Let’s set the stage: you’re lying in bed at night attempting to unwind after a long, exhausting day. Your eyelids are getting heavy and you know that your about to fall asleep. Then you start to hear it: a ringing sound inside your ears. Your phone, TV, and radio are all off so you’re sure it’s nothing in your room. Unfortunately, this noise is inside your ears and it won’t stop.
If this scenario has happened to you, then it’s likely that you’re one of the 50 million people who have tinnitus. Ringing, Buzzing, and a variety of other noises will be heard inside of your ears when you suffer from this condition. Most people suffering from tinnitus think of it as a mere inconvenience; they notice it now and again but it doesn’t really impact their daily lives. But this is not the situation with everybody who is suffering from tinnitus. For some, it can cause them to lose sleep, to disengage socially, and to have a hard time working.
What’s The Main Cause of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is still a bit of a mystery, but this problem has been narrowed down to a few causes. It shows up commonly in individuals who have damaged hearing, and also people who suffer from heart problems. It’s believed that tinnitus comes about due to limited blood flow around the ears, which makes the heart pump blood harder in order for it to get where it needs to go. People who have iron-deficiency anemia frequently suffer from tinnitus symptoms since their blood cells don’t carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, again, makes the heart work extra hard to get oxygen and other nutrients where they need to go.
Tinnitus also occurs as a symptom of other conditions, such as Meniere’s disease, ear infections, and ear canal blockages. All of these ailments impact the hearing and result in situations where tinnitus becomes more prevalent. Sometimes treatment can be difficult when the cause of tinnitus isn’t evident, but that doesn’t mean treatment is impossible.
What Treatments Are Available For Tinnitus?
There are a few treatments out there to help stop the ringing in your ears, all dependent on the root cause of your tinnitus. One significant thing to take note of, however, is that there is currently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments will still offer a good chance for your tinnitus to improve or disappear altogether.
Studies have shown that hearing aids help mask tinnitus in people who suffer from hearing loss.
If covering up the noise doesn’t help, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to help people live with the ringing in their ears that does not fade away with other treatments. This kind of mental health treatment helps patients change their negative ideas about tinnitus into more positive, practical thoughts that help them function normally on an every day basis.
