The problem with tinnitus is that it is not a disease or illness. For that reason, it is not only extremely difficult to say what causes tinnitus in general, but also what has caused one person’s tinnitus specifically. However, there are some common causes which are often at the root of the problem.
Getting Older
If you are advancing in age, you may notice that you have tinnitus. In fact, you may have had it for a while and not noticed. This is to do with the number of cells in your inner ear decreasing as you age. As the cells decrease and your hearing loss increases, you hear less external noises, so your tinnitus becomes more noticeable.
Prolonged Loud Noises
If you have ever been to a rock concert or worked in a noisy environment for a short amount of time, you will almost certainly have experienced ‘ringing in the ear’. If you are exposed to loud noises over a long period of time i.e. months or years, then that ‘ringing’ may become permanent, which is why you should always wear ear protection in noisy environments.
Increased Stress
This is one of those ‘chicken and egg’ situations and demonstrates why tinnitus is so difficult to treat. It’s not actually known whether tinnitus is caused by stress or whether being more stressed makes tinnitus more noticeable. Either way, reducing stress in your life will probably lessen the amount of tinnitus you suffer from.
Ear Wax or Infections
While not a guaranteed cause of tinnitus, there is some suggestion that wax build up in your ears or ear infections may lead to tinnitus. If your tinnitus suddenly comes on, book an appointment with your GP to get checked out. If you don’t have a build-up of ear wax or an infection, at least your doctor may be able to tell you if you’re suffering from hearing loss while you’re there.
Specific Medications
Some medicines, such as aspirin and antibiotics, are known as ototoxins. These may affect your hearing if you have to take them for a prolonged amount of time. If you need medication, ask your GP if the medication has any side-effects related to hearing. If so, you could ask if there are any alternatives or if it would be possible to look into other ways to treat what ails you.
Mental Health
Finally, there seems to be a definite link between the way people feel and tinnitus. We have already mentioned stress but you may also notice the effects of tinnitus more if you are feeling anxious or depressed. If that is the case, try to do some exercises to help you calm down or join a yoga class, both of which have been shown to lessen tinnitus.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you have tried lots of different remedies to lessen your tinnitus and nothing seems to work, then you may want to look into a way to remotely and discreetly control your tinnitus relief program. If that’s the case, you may want to check out Miracle-Ear, a company that has over 70 years of experience in relieving the negative effects of hearing loss and finding solutions to other hearing-related problems.
