It isn’t uncommon for people to have ringing in their ears, also called tinnitus. Some estimates indicate that 10 percent of people experience tinnitus at one point or another, making it one of the most common health conditions in the world. Although the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds too.
Unfortunately, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as obvious as the symptoms. Some of the wide variety of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be critically important. After all, every setting has a soundscape, and when that soundscape is loud, you might be causing damage to your ears. If your tinnitus is a result of damage, it could end up being permanent.
Why do so many individuals experience tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear a sound that isn’t actually there. Tinnitus typically manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other noises, like screeching, thumping, or humming. Normally, the sounds are consistent or rhythmic. For the majority of individuals, tinnitus will happen over a short period of time before solving itself and going away. In less common cases, tinnitus could become effectively permanent, a condition referred to as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus is so common for a couple of reasons. The first is that the environmental factors that contribute to tinnitus are also relatively common (more on that soon). Underlying conditions and injuries can contribute to tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. In other words, there are lots of such injuries or conditions that can result in tinnitus. Consequently, tinnitus tends to be very common.
How can the environment impact tinnitus?
There are a large number of factors that can contribute to tinnitus symptoms, including ototoxic chemicals and medicines. But when it comes to “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest culprit. Some locations, such as noisy city streets, can get quite loud. Likewise, anyone who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment exacerbating their tinnitus.
These environmental factors can be exceptionally significant when considering your hearing health.
Noise induced damage, as with hearing loss, can cause tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is a result of noise damage, it’s usually chronic and often permanent. Some of the most prevalent noise and environment-related causes of tinnitus include the following:
- Noise in the workplace: It might come as a surprise that many workplaces, sometimes even offices, are fairly noisy. Whether it’s industrial equipment or chatty office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around continuous workplace noise can eventually lead to tinnitus.
- 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 get to a high enough level.
- Music: Many people will often listen to their music at loud volumes. Doing this on a regular basis can frequently cause tinnitus symptoms.
- Traffic: You might not even realize how loud traffic can be in heavily populated places. And noise damage can happen at a lower volume than you may expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these noisy locations.
People frequently wrongly believe damage to their ears will only happen at extreme volume levels. Consequently, it’s essential to wear hearing protection before you think you may need it. Noise associated tinnitus symptoms can often be avoided altogether by doing this.
What should I do if I’m experiencing tinnitus?
Will tinnitus clear up on its own? Maybe, in some cases. But your symptoms may be permanent in some instances. Initially, it’s basically impossible to tell which is which. Moreover, just because your tinnitus has gone away for now doesn’t mean that noise damage hasn’t occurred, leading to an increased chance of chronic tinnitus down the road.
One of the most main contributing factors to the development of tinnitus is that people tend to underestimate the volume at which damage occurs to their ears. If you experience tinnitus, your body is telling you that damage has already likely happened. This means that there are several things that you should do to alter your environment so as to prevent more permanent damage.
Here are a few tips you can try:
- Prevent damage by using hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some amount of protection from noise canceling headphones.
- If you’re in a loud environment, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears breaks.
- If possible, try to lower environmental volume. If you have any machinery that’s not in use, turn it off, and shut the windows if it’s noisy outside, for instance.
Managing symptoms
The symptoms of tinnitus are often a huge distraction and are really unpleasant for the majority of individuals who deal with them. As a result, they often ask: how do you quiet tinnitus?
You should call us for an appointment if you are hearing a persistent buzzing or ringing in your ears. We can help you figure out the best way to address your particular situation. For most cases of chronic tinnitus, there’s no cure. Symptom management might include the following:
- Hearing aid: The ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus can be drowned out by boosting the volume of outside sounds with hearing aids.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the help of a specialist, which will gradually retrain the way you process sound.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been connected to an increase in the intensity of tinnitus symptoms. So taking some time to relax (with meditation, for example) can sometimes help decrease your tinnitus symptoms.
- Masking device: This device is a lot like a hearing aid, only instead of boosting sounds, it masks them. The exact calibration of your device will depend on your specific symptoms.
- White noise devices: In some instances, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by utilizing a white noise generator around your house.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. A good first step would be to safeguard your hearing by controlling your environment.
But treating and managing tinnitus is possible. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to develop a specific treatment plan for you. A white noise machine, for many, may be all that’s necessary. For others, management may be more demanding.
Learn how to best control your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!