Tinnitus is an incredibly common condition of the ear. Some estimates indicate that 10 percent of people have tinnitus at one point or another, making it one of the most common health conditions in the world. Even though the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds as well.
While the preponderance of tinnitus may be obvious, the causes are frequently more cloudy. Some of the wide variety of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more permanent.
This is why environmental factors can Have a major impact on tinnitus symptoms. If the background sound of your particular setting is very loud, you might be harming your hearing. This environmental tinnitus may sometimes be long lasting or it might sometimes react to changes to make your environment quieter.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so prevalent)?
When you hear sounds that aren’t really there, that’s tinnitus. Tinnitus typically manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other noises, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are normally rhythmic in nature. Tinnitus will usually clear itself up after a short time period. Though not as common, chronic tinnitus is effectively permanent.
Tinnitus is so common for a couple of reasons. Firstly, environmental factors that can contribute to tinnitus are rather prevalent. The second reason is that tinnitus is usually a symptom of a root condition or injury. And there are lots of conditions and injuries that can result in tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather common for these reasons.
How can the environment affect tinnitus?
There are a wide variety of factors that can contribute to tinnitus symptoms, including ototoxic chemicals and medications. But when it involves “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest culprit. Some locations, such as noisy city streets, can get very loud. Likewise, anybody who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment worsening their tinnitus.
These environmental factors can be exceptionally significant when considering your hearing health.
As with hearing loss, noise-associated damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. In these situations, the resulting tinnitus is often chronic in nature. Here are some of the most prevalent noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Music: Many people will frequently listen to their music at loud volumes. Tinnitus will frequently be the result if you do this frequently.
- Noise in the workplace: It might come as a surprise that many workplaces, sometimes even offices, are fairly noisy. Tinnitus can eventually result from being in these settings for eight hours a day, whether it’s industrial equipment or the din of lots of people talking in an office.
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes be caused by loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long duration. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this kind of noise.
- Traffic: Traffic in heavily populated areas can be much louder than you may expect it to be. And noise damage can happen at a lower volume than you might expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these noisy locations.
People frequently mistakenly think damage to their ears will only happen at extreme volume levels. Consequently, it’s important to wear hearing protection before you think you may need it. Noise related tinnitus symptoms can often be avoided altogether by doing this.
If I have tinnitus, what should I do?
So, does tinnitus resolve? Well, in some cases it may. But your symptoms might be irreversible in some cases. There’s no way to identify which is which at the outset. If you have tinnitus because of noise damage, even if your tinnitus does clear up, your risk of having your tinnitus come back and become chronic is much more probable.
People tend to underestimate the minimum volume that damage starts to occur, which is the most significant contributing factor to its advancement. Damage has likely already occurred if you’re experiencing tinnitus. This means that there are a number of things that you should do to change your environment so as to prevent more permanent damage.
Here are some tips you can try:
- If possible, try to lower environmental volume. If you have any machinery that’s not in use, turn it off, and shut the windows if it’s noisy outside, for example.
- Using hearing protection (either earplugs or earmuffs) in order to prevent damage. Noise canceling headphones can also be an asset in this regard.
- If you’re in a noisy setting, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
Dealing with symptoms
Lots of people who experience persistent tinnitus find the symptoms to be enormously distracting and unpleasant. As a result, they often ask: how do you calm tinnitus?
You should give us a call for an appointment if you are hearing a persistent buzzing or ringing in your ears. We can help you figure out the best way to address your specific situation. For the majority of cases of persistent tinnitus, there’s no cure. Symptom management might include the following:
- White noise devices: Utilizing a white noise device around your home can help you tune out your tinnitus in some instances.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits similarly to a hearing aid and plays sounds to mask your symptoms. The precise calibration of your device will depend on your specific symptoms.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the help of a specialist, which will progressively retrain the way you process sound.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify other sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus.
- Relaxation techniques: Tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be aggravated by high blood pressure. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be eased by utilizing relaxation techniques like meditation, for instance.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. A good first step would be to safeguard your hearing by controlling your environment.
But addressing and controlling tinnitus is possible. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan for you. For some people, dealing with your tinnitus might simply mean using a white noise machine. For others, management may be more demanding.
Learn how to best manage your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!
