It’s not unusual for people to have ringing in their ears, also called tinnitus. It’s one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world with some estimates suggesting that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one point or another. 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 evident as the symptoms. In part, that’s because tinnitus may be caused by a wide array of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more long lasting.
This is why environmental factors can Have a major impact on tinnitus symptoms. 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 caused by damage, it could end up being permanent.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so common)?
When you hear noises that aren’t really present, that’s tinnitus. For the majority of people, tinnitus manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but it may perhaps also present as rumbling, humming, screeching, or other sounds as well. Usually, the sounds are steady or rhythmic. Tinnitus will usually clear itself up after a short period of time. Though not as common, chronic tinnitus is effectively permanent.
Tinnitus is so prevalent for a couple of reasons. Firstly, environmental factors that can contribute to tinnitus are fairly prevalent. The second reason is that tinnitus is frequently a symptom of an underlying condition or injury. And there are quite a few conditions and injuries that can trigger tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather common for these reasons.
How can the environment affect tinnitus?
Other things can also cause tinnitus, including ototoxic medicines and chemicals. However, when the majority of people talk about “environment” in terms of tinnitus, they actually mean the noise. Some settings, such as noisy city streets, can get really loud. Likewise, anyone who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment exacerbating their tinnitus.
When assessing the state of your health, these environmental factors are very important.
As with hearing loss, noise-related damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. In these situations, the resulting tinnitus is often chronic in nature. Some of the most common noise and environment-induced causes of tinnitus include the following:
- Traffic: You might not even recognize how loud traffic can be in heavily populated locations. And you may not even recognize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you might expect. Long commutes or regular driving in these loud environments can eventually cause hearing damage, including tinnitus.
- Music: Listening to music at high volumes is a pretty common practice. Tinnitus will frequently be the result if you do this regularly.
- 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 gabby office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around constant workplace noise can eventually lead to tinnitus.
- Events: If noise is loud enough, even over short intervals, tinnitus can sometimes be the outcome. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this type of noise.
Hearing damage can occur at a far lower volume than people usually expect. For this reason, hearing protection should be used at lower volumes than you might expect. Noise induced tinnitus symptoms can frequently be avoided altogether by doing this.
If I’m experiencing tinnitus, what should I do?
So, does tinnitus go away? Well, in some instances it might. In other cases, your symptoms could be permanent. Initially, it’s basically impossible to know which is which. If you have tinnitus because of noise damage, even if your tinnitus does go away, your chance of having your tinnitus come back and become chronic is a lot more likely.
One of the most main contributing factors to the advancement 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 probably happened. If this is the situation, finding and changing the source of the noise damage is crucial to prevent additional damage.
Here are a few tips you can try:
- Reducing the volume of your environment when possible. For example, you could close the windows if you live in a loud area or turn off industrial machinery that isn’t in use.
- If you’re in a loud setting, regulate the amount of exposure time and give your ears breaks.
- Prevent damage by utilizing hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some degree of protection from noise canceling headphones.
How to deal with your symptoms
Lots of individuals who experience persistent tinnitus find the symptoms to be extremely disruptive and unpleasant. This prompts them to attempt to find a way to ease the severity of their symptoms.
You should call us for an appointment if you’re hearing a persistent ringing or buzzing in your ears. We can help you figure out the best way to regulate your particular situation. There’s no cure for the majority of types of chronic tinnitus. Symptom management may include the following:
- 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 cases, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by utilizing a white noise generator around your home.
- Hearing aid: The ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus can be drowned out by amplifying 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.
- Relaxation techniques: Tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be worsened by high blood pressure. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by utilizing relaxation techniques like meditation, for example.
Tinnitus is not curable. That’s why controlling your environment to protect your hearing is a great first step.
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. For some people, managing your tinnitus may simply mean utilizing a white noise machine. For other people, management might be more demanding.
Make an appointment to learn how to regulate your tinnitus symptoms.
