Tinnitus

• Exposure to excessive loud noises
• Ear infections
• Head injury
• Waxy build-up in the ear
• Stress and trauma

These are just a few of the most common causes, but it can also be a side-effect of medication or a result of other health concerns, such as high blood pressure. It is also commonly associated with age-related hearing loss, although it can affect anyone at any age. 

It is often described as a "ringing in the ears," but what people with this condition hear is extremely variable. Some people hear hissing, whooshing, roaring, whistling or clicking. It can be intermittent or constant, single or multiple tones or more noise-like. Probably the most common description for noise-induced tinnitus is a high pitched tone or noise. The volume or loudness is very individual and can range from very quiet to loud.  For some, these noises can be intermittent and change throughout the day, or for others, can be more constant and unchanging.

Tinnitus is not a disease itself or a cause of hearing loss. It is a symptom that something may be wrong somewhere in the auditory system, which can include the cochlea of the inner ear, the auditory nerve and the areas of the brain that process sound.

In about 90% of cases, it accompanies hearing loss and an individual can have both hearing loss and tinnitus from noise damage. However the two do not always occur together. It is possible to have no measurable hearing loss but experience tinnitus.  

Treatment options to reduce tinnitus are:

• Correctly fitted hearing aids of good quality. Hearing aids can help your tinnitus as it assists in overcoming any underlying hearing loss. By reducing the amount of attention your brain is paying to the tinnitus, hearing aids can give you some relief and for some people can eliminate it all together.
• Sound therapy in conjunction with hearing aids. Sound therapy is designed to assist the hearing centres of the brain in ‘tuning out’ the tinnitus. If you have a hearing loss, sound therapy will work best in conjunction with hearing aids. Sound therapy uses external sounds, such as music or a static-like noise, to partially obscure the tinnitus signal. Over time, the brain is able to automatically tune out the sound of the tinnitus.
• Playing music or nature sounds while trying to sleep or when in quiet environments.
• Using volume-limiting headphones when listening to personal music devices.