Tinnitus is an exceptionally common condition of the ear. It’s one of the most prevalent health conditions in the world with some estimates suggesting that up to 10 percent of the population experiences it at one point or another. The condition manifests as a sound in the ear that isn’t really there, typically, it’s a buzzing or ringing, but tinnitus can take the form of other sounds also.
Sadly, the causes of tinnitus aren’t as obvious as the symptoms. In part, that’s because tinnitus may result from a wide range of causes, some of which are temporary and others that can be more permanent.
That’s why your environment can be very important. After all, every environment has a soundscape, and when that soundscape is loud, you could be causing damage to your ears. This environmental tinnitus might sometimes be long lasting or it may sometimes respond to changes to make your environment quieter.
Why do so many individuals experience tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear a noise that isn’t really there. Tinnitus typically manifests as a ringing or buzzing, but can also manifest as other noises, like screeching, thumping, or humming. Normally, the sounds are steady or rhythmic. Tinnitus will typically clear itself up after a short time period. In less common cases, tinnitus may become effectively permanent, a condition known as chronic tinnitus.
Tinnitus is so prevalent for a couple of reasons. The first is that the environmental factors that play a role in tinnitus are also relatively common (more on that soon). Root conditions and injuries can bring about tinnitus symptoms and that accounts for the second reason. Put simply, there are lots of such injuries or conditions that can result in tinnitus. Tinnitus is rather prevalent for these reasons.
How is tinnitus affected by environmental factors?
Other things can also trigger tinnitus, including ototoxic medications and chemicals. But when it comes to “environmental” triggers, noise is the biggest culprit. For example, some neighborhoods are noisier than others (traffic noise in some areas can get extremely high). Likewise, anyone who works around industrial equipment all day would be at risk of their environment worsening their tinnitus.
When evaluating the state of your health, these environmental factors are extremely important.
As with hearing loss, noise-associated damage can eventually trigger tinnitus symptoms. In these circumstances, the resulting tinnitus is often chronic in nature. Some of the most prevalent noise and environment-induced causes of tinnitus include the following:
- Traffic: You may not even realize how loud traffic can be in densely populated locations. And you might not even recognize that your ears can be damaged at lower volumes than you may expect. Tinnitus and hearing damage can be the outcome of long commutes in these loud settings.
- Events: Tinnitus can sometimes result from loud noises, even if they aren’t experienced over a long time-frame. Firing a gun or going to a rock concert are examples of this kind of noise.
- Noise in the workplace: It may come as a surprise that lots of workplaces, sometimes even offices, are fairly loud. Whether it’s industrial equipment or chatty office neighbors, spending eight hours a day around continuous workplace noise can eventually lead to tinnitus.
- Music: Many individuals will frequently listen to their music at loud volumes. Doing this on a consistent basis can often result in tinnitus symptoms.
People often mistakenly think hearing damage will only happen at extreme volume levels. For this reason, hearing protection should be used at lower volumes than you may expect. Hearing protection can help prevent tinnitus symptoms from developing in the first place.
If I’m experiencing tinnitus, what should I do?
So, does tinnitus resolve? Perhaps, in some cases. But your symptoms might be irreversible in some cases. At first, it’s basically impossible to know which is which. If you have tinnitus because of noise damage, even if your tinnitus does clear up, your chance of having your tinnitus come back and become chronic is a lot more probable.
People often underestimate the minimum volume that damage starts to happen, which is the most significant contributing factor to its advancement. Damage has most likely already happened if you’re experiencing tinnitus. This means that there are a number of things that you should do to alter your environment so as to prevent more permanent damage.
For example, you could try:
- Prevent damage by using hearing protection like earplugs or earmuffs. You can also get some degree of protection from noise canceling headphones.
- If possible, try to decrease environmental volume. If you have any machinery that isn’t in use, turn it off, and close the windows if it’s noisy outside, for example.
- If you’re in a loud environment, regulate the amount of exposure time and give your ears breaks.
How to manage your symptoms
Lots of people who experience chronic tinnitus find the symptoms to be enormously distracting and unpleasant. Because of this, they often ask: how do you quiet tinnitus?
You should call us for an appointment if you are hearing a persistent ringing or buzzing in your ears. We will be able to evaluate your symptoms and figure out how best to deal with them. For most cases of chronic tinnitus, there’s no cure. Symptom management might include the following:
- White noise devices: Utilizing a white noise device around your home can help you tune out your tinnitus in some cases.
- Hearing aid: The ringing or buzzing produced by tinnitus can be drowned out by amplifying the volume of outside sounds with hearing aids.
- Retraining therapy: You can sometimes retrain your ears with the help of a specialist, which will progressively retrain the way you process sound.
- Relaxation techniques: High blood pressure has sometimes been linked to an increase in the intensity of tinnitus symptoms. Your tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be alleviated by using relaxation techniques like meditation, for example.
- Masking device: This is a device that fits like a hearing aid and plays sounds that mask your symptoms. The precise calibration of your device will depend on your specific symptoms.
There’s no cure for tinnitus. That’s why controlling your environment to safeguard your hearing is a great first step.
But addressing and controlling tinnitus is possible. Depending on your lifestyle, your hearing, and your tinnitus, we’ll be able to formulate a specific treatment plan for you. For some, managing your tinnitus might simply mean using a white noise machine. For others, management might be more intense.
Learn how to best manage your tinnitus by making an appointment right away!
