Most of us have experienced a ringing in our ears every now and then. Sometimes it comes on as you are attempting to drift off to sleep or perhaps it appears after exposure to loud sound. This is tinnitus and it can come and go for most, however, nearly 20 million people in the United States report experiencing tinnitus so burdensome that it interferes with daily life and around 2 million report debilitating tinnitus. While there is no cure for tinnitus the good news is that there are several treatment options to lessen the symptoms. Different methods work better for different people so knowing all your options can help you find the one that may be right for you.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is often described as a ringing, buzzing, hum, whoosh, roar, hiss, or even phantom music which seems to be coming from your own mind. While no one knows exactly what causes tinnitus the most popular theory is related to hearing and ear health. While not everyone with hearing loss has tinnitus, 90 percent of those who report tinnitus also have hearing loss. Hearing loss in most cases occurs when damage is inflicted on the tiny hair-like cells which are the sole delivery system of sound to the brain. These cells are extremely fragile and can sustain damage due to exposure to loud noise, ototoxic medications or chemicals, impact to the head, infection, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or even just changes to the ears as we age. When this occurs, it’s believed that the cells often send a sort of unintentional feedback to the brain which many report as the symptoms of tinnitus.
Tinnitus sound therapies
Tinnitus is perceived meaning that it’s important to consider our response when it arrives. It can often be met with stress and as most of us know, when we are stressed about something, we are worried about becoming front and center in our consciousness. Sound therapy uses a process known as habituation to retrain the way the brain interprets tinnitus. Habituation is a form of non-associative learning in which an innate response to a stimulus decreases after repeated or prolonged presentations. With repeated exposure, the brain learns to reclassify the unwanted sound as something neutral or unimportant.
Stress Reduction
Tinnitus can be stressful. Anything you can do to reduce stress may also help to reduce the perceived impact of tinnitus. This includes meditation, which asks you to sit in quiet and focus on simply just existing and nothing more. It’s much harder than it may sound, but once you truly focus many report that the sensations of tinnitus simply drift away. While this is not a permanent solution, regular practice can reduce symptoms and stress over time. In addition, many people report finding success for tinnitus relief in regular exercise, yoga and even acupuncture. Not only will you feel better but the symptoms of tinnitus are often less noticeable.
Medications for tinnitus
There are medications for tinnitus though it’s not a recognized standard. However, some people report experiencing a reduction of symptoms when using antidepressants
Behavioral treatment options for tinnitus
Mental health care is a key aspect of addressing tinnitus. In fact, the Journal of Family Practice states “some patients experience extreme anxiety or depression in response to tinnitus and should be referred to a mental health professional on the day they present with symptoms.” A therapist with experience treating tinnitus will most likely use a combination of sound-based and tinnitus-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy to help you manage the emotional impact of tinnitus and present new perspectives in how to address the issue.
Hearing aids for tinnitus
Because tinnitus is a perceived sensation it’s important that you are open and can explain what is going on. Due to the fact that hearing loss is so common for those who experience tinnitus, addressing a hearing loss with hearing aids may also reduce tinnitus symptoms. Hearing aids can reduce your awareness of tinnitus while you are wearing them because they amplify the sounds you want to hear, helping distract your brain from the unwanted sounds. In addition, we can ask you questions and offer samples of tinnitus sounds to find the one you are experiencing. This is helpful because many hearing aids now have options to mask tinnitus, by identifying the pitch which is causing the distraction.
Regain quality of life
Tinnitus unaddressed can be more disruptive than many would suspect, interrupting sleep, causing chronic stress, and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Start taking your tinnitus seriously now by scheduling a hearing exam with us today. We can offer these and many more solutions to help address that buzz now!