Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Are you annoyed by hearing hissing, wind or murmur in your ears? So you are suffering from tinnitus. Tinnitus is a common problem, with an estimated 50 million American adults. Most people are only bothered by tinnitus, but some people can experience disturbed sleep, making it difficult to concentrate and work. If left untreated, tinnitus can cause psychological stress, negatively impacting your work and personal relationships. Fortunately, many cases of tinnitus can be cured. However, to do this, you first need to find the cause of tinnitus.

Steps

Method 1 of 2: Discover the causes of tinnitus

1. 

   Think about environmental stimuli. Environmental factors are the effects of our surroundings on us. Long-term noise exposure is the most common cause of tinnitus. Long-term exposure to continuous loud noises such as amplified music, gunshots, aircraft and machine operations, etc., damages the tiny hairs of the cochlea that function to send. impulses to the auditory nerve each time a sound wave is detected. When these hairs are bent or broken, they send impulses to the auditory nerve even though no sound waves are detected. The brain then interprets these electrical impulses into sounds that we call tinnitus.
   • The people most at risk of developing career-related tinnitus include carpenters, road workers, pilots, musicians, and builders of gardens and parks. The likelihood of developing tinnitus is also increased in people who work with loud equipment or who are frequently exposed to loud music.
   • An exposure to a sudden, extremely loud noise can also cause tinnitus. Tinnitus, for example, is one of the most common illnesses in military service personnel who have heard bomb explosions.

2. 

   
   
   Evaluate potential causes of lifestyle and health conditions. Tinnitus has many different causes, including age, bad lifestyle habits and hormone changes.
   • Tinnitus can develop as a result of the natural aging process. With age, the deterioration of cochlear function makes noise exposure in the environment worse.
   • Smoking cigarettes or drinking beverages containing alcohol and caffeine can trigger tinnitus. In addition, if not handled properly, stress and fatigue can build up and lead to tinnitus.
   • Although there is no direct evidence to support it, many experiences show that changes in hormone levels in women can cause tinnitus. Hormonal changes often occur during pregnancy, menopause and when taking hormone replacement therapy.

3. 

   
   
   Think about if you have ear problems. A blocked ear canal can change the way sound travels to sound sensitive cells in the cochlea and cause tinnitus. Obstruction in the ear canal can be the result of earwax, ear infections, sinusitis, and mastoiditis (infection of the mastoid bone behind the ear). This condition changes the ability of sounds to pass through the middle and inner ears, stimulating tinnitus.
   • Meniere's syndrome can cause ringing in your ears or hearing a muffled sound. This is an unexplained disorder that affects the inner ear, causing dizziness, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of pressure in the ear. This usually only occurs in one ear and can trigger bouts over long periods or after several days.
   • Ear sclerosis is an inherited disorder caused by overgrowth of the bones in the middle ear, leading to hearing loss. This makes it difficult for the sound to reach the inner ear. White people and middle-aged women are usually at the highest risk of developing hardened ears.
   • On a more rare basis, tinnitus may be caused by a benign tumor on the auditory nerve, which transmits sound to the brain and is interpreted by the brain. This tumor, called an acoustic neuroma, develops on the cranial nerve connecting the brain to the inner ear and causes tinnitus in one ear. These tumors are rarely malignant but can grow quite large, so it's best to seek treatment when the tumor is small.

4. 

   
   
   Determine if you have any problems related to tinnitus. Diseases of the circulatory system such as high blood pressure, vascular malformations, diabetes, heart disease, anemia, atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease also affect the blood circulation to organs in the muscle. body, including the supply of oxygen to cells in the middle and inner ear. The decreased supply of blood and oxygen can damage these cells and increase the risk of developing tinnitus.
   • People with temporomandibular joint disorder have a higher risk of tinnitus. There are various theories that explain why the temporal joint (TMJ) affects tinnitus. The chewing muscles are very close to the muscles in the middle ear and can affect hearing. There may be a direct association between the ligaments of the jaw and one of the bones in the middle ear. Or the nerve from TMJ has some connection with a part of the brain involved in hearing.
   • Head or neck injuries can also affect the inner ear or the nerves responsible for hearing or the brain's hearing function. These injuries usually cause only tinnitus in one ear.
   • Brain tumors can affect the part of the brain that interprets sounds. These can cause ringing in one or both ears.

5. 

