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Tinnitus – Causes and Treatment

Are you experiencing a ringing in your ears that doesn’t come from any exterior source of the sound? Tinnitus is a frustrating condition to deal with and varies in its intensity – with some patients reporting severe symptoms, while others only experience a light ringing sound.

Most cases of tinnitus clear up on their own without any medical intervention. However, there are cases where the tinnitus is either permanent or last for months on end.  The physchological effects of hearing loss can affect your everyday life and relationships with people around you. People with tinnitus struggle to fall asleep with the constant ringing in their ears. The effects of sleep deprivation may further exacerbate the situation, leading to the development of other mental health disorders.

Tinnitus Causes and Symptoms

So, what causes tinnitus – and how do you cure the condition? Tinnitus typically occurs due to impact or blunt-force trauma to the side of the head. The impact may leave you with a ringing sound that lasts for several hours but eventually begins to fade.This type of tinnitus doesn’t require medical treatment, and most doctors will tell you to live with the symptoms for a few days and report back to them if it gets any worse.

Infection is another common cause of tinnitus. Infection of the middle or inner ear places pressure on the surrounding vestibular system, causing dysfunction of the tiny hairs and nerve endings in the inner ear. As a result, the patient may develop tinnitus symptoms.

Doctors treat infection using antiviral or antibacterial drugs, and the symptoms of ringing should begin to subside after 12-hours.

Treatment for Tinnitus

When visiting your doctor’s office, their priority in diagnosis is uncovering the source of the problem. Tinnitus occurs as a symptom of an underlying condition – whether it’s an infection or damage to the ear. Doctors will ask you if you’re taking any medication, as ototoxic drugs may cause the problem.

Once your doctor locates the cause of the tinnitus, they make arrangements to treat the underlying disorder. It’s important to note that there is no effective treatment for tinnitus, and if the underlying problem is permanent, such as a burst eardrum, the condition could persist for years.

Individuals with chronic tinnitus may be at risk of developing mental health issues, such as insomnia, anxiety, social isolation, loneliness, and depression. If left unmanaged, the person experiences a dramatic decline in their quality of life and mental health.

Home Remedies for Treating Tinnitus

If you’re suffering from tinnitus and can’t get to a doctor right away, there are many effective home remedies to treat the situation. Try a few of these and see if you gain any relief from your symptoms.

Hearing aids provide some relief to the symptoms, as the hearing devices amplify normal environmental sounds, distracting the brain from the ringing. Hearing Hero is a great device you can order online without a doctor’s prescription. It’s a great device for it’s cost and very user friendly.

Sound therapy also helps to mask the symptoms of tinnitus. White noise or soft background music can help the affected individual deal with the ringing.

Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) – This therapy retrains the auditory system to ignore the ringing. Studies on this therapy show that it’s useful in relieving the symptoms of tinnitus in more than 80-percent of people affected by long-term tinnitus symptoms.

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Symptoms

Another means of reducing tinnitus symptoms – is making changes to your work and home environment. Avoid loud noises wherever you can, and remember to use earplugs and mufflers to reduce your exposure in noisy environments.

For those people living with permanent tinnitus, health professionals recommend that you adjust your diet and lifestyle habits to accommodate a reduction in your symptoms. Stop eating sugar and processed foods that cause inflammation in the digestive system. This inflammation spreads to every other area of the body – including the tissues in your ears.

Stop drinking alcohol and smoking; both of these habits increase tinnitus symptoms. When using earphones, make sure you have the volume setting at a reasonable level. Get in regular exercise to improve circulation.

Diagnosing Tinnitus

Any person experiencing symptoms of tinnitus should visit their medical health practitioner for an examination of their condition. Should the doctor be unable to locate the source of the problem, they may refer you to an audiologist or ear, nose, and throat specialist.

During your diagnosis, your doctor may ask you the following questions to help them with their examination.

  • When did your symptoms start?
  • Is the noise pulsating, intermittent, or constant?
  • Do you have hearing loss?
  • Do you feel dizzy or confused?
  • Is there any pain in your jaw or clicking noise when you chew?
  • Have you experienced a recent injury or infection?
  • Have you experienced exposure to loud noise recently?

The examination may also include;

  • A complete analysis of your upper body, including the shoulders, neck, and head.
  • Hearing examinations to check for hearing loss.
  • Imaging studies using an MRI.
  • Bloodwork tests.

A Hearing Aid Can Help Manage Symptoms

Your specialist may recommend the use of cheap hearing aids to reduce your symptoms. Hearing aid devices that sit in your ear canal can amplify sounds and reduce the ringing noise you experience.

Searching online for the best hearing aids yields thousands of results. Choosing the best hearing aid does not necessarily mean that you should focus on price. Affordable hearing aids often provide the same level of functionality as expensive models.

Read through some hearing aid reviews to get an idea of the hearing aid price range you can expect to pay. Some models retail; for as little as $100, while medical insurance schemes may charge upwards of $5,000 for rechargeable hearing aids.

The best hearing aids fall into a price range of between $100 to $600, and as far as hearing aids cost, we recommend the “HearingHero” as the best device available. The best hearing aids offer different modes for indoor and outdoor use, as well as a volume control that allows you to adjust your settings without removing the device from your ear.

Wrapping Up – Speak to Your Audiologist

Speak to your specialist about the best options available to you. Before you check out with your new hearing aid, send a link to the device to your specialist and ask them for their opinion.

September 10, 2020

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