Tinnitus is an often debilitating hearing condition, characterized by ringing ears and other interfering noises, stemming from an array of causes. The proportion of Americans suffering from this continues to grow (over 50,000,000 now), making it a significant concern for audiologists.
If you’re less familiar with the condition, we’d like to go over the most common reasons tinnitus can inhibit one’s quality of life. We’ll finish by offering ways to address the problem with the support of Coastal Hearing Care.
Constant Ringing, Whooshing, & Other Relentless Noises
Tinnitus manifests in a few different ways, depending on the underlying root cause. The ringing may be almost constant, it may follow the rhythm of your heartbeat, or attack more sporadically. Then there are patients who report experiencing more of a “whooshing” sound in one or both ears. In fact, there’s even an online support group, Whooshers.com, for folks with this condition, often associated with pulsatile tinnitus. Finally, there are others who complain of a “buzzing” or “whirring” irritation.
Sleep Disturbances
What happens when the ringing becomes so intense that you can’t ignore it long enough to sleep? That’s an unfortunate reality for millions of tinnitus-suffering Americans. Sometimes, when tinnitus is only present in one ear, a person may have to be extra attentive not to sleep on that ear, or risk making the condition even worse.
Anxiety, Depression, and Distress
If you endure this problem for a long time, without seeking help or treatment, it’s common to develop psychological trouble like anxiety, depression, and despair. Our mission is to help tinnitus patients not fall into dangerous thought patterns of helplessness when besieged by agonizing ringing.
Physical Pain
Yes, tinnitus may accompany other physical maladies, including sensitivity to sounds. The condition known as “hyperacusis” makes a patient especially vulnerable to certain high pitches that compound the ringing problem further.
What You Can Do to Address Tinnitus
The first thing you should do is arrange a hearing exam so that a professional can diagnose the problem. We offer free consultations for all of our new patients. Remember, though, that tinnitus can come from dozens of potential causes, and experts are still studying this condition, which lacks a definitive cure.
After we’ve discovered the scope and extent of the problem, we can determine whether to administer hearing aids, remove ear wax blockages, or rehabilitative techniques. Audiologists, for example, can implement treatment protocols that help you train your brain to override the repetitive ear ringing. Therefore, if you’ve had this issue for a long time, there’s still plenty of hope, provided you reach out to an auditory professional.
Coastal Hearing Care, located in Bradenton, Florida, can help you decide how to approach any tinnitus condition. Our trained and experienced audiology staff can assist with various treatment options such as hearing aids, clearing ear wax impaction, or tinnitus retraining therapy. Call us anytime to schedule an appointment or learn more at 941-229-2122.