Let’s set the scene: you’re lying in bed at night attempting to relax after a long, stressful day. Your eyelids are starting to get heavy and you know that your about to fall asleep. Then as you lie there in the quiet of the night, you begin to notice the sound of buzzing in your ears. Your TV, radio, and phone are all off so you know it’s nothing in your room. Unfortunately, this noise is inside your ears and it won’t go away.
If this situation has happened to you, then it’s likely that you’re one of the 50 million people who are afflicted by tinnitus. Ringing, Buzzing, and a variety of other noises will be heard in your ears when you have this condition. For the majority of people, tinnitus will not have a significant impact on their lives beyond being a simple irritation. For other individuals, however, tinnitus can be unbearable and cause them to lose sleep and have a hard time performing work and recreational activities.
What’s The Underlying Cause of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is still a bit of a mystery, but this problem has been narrowed down to a few causes. It’s most prevalent in people who have damaged hearing, as well as people who suffer from heart problems. Restricted blood flow around the ears is generally believed to be the main cause of tinnitus. This causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood to where it’s needed. People who have iron-deficiency anemia commonly experience tinnitus symptoms since their blood cells don’t carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, again, works the heart harder to deliver nutrients to the correct place, often leading to tinnitus.
Tinnitus also occurs as a result of other conditions, such as ear infections, canal blockages, and Meniere’s disease. Situations where tinnitus becomes more pronounced occur with all of these condition because they all impact the hearing. Sometimes treatment can be difficult when the cause of tinnitus isn’t easily discernible, but that doesn’t mean treatment is impossible.
What Treatments Are Out There For Tinnitus?
Depending on the underlying cause of your tinnitus, there might be several possible treatment options. One important thing to take note of, however, is that there is presently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments can still present a good chance for your tinnitus to improve or go away completely.
Studies have revealed that hearing aids help cover up tinnitus in people who have hearing loss.
If masking the noise doesn’t help, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to help people deal with the ringing in their ears that does not go away with other treatments. This kind of mental health therapy helps patients change their negative ideas about tinnitus into more positive, practical thoughts that help them function normally on a regular basis.