Many people don’t know whether to call tinnitus a condition, symptom, or disease. The reality is that tinnitus is somewhat understood. Though most professionals refer to tinnitus as a symptom, more research is needed to uncover the specifics of tinnitus.
In this article, we’re detailing some of the myths people associate with tinnitus. Though there is no known cure for tinnitus, there are many different treatment options you can commit to, including cognitive behavioral therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy, and even some supplemental therapies, such as Tinnitus 911.
If you suffer from tinnitus, know that you are not alone and that tinnitus is very real. Continue reading to learn more about how you can potentially combat tinnitus.
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Are People with Tinnitus Crazy?
Despite the fact that tinnitus refers to an internal sound that has no external cause, it is nonetheless possible for it to exist. There are numerous ways in which tinnitus-related noises might appear.
Even while certain forms of tinnitus are technically in the head, you do not imagine any of the noises you hear, including ringing, buzzing, whistling, chirping, hissing, roaring, humming, or decreasing.
You might hear tinnitus in one or both ears and it can seem to be in the ear or coming from a distance. It might be intermittent, steady, or pulsing. You might swear it’s there and no one else might be able to hear it but that doesn’t mean tinnitus isn’t real.
Most everyone has had tinnitus at some point in their lives. It most often occurs after being exposed to extremely loud noise. Either after attending a concert, or taking medications you might experience tinnitus.
Whenever you notice tinnitus, it doesn’t mean you are going crazy, it means you are like many other people suffering from the same condition.
Chronic Tinnitus
If you experience tinnitus longer for longer than six months, you have what’s referred to as chronic tinnitus. As many as 50-60 million people in the United States alone suffer from chronic conditions and it is especially common for people over the age of 55.
While tinnitus is strongly associated with hearing loss, it is not the only cause of tinnitus even though it can be a strong indicator of someone losing their hearing.
Occasionally, tinnitus can be a sign of a deeper medical problem. More often than not, however, it is subjective. Objective tinnitus means there is a discernible noise causing tinnitus. For example, if you have a heart murmur, you might experience a whooshing sound with your heartbeat. Your clinician will also be able to hear this sound through a stethoscope. Some people can also hear their heartbeat in their ears.
This phenomenon is called pulsatile tinnitus and it is more likely to occur in older people because blood runs more turbulent in arteries that stiffen with age. Pulsatile tinnitus is typically more noticeable at night while you’re lying in bed because fewer external sounds are happening at that time.
Because chronic tinnitus can be a serious condition, you should not take it lightly. If you are experiencing chronic tinnitus, you should see a doctor. The low-grade inflammation that can potentially cause tinnitus can turn into a silent killer contributing to cancer, type-2 diabetes, and other medical conditions.
Chronic tinnitus can be unpredictable and sometimes, symptoms remain the same. In others, chronic tinnitus gets worse. In around ten percent of cases, the condition can interfere with everyday life so much so that people need professional attention.
What Happens In the Ear with Tinnitus?
Sound waves enter the body through the ear canal into the middle and inner ear where hair cells trigger reactions to the brain to decipher electrical signals. When these hair cells become damaged, either by loud noise or ototoxic drugs, your brain stops being able to decipher the signals they hear.
The damage to these hair cells is thought to be the reason why the brain seemingly hears noises when it doesn’t.
Some Drugs Can Worsen Tinnitus
Some anti-inflammatory drugs, including ibuprofen and naproxen, can worsen the presence of tinnitus in the ear. Some antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, gentamicin, erythromycin, tetracycline, tobramycin, and vancomycin can worsen the presence of tinnitus. Some antimalarial drugs, such as chloroquine and quinine can worsen chronic tinnitus as well.
Managing Tinnitus
Treating tinnitus requires a multi-faceted approach. You can treat tinnitus by treating the anxiety and depression that comes with it as well as incorporating other strategies such as tinnitus retraining therapy, which trains the brain to filter and become comfortable with certain frequencies.
A hearing aid can potentially treat hearing-loss-related tinnitus but there is no FDA-approved drug treatment for tinnitus and controlled trials have found no drug, supplement, or herb to effectively treat tinnitus. Behavioral strategies have been the most effective treatment against tinnitus.
Debunking Myths About Tinnitus
Is Tinnitus Real?
If you think tinnitus might not be real, then you will have to contend with the contrary opinion of about 30 million people who say it is. However, despite how common tinnitus is, it is widely misunderstood and there is no known cure for tinnitus.
Tinnitus Is Only Ringing
Although tinnitus frequently results in ear ringing, it can also produce a variety of other sounds. Additionally, it can produce pulsating, the sound of the ocean, dial tones, roaring, clicking, hissing, static, whistling, whistling, screeching, and even music.
Tinnitus Is Imaginary
Because there is no external cause for tinnitus noises, many people believe people are making it up. However, the sound is very real to anyone who experiences tinnitus. In some cases, the sound of tinnitus can be heard by other people using a small microphone.
In milder cases, tinnitus will have very little impact on someone’s life. However, for others with more severe cases of tinnitus, it can cause stress, fatigue, stress, sleep issues, and anxiety.
Nothing Can Be Done About Tinnitus
There is no known cure for tinnitus but there are treatments that have shown promising results. Tinnitus treatment has advanced significantly in recent years and most people can lead normal, happy lives.
How Is Tinnitus Diagnosed?
TInnitus is not a condition or disease. It’s a symptom of other conditions. A medical provider will be able to diagnose your tinnitus and provide a recommended treatment protocol.
1. Physical Exam
The doctor will check your ears for any obvious problems. They will initially rule out any chance of pulsatile tinnitus.
2. Medical History
Doctors will ask if any of your family members have hearing loss, if you spend time around loud noises, or if you heard loud noises from a single event. They will also ask what medications you are taking.
3. Hearing Test
the hearing test will check your ability to hear a wide range of tones and it will display your results on an audiogram.
4. Tympanometry
your provider will check your eardrum to rule out a torn eardrum.
5. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
A magnetic resonance imaging process details images of your body without exposing it to X-rays.