus – either by eliminating it or reducing the severity.
But since subjective tinnitus is so closely linked to the way that brain perceives and understands sound (whether its there or not), tinnitus is often related to certain neurological and psychological disorders. Sometimes these causes are more obvious – like head injuries, degenerative neurological diseases or neurological damage – but even factors like depression and anxiety can cause tinnitus if not treated properly. Sometimes, even seemingly unrelated medical issues like thyroid disease or simple iron deficiency can lead to tinnitus.
Although subjective tinnitus has the most numerous causes, generally this kind of tinnitus (and the causes behind it) doesn’t pose significant effects on health beyond discomfort. Other types of tinnitus, though, can point to more serious health problems.
Causes Behind Objective Tinnitus
Objective tinnitus is much less common than its subjective counterpart, but is often connected to more significant health issues. Unlike subjective tinnitus, objective tinnitus isn’t something that happens solely between a sufferers’ ears – instead, when someone suffers from objective tinnitus, even other people can hear an audible sound coming from the sufferers’ ears.
Distinct from subjective causes, objective tinnitus is caused by actual physical changes in the ear that create an audible sound. This is often in the form of muscle spasms or increased blood flow in the ear, called pulsatile tinnitus, which points to more serious medical causes. Your hearing specialist will be quick to rule out this kind of tinnitus before finding solutions for you.
The Next Steps
Regardless of what kind of tinnitus you suffer from – and how it arose – a Licensed Hearing Specialist should be your first step in understanding and treating tinnitus. As experts in tinnitus and how to treat it, hearing specialists will help you better understand your condition and how treatment can go hand-in-hand with hearing loss solutions.
While tinnitus and hearing loss might not always be conditions that can be cured or reversed, plenty of hearing aids can make living with hearing loss and tinnitus more comfortable and much happier.
If you or a loved one are experiencing hearing loss, tinnitus or both, we invite you to make an appointment with our highly experienced team of Licensed Hearing Aid Specialists.