Let’s set the scene: You’re lying in bed trying to sleep after a long tiring day. You feel yourself starting to drift off to sleep. Then you start to hear it: a buzzing sound inside your ears. You know it’s nothing in your bedroom because the radio, TV, and phone have all been turned off. Unfortunately, this sound is in your ears and it won’t stop.
If this situation sounds familiar, then it’s likely that you’re one of the 50 million people that suffer from tinnitus. Buzzing, ringing, and a variety of other sounds will be heard in your ears when you have this problem. Most people suffering from tinnitus consider it a mere inconvenience; they notice it now and again but it doesn’t really affect their daily lives. For other individuals, however, tinnitus can be devastating and cause them to lose sleep and have difficulty performing work and social activities.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus remains somewhat of a mystery, but experts have focused in on a few causes for this problem. It appears mostly in individuals who have damaged hearing, and also people who suffer from heart conditions. Restricted blood flow around the ears is generally thought to be the main cause of tinnitus. This causes the heart to have to work harder to pump blood to where it’s needed. People who have iron-deficiency anemia commonly suffer from tinnitus symptoms because their blood cells do not carry enough oxygen throughout their body, which, again, works the heart harder to deliver nutrients to the correct place, often resulting in tinnitus.
Tinnitus also happens as a result of other conditions, such as ear infections, canal blockages, and Meniere’s disease. All of these ailments impact the hearing and lead to situations where tinnitus becomes more prevalent. At times treatment can be challenging when the cause of tinnitus is not easily discernible, but that doesn’t mean treatment isn’t possible.
Is There Any Remedy For Tinnitus?
There are a few treatments out there to help stop the buzzing in your ears, all depending on the root cause of your tinnitus. One relevant thing to note, however, is that there is presently no known cure for tinnitus. But these treatments will still offer a good chance for your tinnitus to improve or disappear completely.
Research has revealed that hearing aids help mask tinnitus in people who suffer from hearing loss.
If masking the noise isn’t helpful, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven to help people live with the ringing in their ears that does not go away with other treatments. This kind of mental health treatment helps people change their negative ideas about tinnitus into more positive, practical thoughts that help them function normally on a day to day basis.