Tinnitus is an incredibly common condition of the ear. Some estimates indicate that 10 percent of people have tinnitus at one time or another, making it one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world. The condition is experienced as a sound in the ear that isn’t really there, typically, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can manifest as other sounds also.
Sadly, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as obvious as the symptoms. Some of the wide array of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be critically important. After all, every environment has a soundscape, and when that soundscape is noisy, you may be doing damage to your ears. If your tinnitus is a result of damage, it could end up being permanent.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so common)?
When you hear sounds that aren’t actually there, that’s tinnitus. Tinnitus normally manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other noises, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are normally rhythmic in nature. For most individuals, tinnitus will manifest over a short period of time before resolving itself and going away. In less common cases, tinnitus could become effectively permanent, a condition known as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus is so common for a couple of reasons. The first is that the environmental factors that play a role in tinnitus are also fairly common (more on that in a bit). Root conditions and injuries can contribute to tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are lots of conditions and injuries that can result in tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather prevalent for these reasons.
How can the environment affect tinnitus?
Other things can also produce tinnitus, including ototoxic medications and chemicals. However, when most individuals talk about “environment” when it comes to tinnitus, they really mean the noise. For example, some locations are noisier than others (traffic noise in some settings can get extremely high). Likewise, anybody who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment worsening their tinnitus.
These environmental factors can be exceptionally important when considering your hearing health.
Noise related damage, as with hearing loss, can cause tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is a result of noise damage, it’s normally chronic and frequently 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. Doing this on a regular basis can frequently trigger tinnitus symptoms.
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes be caused by loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long time-frame. For instance, attending a concert or using firearms can both result in tinnitus if the volumes reach a loud enough level.
- Noise in the workplace: Lots of 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.
- Traffic: Traffic in densely populated locations can be a lot louder than you might expect it to be. And noise damage can occur at a lower volume than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these noisy locations.
Hearing damage can occur at a far lower volume than people usually expect. As a result, it’s crucial to wear hearing protection before you think you may need it. Hearing protection can help you avoid tinnitus symptoms from developing in the first place.
What should I do if I have tinnitus?
So, does tinnitus resolve? Well, in some instances it could. But your symptoms might be irreversible in some cases. There’s no way to know which is which at the beginning. If you have tinnitus because of noise damage, even if your tinnitus does clear up, your chance of having your tinnitus return and become chronic is much more likely.
Individuals often underestimate the minimum volume that damage starts to occur, which is the most significant contributing factor to its development. If you experience tinnitus, your body is telling you that damage has already likely occurred. This means that there are a number of things that you should do to change your environment so as to prevent more irreparable damage.
Here are some tips you can try:
- Reducing the volume of your environment when possible. For instance, you could shut the windows if you live in a noisy area or turn off industrial machinery that isn’t in use.
- Using hearing protection (either earplugs or earmuffs) in order to counter damage. You can also get some degree of protection from noise canceling headphones.
- If you’re in a loud setting, regulate the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
How to manage your symptoms
The symptoms of tinnitus are frequently a huge distraction and are quite uncomfortable for most people who deal with them. Because of this, they frequently ask: how do you calm tinnitus?
If you hear a buzzing or ringing sound, it’s important to set up an appointment, especially if the sound won’t go away. We will be able to evaluate your symptoms and identify how best to address them. For the majority of cases of chronic tinnitus, there’s no cure. Symptom management may include the following:
- Hearing aid: The ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus can be drowned out by boosting the volume of external sounds with hearing aids.
- Retraining therapy: In some instances, you can work with a specialist to retrain your ears, gradually changing the way you process sound.
- White noise devices: Utilizing a white noise device around your house can help you tune out your tinnitus in some instances.
- Relaxation techniques: Tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be exacerbated by high blood pressure. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by using relaxation techniques like meditation, for example.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits like a hearing aid and plays sounds that mask your symptoms. Your device will be specially calibrated to mask your tinnitus symptoms.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. A great first step would be to protect your hearing by managing your environment.
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. A white noise machine, for many, might be all that’s necessary. In other cases, a more extensive approach might be needed.
Set up an appointment to learn how to manage your tinnitus symptoms.
