Made in Chelsea’s Jamie Laing Talks About Tinnitus

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Made in Chelsea star mistook the sudden onset of Tinnitus to be a buzzing noise in his house. Jamie Laing talks about the condition affecting upwards of seven million British people.

Upon first experiencing the effects of this condition, Jamie, 31, visited his GP the following day to be diagnosed with what turned out to be Tinnitus. Believing it to be a condition affecting older people or those exposed to loud bangs or other noises, he described what it felt like to experience it:

“The noise sounded like a static buzz of a television in another room. Once I’d started to hear it, the constant humming remained in my head. My GP said there were a number of possible causes but exposure to loud music in nightclubs was the most likely one in my case.

“My GP explained there was no cure, but it would probably go away eventually on its own as I got used to it. There were treatments available to help me come to terms with it, until it did.”

Jamie Laing Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a symptom of a condition, not a condition within itself. Most commonly it is caused by hearing loss, where the brain begins to filter in other sounds you wouldn’t normally be able to hear in place of the everyday sounds that are no longer being adequately received.

This is why it is more likely to be experienced by an elderly person with age-related hearing loss, stated an ENT (ear, nose and throat) surgeon at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts.

Though fewer are diagnosed with occupational hearing loss due to the fall of heavy industry jobs and better safety precautions, these cases are being replaced by sufferers who’ve previously listened to loud live music or worked in pubs, bars and nightclubs over the years.

This comes right up to the modern day, where more people – including younger sufferers – drown out their commutes with loud music from their headphones or attend festivals and music gigs. Side-effects of certain courses of medication may cause it in rare cases, as can ear wax and ear infections.

It is estimated that one million doctors’ appointments are made every year relating to Tinnitus, though public awareness about treatments and coping strategies are comparatively rather limited. Hearing aids can combat the symptoms if hearing loss is the issue, whereas counselling and stress management can help, as stress worsens the symptoms.

In Jamie’s case, hearing loss wasn’t significant enough to combat his symptoms with a hearing aid, so CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) meditation were the treatments of choice, alongside a healthy regime of sleep and exercise.

Four years into the condition, he reflects that the best advice he received was from a doctor who told him his symptoms would improve over time – much like the brain adjusts to environmental noises it is accustomed to hearing. He has advocated wearing earplugs at gigs and keeping headphones turned down, like he wished he had done.