Let’s set the scene: you’re in your bed at night attempting to chill out after a long, tiring day. Your eyelids are starting to get heavy and you know that sleep is right around the corner. Then as you’re lying there in the quiet of the night, you start to notice the sound of ringing in your ears. Your TV, radio, and phone are all off so you’re sure it’s nothing inside your room. No, this sound is coming from inside your ears and you’re not sure how to stop it.
If this scenario sounds familiar, then odds are that you’re one of the 50 million people who are afflicted by tinnitus. This problem causes you to hear buzzing, whooshing, and ringing sounds, among others, within your ears. The majority of people who have tinnitus consider it a mere annoyance; it comes and goes but doesn’t really impact their day-to-day lives. But this is not the situation with everyone who has tinnitus. For some, it can cause them to Disengage socially, have a hard time working, and to lose sleep.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is still a bit of a mystery, but this problem has been narrowed down to a few causes. It shows up mostly in individuals who have damaged hearing, and also people who suffer from heart conditions. It’s believed that tinnitus happens due to reduced blood flow around the ears, which makes the heart pump blood harder so that it can get where it needs to go. People who have iron-deficiency anemia often experience tinnitus symptoms since their blood cells do not carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, again, works the heart harder to get nutrients to the right place, often leading to tinnitus.
Tinnitus also happens as a symptom of other conditions, such as ear infections, canal blockages, and Meniere’s disease. All of these ailments affect the hearing and result in scenarios where tinnitus becomes more prevalent. Sometimes treatment can be challenging when the cause of tinnitus isn’t easily discernible, but that doesn’t mean treatment isn’t possible.
What Treatments Are Available For Tinnitus?
Depending on the root cause of your tinnitus, there might be a number of possible treatment options. One important thing to take note of, however, is that there is presently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments will still offer a good chance for your tinnitus to get better or disappear completely.
Research has revealed that hearing aids help cover up tinnitus in individuals who suffer from hearing loss.
If covering up the noise doesn’t help, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help people deal with the buzzing in their ears that does not fade away with other treatments. This mental health type of treatment can help people who suffer from tinnitus to function more normally on an everyday basis by helping them transform their negative thinking into a more positive outlook.