   Consider the medications you are taking. Medication is another factor that can cause tinnitus. Some medicines can cause ear damage, also known as "ear poisoning". If you are on medication, read the instruction sheet again or ask your pharmacist for tinnitus side effects. Usually a doctor may prescribe different drugs in the same group to treat the condition without causing tinnitus.
   • There are over 200 different drugs whose side effects are tinnitus, including aspirin, some antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, sedatives, antidepressants and antimalarials. Cancer drugs and diuretics are also on the list of medications that cause tinnitus.
   • Antibiotics commonly associated with tinnitus include vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, gentamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and tobramycin.
   • Usually the higher the dose used, the more severe the symptoms are. In most cases, symptoms disappear once the drug is stopped.

6. 

   Also know that tinnitus can happen without a cause. Although there is no medical condition or other stimuli, some people still experience tinnitus of unknown cause. Most of these cases are not very serious. However, if left untreated, tinnitus can cause fatigue, depression, anxiety and loss of memory. advertisement

Method 2 of 2: Diagnose tinnitus

1. 

   Understand what tinnitus is. Tinnitus is not a disease but a symptom of other medical problems or problems, from old age hearing loss to disorders of the circulatory system. Treatment will be based on the underlying cause of tinnitus, so it's important to find the cause of this phenomenon. Tinnitus can be primary or secondary. Primary tinnitus occurs when there is no known cause other than the hearing problem, while secondary tinnitus is a symptom of another condition. Determining what type of tinnitus is in will help increase the likelihood of successful treatment.
   • Tinnitus can be classified into two categories. The first type, objective tinnitus, also known as pulsating tinnitus, accounts for only 5% of cases. In this case, the buzzing sound can also be heard through the receiver or when standing close by. This type of tinnitus is associated with vascular disorders or muscle disorders in the head or neck such as brain tumors, abnormalities in brain structure and often synchronized with the heart rate. The second type of tinnitus is subjective tinnitus, which means that only people with tinnitus can hear. This type of tinnitus is more common, accounting for 95% of cases. This is a symptom of a variety of ear disorders and has been reported in more than 80% of cases of sensorineural hearing loss.
   • With sounds of the same intensity or pitch, tinnitus can affect people differently. The severity of tinnitus may be due to the person's reaction to tinnitus.

2. 

   Recognize the symptoms of tinnitus. Tinnitus is often described as a hissing in the ear but can also be a buzzing, hissing sound, a roar or a click. The pitches and tones vary from person to person, and the sounds are subject to change. Noises can be heard in one ear or both ears, an important distinguishing factor for diagnosis. In addition to ringing in the ears, other symptoms may also appear such as dizziness or lightheadedness, headache and / or neck pain, ear pain, jaw pain (or temporomandibular joint symptoms).
   • Some people have hearing loss, while others have no difficulty hearing. This difference is also an important factor for the diagnosis.
   • Some people also become too sensitive to the frequency and volume of sounds, a condition called hyperacusis. The disease is closely related to tinnitus and patients can experience both at the same time.
   • Side effects of tinnitus include difficulty sleeping, depression, anxiety, trouble at home and at work, and deteriorating mood.

3. 

   Consider potential causes and recent events. Think about what's going on in your life, and examine situations or situations that might cause tinnitus. In preparation for diagnosis and treatment, you should keep a record of your symptoms and any other information that may be relevant to the symptoms. For example, make a note if you:
   • Exposure to loud noises
   • Have sinusitis, ear infections, or mastitis (or have chronic inflammation)
   • Are taking or have recently taken the drugs listed above
   • Diagnosed with diseases of the circulatory system
   • Have diabetes
   • Have a temporomandibular joint disorder
   • Have a head or neck injury
   • There is a genetic disorder, sclerosis of the ear
   • Are a woman and have recently experienced hormonal changes in hormone levels such as pregnancy, menopause, or starting / stopping hormone replacement therapy

4. 

   Consult your doctor. Your doctor will carefully study your history to determine if you are exposed to the environment or the underlying disease that could cause tinnitus. Tinnitus treatment will depend on the underlying cause of the disease.
   • If you are taking medication that is related to tinnitus, you may need to talk to your doctor about changing the medication.
   • Re-exercise your auditory nerve if you have hearing loss.
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Advice

• Although hearing loss is linked, tinnitus doesn't mean you have hearing loss, and hearing loss does not cause tinnitus.

Warning

• Some causes of tinnitus cannot be completely cured, and in some cases tinnitus with medications can be compensated for by the therapeutic effects of tinnitus. In this case, you need to learn to deal with the whirring or whirring sounds in your ears.
• Don't ignore the signs of tinnitus triggering. As with many other symptoms, a screeching or whirring in the ear can be a warning sign. Your body is telling you something is wrong.