A brief guide to Tinnitus

Present as a ringing, buzzing, whooshing, clicking, tapping or hissing noise, tinnitus affects approximately 1 in 8 people in the UK, or around 7.1 million¹.

While a ringing in one or both ears is the most common form of tinnitus, it may present itself in many different ways and as many different sounds.

Tinnitus is not a condition, but a symptom. It can be caused by a number of circumstances, not all of which are well understood. Some of its causes are treatable, such as ear/sinus infections or a blockage caused by ear wax, though some are harder to detect and can happen for seemingly no reason.

For example, more than 200 prescription or medicative drugs can cause tinnitus. Some of the most notable are antibiotics and antidepressants like amitriptyline – both of which are referred to as ototoxic, or ‘toxic to the ear’.

The noises caused by tinnitus are almost always perceivable only by the person suffering. This is called subjective tinnitus, and makes up the large majority of cases. These noises, being contained only within the person’s ear, are therefore called ‘phantom sounds’. In some cases, the sound may be audible externally.

This is called objective tinnitus; the most common type of which is Pulsatile Tinnitus in which the major blood vessels to your inner and middle ear lose elasticity². This means they fail to expand to match the person’s heartbeat, resulting in blood being forced through the vessels and the ear picking up this movement.

Noise-induced hearing loss often comes with a side effect of tinnitus, meaning a large number of those who have worked or are presently working in industry suffer to varying degrees, having never been informed of the dangers of working with excessive noise by their employers.

For many, tinnitus can become more than an irritant or background noise. Tinnitus can become so loud that it disrupts the sufferer’s ability to perceive external noise such as speech, leading to detrimental effects on mental health and family and working life. The unlucky few who experience tinnitus at particularly extreme levels can find it so impactful that it can severely reduce their quality of life.

Michael Leigh, a member of the chatroom TinnitusTalk.com³, says “the affected person, will often be under immense pressure trying to cope with not one but often a cacophony of noises in their head and ears” … “it can be very difficult to do some of the most simple every day tasks”.

Treatment

Thankfully, while there isn’t a cure, there are treatments for tinnitus. These treatments vary from technology which can fight the effects of tinnitus on the ears to mental exercises which can help the sufferer adapt to coping with them in daily life.

Wearable sound generators fit in the ear and produce soft and inoffensive sound to mask those of tinnitus, whereas Acoustic Neural Stimulation involves a larger device paired with headphones to send a signal via music to the brain in order to effect changes in its neural circuits. This can desensitise the sufferer by training their brain to tune the tinnitus out.

At the other end of the spectrum, the NHS mentions ways to help cope with tinnitus, such as “try to relax – deep breathing or yoga may help”, “join a support group” and “do not focus on it”.

While, with context, these tips can make a real difference to someone suffering with tinnitus, their less than practical nature can just as easily make someone feel as though they have few ways to turn.

However, with tinnitus being largely controlled by the brain, options like tinnitus counselling can bring a huge benefit to those looking for ways to get on with their lives as normal.

There are also ways to try to prevent tinnitus arising or worsening in the future. Avoiding loud noise, maintaining regular ear checks and wax removals with your GP or private clinic, keeping to advised volume levels of music and media in earphones and (where agreeable with your GP) avoiding the use of medications which have links to tinnitus.

Tinnitus can be trivial or life-changing. With so many people in the UK experiencing it at varying levels, we can be hopeful that further advancements in technology and treatments will more directly assist with – or prevent – tinnitus in the future.

Further reading

Noise-induced hearing loss – Oakwood Solicitors

Sources:

The number of people living with tinnitus in the UK higher than previously thought – British Society of Audiology (thebsa.org.uk) (1)

Tinnitus – NHS (www.nhs.uk) (2)

What Is Severe Debilitating Tinnitus? | Tinnitus Talk Support Forum (3)

Tinnitus: Everything there is to know about ears ringing (kalingatv.com) (Original article)

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