Let’s set the stage: you’re in your bed at night trying to unwind after a long, exhausting day. Your eyelids are getting heavy and you recognize that sleep is right around the corner. Then you hear it: a ringing sound inside your ears. You’re certain it’s nothing in your bedroom because the TV, radio, and phone are all off. Unfortunately, this noise is in your ears and it won’t go away.
If this scenario sounds familiar, then chances are that you’re one of the 50 million people that suffer from tinnitus. This problem makes you hear buzzing, whooshing, and ringing sounds, among others, within your ears. Most people suffering from tinnitus think of it as a mere irritation; they notice it now and again but it doesn’t really affect their day-to-day lives. For others, unfortunately, tinnitus can be debilitating and cause them to lose sleep and have difficulty performing work and social activities.
What’s The Underlying Cause of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus remains somewhat of a mystery, but specialists have narrowed down a few causes for this problem. It appears mostly in people who have damaged hearing, and also people who suffer from heart problems. It’s believed that tinnitus comes about due to limited blood flow around the ears, which makes the heart pump blood harder in order for it to get where it needs to go. People who have iron-deficiency anemia commonly experience tinnitus symptoms since their blood cells don’t carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, once 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, like ear infections, canal blockages, and Meniere’s disease. Scenarios where tinnitus becomes more pronounced happen with all of these condition because they all affect the hearing. In other cases, there might not be an evident cause of tinnitus, which can make treatment challenging, but not impossible.
Is There Any Cure For Tinnitus?
There are several treatments available to help stop the buzzing in your ears, all depending on the root cause of your tinnitus. One relevant thing to take note of, however, is that there is currently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments can still present a good chance for your tinnitus to get better or disappear altogether.
Studies have revealed that hearing aids help cover up tinnitus in individuals who suffer from 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 doesn’t fade away with other treatments. This type of mental health treatment helps patients change their negative feelings about tinnitus into more positive, practical thoughts that help them function normally on a regular basis.