In the age of iPods, headsets, and rock and roll music, our ears are constantly exposed to high-intensity music and noise. Ear ringing, or tinnitus, used to be a condition experienced only by elderly people because of the breakdown of nerves in their ears due to old age. Today, there is an increasing number of people from all ages suffering from tinnitus.
Lend Me Your Ears: What is Ear Ringing?
Ear ringing, or tinnitus, is a swishing, ringing or pulsing noise that can be heard despite the absence of an originating sound. A person who is suffering from tinnitus may hear noises like a pitched whining, buzzing, hissing, humming, or whistling sound. Ticking, clicking, roaring, tunes, songs, beeping, whooshing sounds, or sounds resembling waves crashing on a shore, have also been reported to be heard from people who have tinnitus.
Tinnitus can sometimes be a temporary thing. Sometimes people coming from clubs or concerts may experience tinnitus, but the ailment will eventually go away; however, regular and repeated exposure to high-intensity noise may greatly increase your chances of getting tinnitus.
Other forms of tinnitus or head noises are actually normal because some of our normal body noises cannot be heard in everyday situations when other noises block them out; however, when you are in a quiet or soundproofed room, you may be able to hear them for yourself. Breathing is one example or a process you don't normally hear due to other, louder noises, but that you will notice when you are in a very quiet place.
Tinnitus, when left untreated, can become more aggravated and may impede using your hearing faculties at its fullest. What may start as an annoying tinny noise may claim your life, so make sure you take the following precautions by knowing what it is, what to do to treat it, and what to do to prevent it.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus can happen in any of the four sections of your ear: the outer ear, middle ear, inner ear, and the brain. It is usually caused by the following:
Hearing loss. Many doctors have discovered that people with hearing loss also have tinnitus. Tinnitus can also be a symptom or early sign of hearing loss. One of the most common causes of tinnitus is damage done on the microscopic endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Old age is usually accompanied by varying degrees of hearing impairment leading to tinnitus.
Loud noise. Damage done to the microscopic endings of the hearing nerves in your inner ear may also be caused by loud noises. When excessive sound energy strikes your inner ear, this may cause what is also known as acoustic trauma. This is reversible and temporary, and people who have attended a loud rock concert may experience dullness to their hearing or a ringing sound for a few hours before it gradually fades away.
How can you know that you're in a noisy situation? If you find yourself having to shout to be understood, if being in that place causes pain in your ears, or once you leave that place, you notice a distinct ringing in your ears that have no outside origin, then you have just come out from a very noisy place. Take note that there is no way to get your ears used to loud noises as they can only absorb so much. Even people who regularly work in noisy work areas use protective gear, so if you can't avoid being in a noisy place, make sure you take measures to protect your ears.
Medicine. There are certain kinds of medicine that can actually induce tinnitus. It may also be caused by a recent increase or decrease in dosage. These can be generally grouped under the category of Ototoxic medications ---- substances that are toxic to the cochlea, the auditory portion of our inner ear. They can also be toxic to the vestibular structures in our ears, which is primarily responsible for us in keeping our balance.
Oxtotic medications include:
•Salicylates such as aspirin
•Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Advil
•Antibiotics such as Aminoglycosides, Eryythromycin, Vancomycin
•Loop dieuretics, when used as intravenous drugs for acute kidney failure or acute hypertension, chemotherapy agents and quinine
•Birth control pills
•Blood control medicine
•Heart medicine, such as Capoten and Altace
•Levodopa, used to treat Parkinson's
•Vitamin and mineral supplements, especially those containing Vitamin A and niacin
•Radiation therapy to the head and neck
Allergies. Tinnitus can be triggered by allergy attacks, although it may also caused by using antihistamines to treat allergies. It causes a mucus buildup in your middle ear, which can then cause tinnitus.
Ear Conditions. Ostosclerosis, or calcium buildup on the small bones of your middle ear, can cause tinnitus. Buildup of earwax in your ears, or earwax being continuously pushed back with cotton buds, can also cause tinnitus. Other conditions, such as foreign bodies getting into your ears, as well as swelling in your ear canal, may also cause temporary or permanent tinnitus, depending on the outcome of its treatment.
