Let’s set the stage: you’re lying in bed at night trying to relax after a long, tiring day. Your eyelids are starting to get heavy and you recognize that your about to fall asleep. Then you start to hear it: a ringing sound inside your ears. Your TV, radio, and phone are all off so you’re sure it’s nothing in your room. No, this sound is coming from inside your ears and you don’t know how to stop it.
If this scenario sounds familiar, then it’s likely that you’re one of the 50 million people that suffer from tinnitus. Ringing, Buzzing, and various other noises will be heard in your ears when you suffer from this problem. The majority of people who have tinnitus consider it a mere inconvenience; they notice it now and again but it doesn’t really impact their daily lives. For other individuals, however, tinnitus can be devastating and cause them to lose sleep and have difficulty performing work and social activities.
What’s The Primary Cause of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus remains somewhat of a mystery, but specialists have narrowed down a few causes for this condition. It shows up commonly in individuals who have damaged hearing, and also individuals who have heart problems. It’s believed that tinnitus happens due to restricted blood flow around the ears, which makes the heart pump blood harder in order for it to get where it needs to go. People who have iron-deficiency anemia commonly suffer from tinnitus symptoms because 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 symptom of other conditions, like ear infections, canal blockages, and Meniere’s disease. All of these ailments affect the hearing and result in scenarios where tinnitus becomes more prevalent. At times treatment can be challenging when the cause of tinnitus is not evident, but that doesn’t mean treatment isn’t possible.
What Treatments Are Available For Tinnitus?
There are a number of treatments out there to help stop the buzzing in your ears, all dependent on the underlying cause of your tinnitus. One relevant thing to take note of, however, is that there is currently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments can still offer a good possibility for your tinnitus to improve or disappear completely.
Studies have revealed that hearing aids help cover up tinnitus in individuals who suffer from hearing loss.
If covering up the noise isn’t helpful, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to help people live with the buzzing in their ears that does not disappear with other treatments. This mental health type of therapy can help individuals who have tinnitus to function more normally on a day to day basis by helping them transform their negative thinking into a more positive outlook.