Tinnitus is an extremely common condition of the ear. It’s one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world with some estimates indicating that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one point or another. Although the most common manifestation of tinnitus is a phantom ringing or buzzing in your ear, it can also present as other sounds as well.
While the prevalence of tinnitus might be evident, the causes are often more opaque. Some of the wide variety of tinnitus causes are temporary, while others can be more permanent.
This is why environmental factors can Have a major impact on tinnitus symptoms. After all, every environment has a soundscape, and when that soundscape is loud, you could be doing damage to your ears. This environmental tinnitus might sometimes be permanent or it may sometimes respond to changes to make your environment quieter.
Why do so many individuals experience tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition in which you hear a sound that isn’t really there. Tinnitus usually manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other noises, like screeching, thumping, or humming. The sounds are typically rhythmic in nature. For the majority of individuals, tinnitus will manifest over a short period of time before solving itself and going away. In less common cases, tinnitus may become effectively permanent, a condition known as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus is so common for a couple of reasons. The first is that the environmental factors that play a role in tinnitus are also quite common (more on that in a bit). Root conditions and injuries can bring about tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. In other words, there are lots of such injuries or conditions that can result in tinnitus. Consequently, tinnitus tends to be quite common.
How is tinnitus affected by environmental factors?
There are a wide variety of factors that can bring about tinnitus symptoms, including ototoxic chemicals and medicines. However, when the majority of individuals discuss “environment” in terms of tinnitus, they actually mean the noise. Some locations, such as noisy city streets, can get quite loud. Somebody would be in danger of environmental tinnitus, for example, if they worked around loud industrial equipment.
When evaluating the state of your health, these environmental factors are really significant.
As with hearing loss, noise-associated damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. When tinnitus is due to noise damage, it’s usually chronic and frequently permanent. Here are some of the most prevalent noise-related causes of tinnitus:
- Music: Many people will often listen to their music at high volumes. Doing this on a consistent basis can often trigger tinnitus symptoms.
- Noise in the workplace: It could come as a surprise that many workplaces, sometimes even offices, are fairly loud. Tinnitus can eventually result from being in these settings for eight hours a day, whether it’s industrial equipment or the din of lots of people talking in an office.
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes result from loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long duration. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are instances of this type of noise.
- Traffic: You may not even recognize how loud traffic can be in heavily populated places. And you may not even realize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you may expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the result of long commutes in these loud locations.
People frequently mistakenly believe hearing damage will only happen at extreme volume levels. Because of this, hearing protection should be utilized at lower volumes than you might expect. Hearing protection can help you avoid tinnitus symptoms from developing in the first place.
What should I do if I have tinnitus?
Will tinnitus go away on its own? Well, in some instances it could. In other situations, your symptoms could be permanent. There’s no way to identify which is which at the beginning. If you have tinnitus because of noise damage, even if your tinnitus does clear up, your risk of having your tinnitus return and become chronic is a lot more probable.
One of the most main contributing factors to the development of tinnitus is that individuals tend to underestimate the volume at which damage occurs to their ears. Damage has likely already occurred if you’re experiencing tinnitus. If this is the case, finding and changing the source of the noise damage is essential to prevent further damage.
For instance, you could try:
- If possible, try to lower environmental volume. If you have any machinery that’s not in use, turn it off, and shut the windows if it’s noisy outside, for example.
- If you’re in a noisy environment, limit the amount of exposure time and give your ears rests.
- Prevent damage by utilizing hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. Noise canceling headphones can also be an asset in this regard.
How to handle your symptoms
Lots of people who experience chronic tinnitus find the symptoms to be enormously disruptive and uncomfortable. As a result, they frequently ask: how do you quiet tinnitus?
You should call us for an appointment if you are hearing a persistent buzzing or ringing in your ears. We can help you determine the best way to manage your particular situation. There’s no cure for the majority of forms of chronic tinnitus. Here are a number of ways to manage the symptoms:
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been associated with an increase in the severity of tinnitus symptoms. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by utilizing relaxation techniques like meditation, for instance.
- White noise devices: Utilizing a white noise device around your house can help you tune out your tinnitus in some instances.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the help of a specialist, which will gradually retrain the way you process sound.
- Hearing aid: This can help amplify other sounds and, as a result, drown out the ringing or buzzing created by tinnitus.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits similarly to a hearing aid and plays sounds that mask your symptoms. Your device will be specially calibrated to mask your symptoms of tinnitus.
Tinnitus is not curable. A good first step would be to protect your hearing by controlling your environment.
But treating and controlling tinnitus is possible. We’ll be able to develop a specific treatment plan according to your hearing, your tinnitus, and your lifestyle. For some, dealing with your tinnitus may simply mean utilizing a white noise machine. In other situations, a more intensive approach may be needed.
Learn how to best manage your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!
