What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is noise such as a ringing or buzzing that you can hear, but the noise does not come from outside your ear. Many people have mild tinnitus that is not too bad. However, about 1 in 100 people have tinnitus which severely affects their quality of life. In many cases, the cause is not known. In some cases the tinnitus is related to another problem. For example, it is common for people with age-related deafness also to develop tinnitus. There is no cure which will take the noise away. However, there are ways that can make tinnitus less intrusive and troublesome.
HearingNow is part of the tinnitus support group in South London, an initiative by the British Association of Tinnitus to bring in resources and support for tinnitus patients in local communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers To Your Questions About Tinnitus
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is an abnormal noise (or noises) that you can hear. However, the noise does not come from outside your ear. The sort of noises that people hear include: ringing, buzzing, whistles, roaring, humming, machine-type noises, etc. Sometimes the noise pulsates at the same rate as your pulse. Tinnitus can be either constant or come and go. It can vary in loudness and character from time to time. You can hear the noise or noises in one ear, in both ears, or it may be difficult to pinpoint where the noise seems to come from.
The noise is often more prominent when you are in a quiet place. For example, when you are in bed and trying to get to sleep. It may also be more noticeable when you are tired. Some people with tinnitus are also more sensitive to normal everyday sounds. For example, some people with tinnitus find that a radio or TV is painfully loud when it is at a normal volume for most people.
How common is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is common and can occur at any age. Most people have an occasional episode of tinnitus after going to a loud concert or disco. For most people, this is temporary and soon goes. As many as 1 in 10 people have persistent tinnitus that is mild and not very troublesome. However, about 1 in 100 people have tinnitus which persists most of the time, and severely affects their quality of life.
What causes tinnitus?
In many people with tinnitus, the cause is not known. The ear is otherwise fine. What seems to happen is that signals are sent from the ear up the ear nerve to the hearing part of the brain. The brain interprets these signals as noise. It is not clear why these signals are sent from the ear. The noise may also originate somewhere else in the hearing nerve pathways in the brain.
Often tinnitus is caused by another condition. For example:
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Tinnitus often develops at the same time as hearing loss in older age.
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Ménière’s disease. In this condition, you develop attacks of vertigo (dizziness), hearing loss and tinnitus. It is due to a problem with the cochlea - a snail-shaped chamber filled with fluid, in the inner ear.
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Exposure to very loud noise. Some people develop persistent tinnitus after being subjected to loud noise for a long time. For example, after years of working in a loud factory. Sometimes permanent tinnitus persists after a one-off loud noise experience. For example, following a rock concert.
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As an uncommon side-effect of some medicines. For example, aspirin and quinine.
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Following an ear or head injury.
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Some other ear disorders such as otosclerosis.
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Some uncommon diseases of blood vessels, brain or nerves can cause tinnitus. In these situations, you are likely to have other symptoms or signs such as nerve weakness, etc. However, rarely, tinnitus may be the first symptom to develop.
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Tinnitus can sometimes be a feature of a lack of iron in the body (anaemia), thyroid disease or diabetes.
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A tumour called an acoustic neuroma occasionally causes tinnitus; this is usually persistent and in one ear only. If you get the noise only in one ear, it is particularly important that you consult a doctor, so this can be ruled out.
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An ear infection. The tinnitus tends to clear when the infection clears.
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Psychological factors may have a role to play. For example, mild tinnitus that is not bothersome may become more bothersome if you become depressed, anxious or stressed.
Can anything help or cure tinnitus?
In a small number of cases, there is an underlying cause that may be corrected. For example, if a side-effect of the medicine that you are taking is causing tinnitus, then a change of medication may cure the problem.
Antidepressant medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have helped some people, particularly if tinnitus causes depression. In most cases, there is no easy cure. Some people are helped by understanding the problem and knowing that they do not have a serious underlying condition. With time, tinnitus may become less of a problem as you adjust to it. In addition, the following often help.
Alternative sounds
If possible, avoid being in quiet or silent rooms. You are more likely to focus on tinnitus and be distressed by it if there is nothing else to listen to. Other more pleasant sounds can be distracting and help to make the tinnitus less noticeable. This is sometimes called sound therapy. For example, listening to the radio, TV, or stereo. Perhaps leave a window open so outside sounds are more evident. Some people wear a sound generator. This looks similar to a hearing aid but makes a pleasant sound which helps to mask the unpleasant tinnitus noise. Some people use CD or MP3 players to listen to pleasant sounds.
Can art reduce noticing tinnitus?
The report on joint research by The Open University and Oxford Brookes University suggests that art can reduce the impact of tinnitus. Please read the report here.
Bedtime
Tinnitus is often most noticeable when you are quiet and trying to get off to sleep. If you play a radio or stereo it can help to mask the tinnitus noise until you drop off to sleep. (One with a timer is best so it switches itself off when you are asleep.) Some people connect a radio or stereo to special pillow speakers which go under the pillow. This enables them to listen to music or radio without anyone else being disturbed. Some specially designed pillows have speakers actually inside the pillow itself which you connect to your radio or stereo.
Stress anxiety and depression
Some people become anxious or stressed by tinnitus. This can make things worse. You may benefit from learning ways to relax and combat stress. There are other leaflets in this series that offer advice on easing stress and anxiety. If you become particularly anxious or become depressed it is best to see a doctor for advice on treatment.
Where can I learn more about tinnitus?
Please visit British Tinnitus Assocition or the blog section of HearingNow.co.uk for more information about tinnitus and how to manage your tinnitus.
Can hearing aids help with my tinnitus?
If you have any difficulty with hearing, even just a slight hearing loss, a hearing aid might help mitigate your tinnitus, at least partially. Here are the 3 methods that hearing aids could help you with your tinnitus:
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The hearing aids amplify normal sounds which you may not otherwise hear. These may override the tinnitus noise. Try our free online hearing test to start understanding the status of your hearing.
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Most hearing aids offer a tinnitus-masking noise generator that could be switched on and off by the wearer. The masking signal (or noise) could be different sounds including white noise, pink noise, calming Zen-type sounds (e.g. provided by Widex Moment) and so on. The tinnitus noise when switched on will mask your tinnitus and make tinnitus sounds less noticeable.
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Some hearing aids models such as Signia provide special additional tinnitus notch therapy. Signia suggests that about 65% of the people who used Signia notch therapy noticed a drop in the loudness of their tonal tinnitus. Please read more about tinnitus notch therapy and contact us to learn more about this and other features of tinnitus therapy.
What is tinnitus notch therapy and how does it work?
Tinnitus notch therapy is a new technique to reduce the loudness of tinnitus through using the frequency and the loudness of it in the hearing aids sound processing so the brain gradually reduces the sound of tinnitus. Tinnitus noise or natural sound therapy uses a masking technique to distract the brain from focusing on the tinnitus. The notch therapy is an attempt to take the advantage of the plasticity of the brain and try to reverse the creation of tinnitus at the source.
Please read more about tinnitus notch therapy and special hearing aids that can offer such management here.
Source: British Tinnitus Association, Patient.info
References:
Tinnitus; NICE CKS, April 2010, Berry JA, Gold SL, Frederick EA, et al; Patient-based outcomes in patients with primary tinnitus undergoing tinnitus retraining therapy. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2002 Oct;128(10):1153-7., Lockwood AH, Salvi RJ, Burkard RF; Tinnitus. N Engl J Med 2002 Sep 19;347(12):904-10., Phillips JS, McFerran D; Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) for tinnitus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010 Mar 17;3:CD007330., www.patient.inofo, Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions.
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