It isn’t uncommon for individuals to have ringing in their ears, also called tinnitus. It’s one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world with some estimates suggesting that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one point or another. Even though the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds too.
While the prevalence of tinnitus might be obvious, the causes are often more cloudy. In part, that’s because tinnitus may be caused by a wide array of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be really important. If the background sound of your particular environment is very noisy, you may be harming your hearing. This environmental tinnitus may sometimes be permanent or it might sometimes react to changes to make your environment quieter.
What is tinnitus (and why is it so common)?
Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear a noise that isn’t actually there. Tinnitus typically manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other sounds, like screeching, thumping, or humming. Normally, the sounds are constant or rhythmic. For the majority of people, tinnitus will manifest over a short period of time before solving itself and going away. Though not as common, chronic tinnitus is effectively permanent.
Tinnitus is so common for a couple of reasons. The first is that the environmental factors that play a role in tinnitus are also quite common (more on that soon). Root conditions and injuries can bring about tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. And there are lots of conditions and injuries that can result in tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather common for these reasons.
How is tinnitus impacted by environmental factors?
Other things can also cause tinnitus, including ototoxic medications and chemicals. However, when the majority of people talk about “environment” when it comes to tinnitus, they actually mean the noise. Some locations, such as noisy city streets, can get really loud. Likewise, anyone who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment worsening their tinnitus.
These environmental factors can be incredibly significant when considering your hearing health.
As with hearing loss, noise-induced damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. In these cases, the resulting tinnitus tends to be chronic in nature. Here are some of the most prevalent noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Traffic: Traffic in heavily populated areas can be a lot louder than you might expect it to be. And noise damage can happen at a lower volume than you may expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the outcome of long commutes in these noisy settings.
- Music: Many people will frequently listen to their music at loud volumes. Doing this on a regular basis can frequently result in tinnitus symptoms.
- Events: If noise is loud enough, even over short periods, tinnitus can sometimes be the outcome. For instance, going to a concert or using firearms can both trigger tinnitus if the volumes reach a high enough level.
- Noise in the workplace: It might come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are pretty 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.
People often wrongly think hearing damage will only occur at extreme volume levels. For this reason, hearing protection should be used at lower volumes than you might expect. Noise associated tinnitus symptoms can often be avoided altogether by doing this.
What should I do if I’m experiencing tinnitus?
So, does tinnitus resolve? Perhaps, in some cases. But your symptoms might be irreversible in some instances. Initially, it’s basically impossible to tell which is which. If you have tinnitus because of noise damage, even if your tinnitus does clear up, your risk of having your tinnitus return and become chronic is a lot more likely.
Individuals often underestimate the minimum volume that damage starts to happen, which is the most significant contributing factor to its development. If you experience tinnitus, your body is telling you that damage has already probably occurred. This means that there are a number of things that you should do to alter your environment so as to prevent more irreparable damage.
For example, you could try:
- If possible, try to lower environmental volume. For instance, you could shut the windows if you live in a noisy area or turn off industrial equipment that is not in use.
- Prevent damage by using hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. Noise canceling headphones can also be an asset in this regard.
- If you’re in a loud setting, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
How to manage your symptoms
The symptoms of tinnitus are frequently a big distraction and are quite uncomfortable for the majority of individuals who deal with them. Because of this, they often ask: how do you calm tinnitus?
You should give us a call for an appointment if you’re hearing a persistent buzzing or ringing in your ears. We can help you figure out the best way to regulate your specific situation. For the majority of cases of persistent tinnitus, there’s no cure. Symptom management may include the following:
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the assistance of a specialist, which will slowly retrain the way you process sound.
- White noise devices: In some cases, you can tune out some of your tinnitus symptoms by using a white noise generator around your home.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been associated with an increase in the severity of tinnitus symptoms. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by using relaxation techniques like meditation, for instance.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify outside sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits similarly to a hearing aid and plays sounds that mask your symptoms. Your device will be specifically calibrated to mask your symptoms of tinnitus.
Tinnitus has no cure. That’s why controlling your environment to protect your hearing is a practical first step.
But tinnitus can be addressed and treated. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to develop a specific treatment plan for you. For some people, managing your tinnitus might simply mean making use of a white noise machine. In other cases, a more extensive approach may be necessary.
Learn how to best control your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!