What is the primary cause of tinnitus? Prolonged exposure to loud sounds leads to tinnitus, and 90% of tinnitus sufferers have problems related to some level of noise-induced hearing loss.
Tinnitus is often difficult to diagnose because it affects every person differently. You may experience buzzing, swooshing, or a ringing sound that doesn’t exist or isn’t heard by others. If you are experiencing a continuous ringing in your ears, it can be frustrating and exhausting because your brain is constantly working to fix the issue. But, the issue isn’t physical.
What is the primary cause of tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a symptom of something wrong with the auditory system in your ear. It can be the ear itself, or the auditory nerve that bridges the inner ear to the brain and the processing center. Something as simple as a piece of earwax blocking the ear canal can cause tinnitus, or it can be more serious, like damage to the inner ear.
There are four common causes of hearing loss: ear infection or blockage, head or neck injuries, medication or infection, and age or noise-induced hearing loss.
Age and noise-induced hearing loss
The most common of these are aging and noise-induced hearing loss. There are tiny hairs in the inner ear that begin to sway and move when they receive sound ways. This stimulates electrical signals in the ear’s nerve that sends sound waves to your brain. These hair cells can become damaged. When this happens, the inner ear starts to send random electrical messages to the brain, and the brain tries to interpret the sound, which then causes a ringing in the ears.
If these hairs can become broken or bent during the normal aging process or from constant exposure to loud noises, like construction work, road crews, or musicians. Using hearing protection is a great way to avoid this type of hearing loss and tinnitus.
Ear canal blockage or ear infections
Earwax buildup, foreign objects, and dirt can block the ear canal. Or if a person experiences an ear infection, tinnitus can occur. Visit your healthcare provider for antibiotics or professional removal of the wax. Do not try to solve the issue yourself as you could further damage your ear and hearing.
Head and neck injuries
Head and neck trauma can affect the auditory nerves, the inner ear, or the cognitive portion of the brain that processes hearing. Tinnitus can result from these types of injuries. However, usually, only one ear is affected.
Infections and medication
Medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), some antibiotics, diuretics, antidepressants, and cancer drugs can cause tinnitus. Often the tinnitus worsens as the dosage of the drug increases. Talking with your healthcare professional about reducing the dosage, or stopping the medication, can provide relief.
Other Causes
Even with these associated conditions and causes, some people develop tinnitus for no obvious reason. Most of the time, tinnitus isn’t a sign of a serious health problem, although if it’s loud or doesn’t go away, it can cause fatigue, depression, anxiety, and problems with memory and concentration. For some, tinnitus can be a source of real mental and emotional anguish. Hearing sounds in your ear is the most common symptom of tinnitus. This is the one sign you should look out for above all the others. Pretty much everyone with tinnitus will experience this in one form or another. It’s often experienced as a ringing noise that won’t go away.
Tinnitus can have an adverse effect on your life
Experiencing tinnitus can lead to multiple issues in your life. For some people, it’s difficult to get a good night’s sleep. Hearing distracting sounds when you are trying to sleep is disruptive and exhausting.
If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you can experience extreme fatigue and exhaustion the next day because of a lack of sleep. This has a detrimental impact on your quality of life.
Hearing a mysterious noise in your ear can is often distracting, keeping you from being able to concentrate fully. If untreated, this can lead to dementia and accelerated cognitive decline.
If you are struggling with concentration, this can affect your quality of work.
The symptoms of experiencing tinnitus daily can increase your levels of stress. These experiences are signs you need to take action in your life. There are different therapies available to help you cope with tinnitus, including Tinnitus Retraining Therapy. Discussing your symptoms with your local audiologist will get you on the right track to living a more productive life with tinnitus.
If you are experiencing symptoms of tinnitus and struggling with day-to-day life, contact The Hearing Associates of Las Vegas to learn more about Tinnitus Retraining Therapy | Hearing Associates of Las Vegas.
info@hearingassociateslv.com
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