Tinnitus is an incredibly common condition of the ear. It’s one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world with some estimates suggesting that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one point or another. Even though the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds as well.
Unfortunately, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as obvious as the symptoms. In part, that’s because tinnitus could result from a wide range of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more long lasting.
That’s why your environment can be very important. If the background sound of your particular setting is very loud, you could be harming your hearing. This environmental tinnitus may sometimes be permanent or it may sometimes react to changes to make your environment quieter.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so prevalent)?
Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear a sound that isn’t really there. Tinnitus usually manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other noises, like screeching, thumping, or humming. Normally, the sounds are consistent or rhythmic. Tinnitus will normally clear itself up after a short period of time. Though not as common, chronic tinnitus is effectively permanent.
Tinnitus is so prevalent for a couple of reasons. Firstly, environmental factors that can play a role in tinnitus are rather common. The second reason is that tinnitus is frequently a symptom of an underlying condition or injury. In other words, there are many such injuries or conditions that can result in tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather common for these reasons.
How is tinnitus impacted by environmental factors?
Other things can also cause tinnitus, including ototoxic medications and chemicals. However, when most individuals discuss “environment” when it comes to tinnitus, they really mean the noise. For example, some neighborhoods are louder than others (traffic noise in some settings can get extraordinarily high). Somebody would be at risk of environmental tinnitus, for example, if they worked around loud industrial equipment.
When evaluating the state of your health, these environmental factors are very significant.
As with hearing loss, noise-induced damage can eventually cause tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is caused by noise damage, it’s normally chronic and often permanent. Some of the most prevalent noise and environment-related causes of tinnitus include the following:
- Music: Listening to music at high volumes is a pretty common practice. Tinnitus will often be the outcome if you do this regularly.
- Noise in the workplace: Many workplaces, including offices, are often the source of loud noises. Tinnitus can eventually result from being in these settings for eight hours a day, whether it’s industrial equipment or the din of a lot of people talking in an office.
- Events: If noise is loud enough, even over short intervals, tinnitus can sometimes be the result. For instance, going to a concert or using firearms can both trigger tinnitus if the volumes get to a high enough level.
- Traffic: You may not even recognize how loud traffic can be in heavily populated locations. And you might not even realize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these noisy settings.
People often mistakenly believe hearing damage will only occur at extreme volume levels. As a result, it’s important to use hearing protection before you think you might need it. Noise related tinnitus symptoms can often be avoided altogether by doing this.
What should I do if I’m experiencing tinnitus?
Will tinnitus go away on its own? Well, in some instances it could. In other situations, your symptoms may be irreversible. Initially, it’s basically impossible to know which is which. If you have tinnitus because of noise damage, even if your tinnitus does clear up, your risk of having your tinnitus come back and become chronic is a lot more probable.
Individuals tend to underestimate the minimum volume that damage begins to happen, which is the most significant contributing factor to its advancement. If you experience tinnitus, your body is telling you that damage has already probably happened. If this is the situation, identifying and changing the source of the noise damage is essential to prevent additional damage.
Here are a few tips you can try:
- Reducing the amount of time you spend in loud environments without giving your ears a chance to recover.
- Prevent damage by using hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some degree of protection from noise canceling headphones.
- Decreasing the volume of your environment where possible. If you have any machinery that isn’t in use, turn it off, and close the windows if it’s noisy outside, for instance.
Managing symptoms
Many people who experience persistent tinnitus find the symptoms to be extremely disruptive and unpleasant. Because of this, they often ask: how do you quiet tinnitus?
You should call us for an appointment if you are hearing a persistent buzzing or ringing in your ears. We can help you determine the best way to manage your particular situation. There’s no cure for most forms of chronic tinnitus. Here are a few ways to manage the symptoms:
- Retraining therapy: In some cases, you can work with a specialist to retrain your ears, slowly changing the way you process sound.
- Relaxation techniques: Tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be exacerbated by high blood pressure. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by utilizing relaxation techniques like meditation, for example.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits like a hearing aid and plays sounds to mask your symptoms. The exact calibration of your device will depend on your particular symptoms.
- White noise devices: In some instances, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by utilizing a white noise generator around your home.
- Hearing aid: The ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus can be drowned out by amplifying the volume of outside sounds with hearing aids.
Tinnitus has no cure. That’s why controlling your environment to protect your hearing is a practical first step.
But addressing and managing tinnitus is possible. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan for you. For some, managing your tinnitus might simply mean utilizing a white noise machine. In other situations, a more extensive approach may be necessary.
Set up an appointment to learn how to address your tinnitus symptoms.