What is Tinnitus?
Many people experience an occasional ringing (or roaring, hissing, buzzing, or tinkling) in their ears. The sound usually lasts only a few minutes. That’s normal.
However, ringing in the ears that doesn’t go away isn’t normal. It’s called tinnitus. You know it because you hear a sound of ringing or roaring, but it doesn’t come from your surroundings. No one else can hear it.
The sound in your ears may keep time with your heartbeat; it may keep pace with your breathing; it may be constant; it may come and go. But it’s definitely annoying!
Two Main Types of Tinnitus
Two types of tinnitus commonly occur: pulsatile and nonpulsatile.
Pulsatile tinnitus, like a heartbeat, is often caused by sounds created by muscle movement near your ear, changes in your ear canal, or blood flow (vascular) problems in your face or neck. You might hear your own pulse or the contractions of your muscles.
Nonpulsatile tinnitus is caused by problems in the nerves involved with hearing. You might hear strange sounds in one or both ears. This type of tinnitus is often described as coming from inside the head.
Common Causes of Ear-Ringing
The most common cause of tinnitus is hearing loss that occurs with aging (called presbycusis). However, it can also stem from living or working around loud noises (acoustic trauma). Tinnitus can occur with all types of hearing loss and most often with people older than 40. Beware. It’s a warning sign for almost any ear disorder.
Other possible causes of tinnitus are:
*Ear infections,
*Buildup of earwax,
*Medicines, especially antibiotics,
*Injury to the inner ear, and/or
*Radiation therapy to the head or neck.
Most often, tinnitus comes and goes without requiring medical treatment. If your tinnitus persists, you may need to seek treatment. Don’t keep living with ringing in your ears!
Lifestyle Hearing Solutions offers a product from Starkey Hearing Technologies that has provided clear relief to patients. Called the Xino Tinnitus, it’s used to treat both hearing loss and tinnitus, or only tinnitus if no hearing loss exists.
Give a call for a free hearing test and demonstration. You will be glad you did!
References:
Anonyomous. (n.d.). Web MD. Retrieved from http://webmd.com/a-to-zguides/rining-in-the-ears-tinnitus-topic-overview?