Let’s set the scene: You’re lying in bed attempting to sleep after a long stressful day. You feel yourself starting to drift off to sleep. Then as you lie there in the quiet of the night, you start to notice the sound of buzzing in your ears. You’re certain it’s nothing in your room because the TV, radio, and phone are all off. No, this noise is coming from inside your ears and you’re not sure how to stop it.
If this situation sounds familiar, 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 substantial impact on their lives besides being a simple irritation. For other individuals, unfortunately, tinnitus can be debilitating and cause them to lose sleep and have difficulty performing work and social activities.
What’s The Underlying Cause of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is still a bit of a mystery, but this condition has been narrowed down to a handful of causes. It appears mostly in people who have damaged hearing, as well as individuals who have heart problems. Reduced blood flow around the ears is commonly thought to be the underlying 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 frequently suffer from tinnitus symptoms since their blood cells do not carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, once again, makes the heart work overtime to get oxygen and other nutrients where they need to go.
Tinnitus also occurs as a result of other conditions, like Meniere’s disease, ear infections, and ear canal blockages. Scenarios where tinnitus becomes more pronounced occur with all of these condition because they all affect the hearing. In other cases, there may not be an easily discernible cause of tinnitus, which can make treatment challenging, but not impossible.
Is There Any Treatment For Tinnitus?
There are a number of treatments available to help stop the ringing in your ears, all dependent on the root cause of your tinnitus. One important thing to note, however, is that there is currently no known cure for tinnitus. In spite of this fact, there’s still a good chance that your tinnitus will get better or even fade away altogether due to these treatments.
Studies have revealed that hearing aids help mask tinnitus in people who suffer from hearing loss.
If masking the noise isn’t helpful, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help people deal with the ringing in their ears that doesn’t disappear with other treatments. This type of mental health therapy helps patients turn their negative ideas about tinnitus into more positive, realistic thoughts that help them function normally on a day to day basis.