It’s very common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Something like 20 million individuals regularly cope with chronic tinnitus so severe that it becomes burdensome. This doesn’t even reference the more common forms of tinnitus, which for most people can come and go without causing a huge impact on their quality of life.
When you hear sounds in your ears that don’t have an outside source and no one else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. It might manifest as a continual buzzing or ringing in the ears. Although hearing loss is often associated with tinnitus, there isn’t necessarily a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
As a matter of fact, tinnitus comes in numerous forms. And each one will require a different approach to treatment.
What is tinnitus?
Exactly what is tinnitus and how is it caused? The first thing to recognize is that tinnitus comes in numerous types and causes. The assorted causes of tinnitus will manifest with similar symptoms. But determining the cause can be essential to identifying the correct treatment strategy.
In some instances, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological problems can be the cause. In other instances, tinnitus might be caused by age-related hearing loss. Here are some of the most prevalent types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Issues with the ear are not always the cause of tinnitus. In some cases, the root cause lies within the brain. If your baseline neurological functions are impaired by injury it can trigger neurological tinnitus. This means that the standard communication between your brain and ears isn’t functioning properly. The result is that you hear a phantom sound that might not be there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the root causes of tinnitus, as well as others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some cases, clear up on its own. It may be irreversible in other circumstances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and doesn’t objectively exist and no one else can hear it. This form of tinnitus includes many other forms of tinnitus also. For example, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and more.
- Objective tinnitus: When the sound you’re hearing in your ears is a real, verifiable sound, it’s known as objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus isn’t quite as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still happens. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is when you hear your heartbeat or pulse, is an illustration of this form of tinnitus. For those with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound usually seems louder than it ought to.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are often rather constant for many individuals coping with them. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. But, somatic tinnitus is different. This is tinnitus that gets worse with movement. Usually, somatic tinnitus is most sensitive to movement of the head or neck areas.
Most of these forms of tinnitus are not necessarily mutually exclusive. You might have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus together, for example. Determining the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment options for your symptoms.
Finding tinnitus support
If your tinnitus is here one minute and gone the next, you most likely don’t need to do anything about it. But if your tinnitus sticks around or returns frequently, it may have real and serious impacts on your day-to-day life. That’s when it’s particularly important to talk to a hearing specialist to receive specialized care and find some relief from your tinnitus.
We have a few different tinnitus management methods we might try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. A few of these techniques can minimize the intensity of your symptoms making them less apparent. We may also use masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Tinnitus can’t generally be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will work with you to formulate treatments that work for your symptoms. That way, you can more easily disregard the buzzing or ringing in your ears, and get back to the life you enjoy.