Having looked at hearing loss last month, this month we will explore the condition of tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition where the sufferer hears noises that are not coming from their surroundings. Sometimes it might take a while for someone to realise the noise is only in their ear having checked everywhere else it could be coming from! Tinnitus is very common, can occur in people of all ages and is not usually a serious condition. Most of the time it will settle down by itself, but in around 1 in 8 sufferers, tinnitus may be persistent.
So what is it? The name tinnitus comes from the Latin word for ringing, although tinnitus can be a range of sounds – ringing, whistling, whooshing, buzzing, hissing or any other noise. The noise can either be constant, or it can happen on and off. The experience of tinnitus is different for everyone who has it. Many people will find they are able to manage it and continue with their normal lives. However, a smaller number of people may find the symptoms very troublesome to the extent they struggle with sleeping or other activities.
The cause of tinnitus is unknown. It is more common in people with hearing loss, or other ear issues, but it also happens to people who have normal hearing. Frequent, prolonged exposure to loud noises increases the risk of getting tinnitus so use of appropriate ear defenders is essential if you work in noisy environments or with loud machinery or tools.
Tinnitus is not a disease or an illness; but is thought to come from some type of change, mental or physical, which may not even be related to hearing. For example, tinnitus can happen when someone is under a lot of stress or if they have poor general wellbeing. Our ears are only one part of our hearing system. They register external sounds and then work with our brains to help us understand the noises we hear. This means we can drown background noise out and focus on relevant sounds. With tinnitus, it is the brain registering a sound rather than the ear itself.
Although the sound of tinnitus may be overwhelming at first, many people find they get used to it and so it is not as obvious with time. It is important to try and keep doing everything as normally as possible when you have tinnitus.
If you are concerned about tinnitus then speak to your GP. They can check your ears for any signs of infection or refer for audiology testing if there is a concern about hearing loss. Sometimes people will be referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat specialists for assessment of tinnitus and to rule out any other underlying causes. Although there is no one specific treatment for tinnitus there are many things that can help. These include relaxation, use of hearing aids, distractor sounds (such as having the radio playing) and addressing any sleep issues. Specialist tinnitus clinics may have access to other treatments such as cognitive behavioural therapy or tinnitus retraining therapy to help severe cases.
For more information and support visit the British Tinnitus Association website www.tinnitus.org.uk
