Let’s set the scene: you’re in your bed at night trying to unwind after a long, exhausting day. You feel yourself starting to drift off to sleep. Then you start to hear it: a buzzing sound in your ears. You’re certain it’s nothing in your room because the TV, radio, and phone are all off. No, this sound is coming from within your ears and you’re not sure how to make it stop.
If this scenario sounds familiar, then odds are that you’re one of the 50 million people who have tinnitus. Ringing, Buzzing, and a variety of other sounds will be heard inside of your ears when you have this problem. The majority of people who have tinnitus think of it as a mere annoyance; it comes and goes but doesn’t really affect their daily lives. But this is not the case with everyone who has tinnitus. For some, it can cause them to Disengage socially, have a hard time working, and to lose sleep.
What’s The Main Cause of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is still a bit of a mystery, but experts have focused in on a few causes for this condition. It appears commonly in individuals who have damaged hearing, and also individuals who have heart problems. It’s believed that tinnitus happens due to restricted blood flow around the ears, which causes the heart to pump blood harder in order for it to get where it needs to go. People who have iron-deficiency anemia often suffer from tinnitus symptoms since their blood cells do not carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, again, works the heart harder to deliver nutrients to the right place, often leading to tinnitus.
Tinnitus also occurs as a result of other conditions, such as Meniere’s disease, ear infections, and ear canal blockages. All of these ailments affect the hearing and lead to scenarios where tinnitus becomes more prevalent. Sometimes treatment can be difficult when the cause of tinnitus is not easily discernible, but that doesn’t mean treatment is impossible.
What Treatments Are Available For Tinnitus?
Depending on the root cause of your tinnitus, there might be several possible treatment options. One relevant thing to take note of, however, is that there is presently no known cure for tinnitus. In spite of this fact, there’s still a good chance that your tinnitus will get better or even vanish altogether because of these treatments.
Research has revealed that hearing aids help cover up tinnitus in people who have hearing loss.
If covering up the noise doesn’t help, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been confirmed to help people deal with the buzzing in their ears that does not disappear with other treatments. This type of mental health treatment helps people turn their negative feelings about tinnitus into more positive, practical thoughts that help them function normally on an every day basis.