It isn’t unusual for individuals to have ringing in their ears, also known as tinnitus. Some estimates indicate that 10 percent of people have tinnitus at one point 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 actually there, normally, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can manifest as other sounds too.
Sadly, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as evident as the symptoms. In part, that’s because tinnitus may result from a wide range of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be really important. If the background sound of your particular environment is very noisy, you may be harming your hearing. This environmental tinnitus may sometimes be permanent or it might sometimes respond to changes to make your environment quieter.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so common)?
Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear a sound that isn’t actually there. Tinnitus normally manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other sounds, like screeching, thumping, or humming. Typically, the sounds are consistent or rhythmic. For most people, tinnitus will manifest over a short period of time before resolving itself and going away. In less common cases, tinnitus might 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 relatively common (more on that soon). Root conditions and injuries can contribute to tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are quite a few conditions and injuries that can result in tinnitus. Consequently, tinnitus tends to be very common.
How can the environment affect tinnitus?
There are a large number of factors that can bring about tinnitus symptoms, including ototoxic chemicals and medicines. However, when the majority of individuals talk about “environment” in terms of tinnitus, they really mean the noise. Some settings, such as noisy city streets, can get quite loud. Somebody would be at risk of environmental tinnitus, for example, if they worked around loud industrial equipment.
When assessing the state of your health, these environmental factors are extremely significant.
Noise related damage, as with hearing loss, can trigger tinnitus symptoms. In these situations, the resulting tinnitus tends to be chronic in nature. Some of the most prevalent noise and environment-induced causes of tinnitus include the following:
- Noise in the workplace: It could come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are pretty noisy. Whether it’s industrial equipment or chatty office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around continuous workplace noise can eventually result in tinnitus.
- Traffic: Traffic in densely populated places can be much louder than you might expect it to be. And you may not even realize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you may expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these noisy locations.
- Music: Listening to music at high volumes is a fairly common practice. Tinnitus will frequently be the outcome if you do this frequently.
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes be caused by loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long time-frame. Shooting a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this type of noise.
Damage to the ears can happen at a far lower volume than people usually expect. Because of this, hearing protection should be utilized at lower volumes than you might expect. Noise related tinnitus symptoms can often be avoided altogether by doing this.
If I have tinnitus, what should I do?
So, does tinnitus go away? Perhaps, in some instances. But your symptoms may be irreversible in some cases. At first, it’s basically impossible to know which is which. Likewise, just because your tinnitus has gone away for now doesn’t mean that noise damage hasn’t occurred, resulting in 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 probably occurred. This means that there are several things that you should do to alter your environment so as to prevent more permanent damage.
Here are some tips you can try:
- Using hearing protection (either earplugs or earmuffs) in order to counter damage. Noise canceling headphones can also be an asset in this regard.
- Lowering the volume of your environment when possible. If you have any machinery that isn’t in use, turn it off, and shut the windows if it’s noisy outside, for instance.
- If you’re in a loud environment, regulate the amount of exposure time and give your ears breaks.
How to handle your symptoms
The symptoms of tinnitus are often a big distraction and are quite unpleasant for the majority of people who deal with them. Because of this, they often ask: how do you calm tinnitus?
If you hear a ringing or buzzing sound, it’s important to make an appointment, particularly if the sound won’t go away. We can help you figure out the best way to handle your specific situation. There’s no cure for the majority of types of chronic tinnitus. Here are a number of ways to manage the symptoms:
- Hearing aid: The ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus can be drowned out by raising the volume of external sounds with hearing aids.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the help of a specialist, which will progressively retrain the way you process sound.
- White noise devices: Using a white noise device around your house can help you tune out your tinnitus in some instances.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits like a hearing aid and plays sounds to mask your symptoms. The precise calibration of your device will depend on your specific symptoms.
- Relaxation techniques: Tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be worsened by high blood pressure. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be eased by using relaxation techniques like meditation, for example.
Tinnitus has no cure. A great first step would be to protect your hearing by controlling your environment.
But addressing and controlling 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 might simply mean utilizing a white noise machine. In other situations, a more intensive approach may be necessary.
Schedule an appointment to find out how to manage your tinnitus symptoms.
