Let’s set the scene: You’re lying in bed trying to fall asleep after a long tiring day. You feel yourself beginning to drift off to sleep. Then as you’re lying there in the quiet of the night, you begin to notice the sound of buzzing in your ears. Your phone, TV, and radio are all off so you’re sure it’s nothing inside your room. Unfortunately, this sound is inside your ears and it won’t stop.
If this situation sounds familiar, then chances are that you’re one of the 50 million people who have tinnitus. Buzzing, ringing, and a variety of other sounds will be heard in your ears when you have this problem. For the majority of people, tinnitus won’t have a significant impact on their lives beyond being a simple inconvenience. But this is not the case with everybody who has tinnitus. For some, it can cause them to lose sleep, to disengage socially, and to have a hard time working.
What’s The Primary Cause of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus remains somewhat of a mystery, but this condition has been narrowed down to a few causes. It appears commonly in individuals who have damaged hearing, and also individuals who have heart problems. Reduced blood flow around the ears is commonly considered to be the main cause of tinnitus. This causes the heart to work harder to pump blood to where it’s needed. People who have iron-deficiency anemia frequently experience tinnitus symptoms because their blood cells do not carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, once again, works the heart harder to get nutrients to the correct place, often resulting in tinnitus.
Tinnitus also occurs as a symptom of other conditions, like Meniere’s disease, ear infections, and ear canal blockages. Scenarios where tinnitus becomes more pronounced happen with all of these condition because they all affect the hearing. In other situations, there might not be an easily discernible cause of tinnitus, which can make treatment challenging, but not impossible.
Is There Any Treatment For Tinnitus?
Depending on the root cause of your tinnitus, there may be a number of possible treatment options. One relevant thing to note, however, is that there is presently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments can still present a good possibility for your tinnitus to get better or disappear altogether.
Studies have shown that hearing aids help mask tinnitus in individuals who suffer from hearing loss.
If covering up the noise doesn’t help, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to help people deal with the ringing in their ears that doesn’t disappear with other treatments. This type of mental health treatment helps patients change their negative thoughts about tinnitus into more positive, realistic thoughts that will help them function normally on a day to day basis.