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Have you ever settled down after a busy day, only to hear ringing, buzzing or swooshing in your ears? The technical term for this is tinnitus and it can be incredibly stressful. This is because the sound of tinnitus can feel inescapable, especially when all you crave is peace and quiet. It’s important to understand that if you have tinnitus, that you are not alone. The University of California Irvine has just released a study, revealing that 1 in 10 adults in the US deal with the condition.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is most commonly described as a ringing of the ears, but can be perceived as a woosh, buzz, hum or roar. It has no external source, as it comes directly from your brain’s perception. Old wives’ tales and superstitions attributed the buzz of tinnitus as a sign that people were speaking your name, however, scientists believe differently. Researchers believe that this condition occurs as the cells of the inner ear become damaged. The cells of the inner ear are responsible for sending sound to the brain but when damage occurs due to noise exposure, head trauma or old age, it can cause the cells to send feedback to the brain. This feedback is what is perceived as tinnitus.
More Common Than Expected
The alarming discovery of the prevalence of tinnitus in the US came from a study at UC Irvine. They collected surveyed data from over 75,000 adult subjects and found that in the U.S. population of just over 222 million, approximately 9.6% or 21.4 million people have a recent experience of tinnitus. This equaled approximately one in every ten people in the US over just one year.
The Severity of Tinnitus
The important thing to understand is that tinnitus affects everyone differently. A little buzz every now and then may only be minorly distracting but as tinnitus becomes worse it can be very stressful. Out of the respondents with tinnitus, over one-third (36%) experienced tinnitus constantly, while over a quarter (27%) reported having dealt with tinnitus for 15 years or longer. What the UC Irvine study found was, about 7% of respondents viewed tinnitus as a major problem while just over 40 percent described their tinnitus as a minor health issue. While rare, when tinnitus is chronic like this it can have devastating effects on mental health and the ability to rest. The presence of tinnitus can cause stress and stress make the effects of tinnitus more severe, causing a chain reaction. When people settle down to sleep only to be confronted with the devastating buzz of tinnitus it can cause insomnia and anxiety, which can make people less alert and focused during the day. This leaves people more prone to accidents and chronic mental health issues.
Treating Tinnitus
Because tinnitus is caused by damage to the cells of the inner ear, there is no cure for it. However, there are many different treatment strategies for reducing symptoms. Many of these rely on your actual response to tinnitus. For instance, cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of talking, in which the therapist helps you to focus on how you react to tinnitus when it presents itself. Many people also have luck reducing tinnitus by focusing on stress reduction. Exercise and yoga can cause calm and focus which can lessen the ringing. Many have found that by using meditation as a daily practice, they are able to let the ringing of tinnitus simply slip away.
Using Hearing Aids to Treat Tinnitus
Many live for years with hearing loss and don’t realize they have it. Meanwhile devastating side effects such as cognitive decline and low self-esteem have already begun to develop. It’s important to understand that tinnitus is one of the most common signs that you have hearing loss. Hearing loss is often caused by damage to the inner ear, which is the same for tinnitus. However, by treating their hearing loss it is possible to lessen the feedback caused by tinnitus. Many hearing aids offer state-of-the-art tinnitus masking features, which match the pitch of your tinnitus and make it virtually unnoticeable. The first step in discovering if hearing aids are right for you is to make an appointment for a hearing test. We can help you find the best treatment for your hearing and your tinnitus.