What is Tinnitus and How is it Treated?

Tinnitus is a troubling condition that is thought to affect over 50 million Americans. It is therefore worth spending a little time learning more about this potentially-debilitating condition, as well as the most common methods used to treat it.

What is tinnitus?

For many people, the term “tinnitus” immediately makes them think of “ringing in the ears”. For many sufferers of tinnitus, this is exactly what the condition is– a persistent ringing sound that they can hear constantly. The volume that each patient hears this sound is variable; for some, it will be very soft, for others, it may be noticeably loud and distracting. However, tinnitus is not just “ringing” in the ears. Any kind of sound (that does not have an external source) can be diagnosed as tinnitus. Sufferers describe a variety of different sounds, including ringing, hissing, beeping, or whistling. The sounds can be low or high-pitched and the frequency they are heard is also variable. Essentially, any form of noise in the ear that does not have an external source is liable to be diagnosed as tinnitus. Tinnitus can be very distressing to the sufferer, with sleep problems a common side effect– the sufferer struggles to rest effectively, as to them, it sounds like they are trying to sleep in a noisy bedroom.

What causes tinnitus?

There are a number of causes for tinnitus, and if you experience a sudden onset, then the most likely suspects are earwax buildup or ear infection. Both of these issues can cause tinnitus on a temporary basis, and the tinnitus will usually subside when you cure the underlying problem. Tinnitus is also caused by sustained exposure to loud noises, which causes loss of sensory hairs on the cochlea. Other less common causes include the use of ototoxic medications and TMJ disorder.

How is tinnitus treated?

The first step for any audiologist dealing with tinnitus is to ascertain the underlying condition. Ear syringing or antibiotics can help ease short-term problems such as infection, which should allow for the tinnitus to gradually reduce. If the tinnitus is caused by TMJ, then this too can be remedied to help provide relief. For noise-induced or idiopathic tinnitus, the treatments are more varied:

• Tinnitus retraining therapy: Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) helps to retrain a sufferer’s brain to be dismissive of the sound of tinnitus rather than constantly alert to it. TRT usually involves wearing some kind of white noise device and undergoing counseling with a specialist.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy: This therapy helps sufferers to cope better with their tinnitus, but does not address the issue itself. Nevertheless, it can provide a huge amount of relief to sufferers.
• Hearing aids: Tinnitus and hearing loss often go hand-in-hand. If this is the case, new devices can combine the functions of a hearing aid and a white noise tinnitus-masking device for an all-in-one solution.

Ringing in the ears can be a sign of a variety of underlying health problems, some of them serious, so always see an experienced audiologist if you suffer any of the symptoms.