Tinnitus
Tinnitus usually accompanies hearing impairment and is the sensation of hearing sound that is inaudible to others. It is subjective and can be a very annoying noise experience. Typically tinnitus is described as sounding like a 'chorus of crickets' or a 'ringing', 'buzzing' or 'roaring' sound. It can vary in intensity and may be constant or intermittent, for some resulting in problems with concentration and even sleep.
Tinnitus is more common in people over the age of 40 than in younger people. Having said that, recent reports from Professor Harvey Dillon from the Australian National Acoustics Laboratory indicate that large numbers of young Australians between 18-24 are experiencing tinnitus or ringing in the ears. Professor Dillon says this can be due to excessive noise exposure such as listening to loud music at concerts or venues, or through using headphones which are playing music at dangerously loud levels.
Typical causes of tinnitus
- Hearing impairment
- Diseases of the ear
- Accumulation of ear wax
- Foreign objects in the ear canal
- Stress
- Fatigue
- High blood pressure
- Excessive use of some drugs, e.g. painkillers with acetylsalicylic acid or other ototoxic drugs
- Excessive noise exposure
Tinnitus and hearing impairment
Research around tinnitus is ongoing, but an exact cause or cure has not yet been found. Many of the factors that cause hearing impairment, such as noise, also cause tinnitus. The sensation of tinnitus has been experienced by most of us, at least temporarily, such as after attending a loud music concert.
Treatment of tinnitus
If a person experiences tinnitus due to excessive earwax, stress or high blood pressure, they will be treated for that problem with the result being a simultaneous improvement in their tinnitus. There is, however, no absolute cure for tinnitus if no external cause can be found.
Nevertheless, many effective treatment options exist that can significantly reduce the symptoms of tinnitus:
- a well fitted hearing aid can often reduce tinnitus in people with hearing loss.
- a tinnitus masker, which is an electronic instrument designed to be placed in the ear and emit noise that fully or partially masks the presence of tinnitus.
- help from specially trained people, e.g. audiologists, specialists, psychologists, etc. who can teach people with chronic tinnitus to live with the sound - and maybe in time learn to ignore it.