Specific Food. Cases vary from person to person, but some people find that certain food can trigger or increase tinnitus. Red wine, grain-based spirits, chocolate, cheese, wine, vinegar and certain spices have been reported to have such an effect.
It's also been reported that foods high in sugar content, those that contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) and caffeine make tinnitus louder.
Vitamin Deficiency. There have been studies stating that people who are suffering from tinnitus benefit from high-potency vitamin supplements. Zinc, in particular, is needed to help our cochlea function, and is recommended for those who suffer from tinnitus.
Meniere's Syndrome. A condition that results from excessive pressure in our inner ear. While it's not clear what causes Meniere's Syndrome, one of its primary symptoms include tinnitus, as well as vertigo and constant dizziness.
Symptoms for aneurysm or brain tumor. Tinnitus may also be a symptom pointing towards a more serious health condition, such as aneurysm, brain tumor or tumors on your auditory nerves.
How to Get Rid of Ear Ringing
So it's been a few days and your tinnitus is still there? Before you attempt any sort of treatment for your tinnitus, it's important that you see a doctor first and find out exactly where it's originating from. Your doctor will review your medical history and physical examination, and let you take a series of tests. He'll try to find out if the sound of your tinnitus is constant, intermittent or pulsating, if it's associated with hearing loss or if it's vertigo. He may recommend that you take a hearing test called an audiogram.
If he still can't figure out where your tinnitus is coming from, he may conduct tests such as the auditory brain stem response (ABR), a computerized test of the hearing nerves and pathways. To check if you have any tumors, you should take a computer tomography scan, more commonly known as a CT scan or a magnetic resonance imaging, also known as an MRI scan.
Depending on the identified cause and intensity of your tinnitus, there are various ways of treating it. Barring the more serious causes such as tumors and aneurysm, here are some tips you can follow to get rid of or lessen your tinnitus.
•Avoid loud noises. Since tinnitus usually occurs after exposure to loud noise or music, it's recommended for people with tinnitus to avoid such exposure in the future. Ordinary items like lawnmowers and hairdryers also produce a lot of noise, so make sure you have earplugs handy in order for you to use them without aggravating your tinnitus.
•Stress no more. Tinnitus may be stress-related, so anti-depressants, tranquilizers and muscle relaxants may be prescribed to you. Just make sure that they aren't Ototoxic medication or else it might make your tinnitus worse. Some doctors describe that anti-depressants, or even a conscious effort to relieve stress, helps greatly in lessening the intensity of your tinnitus.
•Don't take aspirin. Try to keep away from aspirin and products that include it. Aspirin has been proven to cause and aggravate tinnitus. Keep this in mind, since aspirin is one of the more commonly used drugs that's available to you.
•Go Gingko. Gingko biloba leaves have been traditionally used by the Chinese for treatment of asthma and bronchitis. It's been shown to increase circulation throughout the body and brain. Similar studies have proven the effectiveness of gingko biloba extract in substantially lessening tinnitus in a span of 70 days and even making it completely disappear in 35% of its test subjects. A follow-up study confirmed that most of those who participated in this study had better hearing than that of their peers.
•Stay away from stimulants. Veer away from stimulants such as coffee and colas. It's also recommended that you decrease your salt and MSG intake.
•Work it out. Exercise and avoid fatigue. Tinnitus is sometimes related to poor circulation, so you should put extra effort in ensuring that your circulation rates are up.
•Mask noise. You may also opt to try masking noise. Many people who suffer from tinnitus complain of lack of sleep since they hear the ear ringing much more clearly in quiet rooms during the night. Masking noise is basically a sound that may compete or even overpower the ringing in your ears. It can be from ordinary items such as a clock, fan, radio, or a white noise machine. Hearing aids made specifically to generate
competitive sounds are also available on the market. By focusing on the masking noise generated from items in your normal surroundings, you will be able to focus less on the ringing in your ears, helping you to sleep better.
Your ears are very sensitive organs, and you should not abuse them. If you work in a particularly loud environment, take measures to protect your ears to keep them from sound damage. Eat healthy food, exercise regularly, don't fatigue yourself, and avoid stimulants if you can.