Let’s set the scene: You’re lying in bed attempting to fall asleep after a long stressful day. You feel yourself beginning to drift off to sleep. Then as you lie there in the quiet of the night, you start to notice the sound of ringing in your ears. Your phone, TV, and radio are all turned off so you’re sure it’s nothing inside your room. No, this sound is coming from within your ears and you’re not sure how to stop it.
If this scenario has happened to you, then odds are that you’re one of the 50 million people who are afflicted by tinnitus. Buzzing, ringing, and a range of other noises will be heard inside of your ears when you have this problem. For the majority of people, tinnitus will not have a substantial affect on their lives besides being a simple irritation. But this is not the situation with everyone who has tinnitus. For some, it can cause them to lose sleep, to disengage socially, and to have a hard time working.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus remains somewhat of a mystery, but experts have narrowed down a few causes for this condition. It’s most prevalent in people who have damaged hearing, and also people who suffer from heart conditions. Reduced blood flow around the ears is generally considered to be the main cause of tinnitus. This causes the heart to work harder to pump blood to where it’s needed. People who have iron-deficiency anemia frequently suffer from tinnitus symptoms because their blood cells do not carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, once again, works the heart harder to deliver nutrients to the correct place, often leading to tinnitus.
Tinnitus also occurs as a symptom of other conditions, such as ear infections, canal blockages, and Meniere’s disease. Scenarios where tinnitus becomes more pronounced happen with all of these condition because they all impact the hearing. At times treatment can be difficult when the cause of tinnitus is not evident, but that doesn’t mean treatment isn’t possible.
Is There Any Remedy For Tinnitus?
There are several treatments available to help stop the buzzing in your ears, all dependent on the root cause of your tinnitus. One important thing to note, however, is that there is currently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments can still offer a good chance for your tinnitus to get better or go away completely.
Research has shown that hearing aids help cover up tinnitus in people who suffer from hearing loss.
If masking the noise doesn’t help, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been confirmed to help people live with the ringing in their ears that does not fade away with other treatments. This type of mental health treatment helps patients turn their negative thoughts about tinnitus into more positive, realistic thoughts that help them function normally on a regular basis.