Everything you need to know about Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a very common hearing condition and affects around 300 million people worldwide. Sufferers hear a phantom noise, even when they are in a completely silent place. For most people, these noises will come and go, and they are usually brought on if something triggers them, but there are some people who hear it all the time.

Unfortunately, there is no known cure for tinnitus at this moment in time, but that doesn’t bother sufferers too much. Once they get used to the sounds, they find that having tinnitus isn’t all that difficult to live with.

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If you have recently been diagnosed with this condition, you will no doubt want to learn as much as possible about it. Here’s our quick guide to everything you need to know.

The Causes Of Tinnitus

Firstly, let’s look at what exactly causes tinnitus. Unfortunately, it just develops in some people and there are no definitive causes for it. In most people, though, it is often brought on after being exposed to high volume levels for prolonged periods of time. For instance, some people develop it after repeatedly going to loud converts without wearing the correct kinds of ear protection. There are a few other causes of it, which can be less common, including old-age, a build-up of wax, high blood pressure, and stress.

What Does Tinnitus Sound Like?

You might be wondering what the sound of tinnitus is. There isn’t one definitive noise that all sufferers hear - everyone has a different phantom sound in their head! Here are some of the most common noises that tinnitus sufferers claim to hear:

• Buzzing
• Hissing
• Whirring
• Clicking
• Ringing

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What You Can Do About Tinnitus

When people are first diagnosed with tinnitus, they initially worry that the sounds they hear will take over their lives. Thankfully, things don’t usually get that bad. There is plenty of great tips for tinnitus relief that you can use, which should prevent the phantom noises in your head driving you insane! Here are a few things you might like to try:

• Speak to an ENT doctor. They will be able to make sure that there are no underlying medical factors that are actually causing the tinnitus. If there are and they are treatable then the tinnitus should disappear once the medical factors are sorted.
• Try to relax. Stress can make tinnitus flair up - the noises might become louder than usual and a lot more constant when you are on edge. If you take plenty of breaks throughout the day and make sure that you fully relax in the evenings and at weekends, then you should be able to eliminate a lot of stress. Hopefully, this should make your tinnitus a lot more manageable.
• Speak to someone. There are a lot of support groups for tinnitus sufferers up and down the country. It could be worth joining one so that you can meet people in a similar position to you.

All of these tips should help you adapt to life with tinnitus.