Silence is a wished for luxury for tinnitus sufferers. This video gives you an idea of what it sounds like and how you can prevent it.

Video Source: American Tinnitus Association

One in five Americans suffer from “ringing in their ears” or tinnitus. Tinnitus isn’t usually a sign of a serious ongoing medical condition. The sounds patients perceive may just be their body at work.

Video Source: American Tinnitus Association

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in one or both ears that only the patient can hear since no external sound is present. It is the most commonly referred otological problem.

The sound can be intermittent or constant and patients often describe it as a ringing in their ears. The perceived volume can range from low to painfully loud. Some people also hear hissing, roaring, whistling, chirping and clicking.

The exact cause of tinnitus isn’t known but likely sources can trigger or worsen the condition. These include loud noises, excessive ear wax in the ear canal, certain medications, ear or sinus infections, jaw misalignment, cardiovascular disease, certain types of tumors, head and neck trauma, hypo- or hyperthyroidism, lyme disease, fibromyalgia and thoracic outlet syndrome.

Tinnitus is the most common service-connected disability of veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Preventing Tinnitus
Wear ear plugs and/or ear muffs when mowing grass or attending concerts and sporting events where you know the noise will be loud over an extended period of time.

Everyone’s tolerance is different and you may not notice hearing loss for years so precautionary steps are easy and smart. If you’re standing three feet away from someone and you can’t hear what that person is saying, the noise may be damaging to your hearing.

Diagnosing Tinnitus
An ear, nose and throat specialist can determine if tinnitus is caused by a medical condition or if a medical treatment option might be recommended. A certified audiologist can conduct hearing tests and prescribe nonmedical treatments like masking, sound therapy and amplification.

Patients can feel better by managing tinnitus.

Managing Tinnitus

Most of the time there won’t be a threatening underlying problem. But no quick fix or cure either.

Sufferers should plan to spend 10-15 minutes a day managing and controlling their symptoms so they gradually have fewer bad ear days and more not-so-bad ear days.
Treatments that work for one patient won’t necessarily work for another. While we utilize a variety of treatment options, audiologists partner with patients so individuals get the most effective treatment strategy for them.

If you have tinnitus, review your medications with your doctor. Keep a log of what triggers your tinnitus and how that makes you feel.

White noise machines help a lot of people. Sounds of a waterfall, for example, will drown out the tinnitus. It also helps to reduce stress, get plenty of rest and eat a good diet.

Eliminate or reduce salt, artificial sweeteners, sugar, alcohol, prescription or over-the-counter medications, tobacco and caffeine.

Educate yourself by visiting and/or joining the American Tinnitus Association.

Keep a log of what triggers your tinnitus and how that makes you feel. Then note any illogical thinking or reactions. For example, before I got tinnitus, I had a good life. Now, I don’t. More logical thinking to help you feel better would be my tinnitus got worse after the concert. I enjoyed the music but my tinnitus ruined a perfect evening.

You might also want to find a support group near you.

When we see a patient with wax blocking his eardrum, it’s often because he’s been pushing his earwax deeper inside his ear canal with a cotton tip or other tool.

If you have too much earwax and do not have a hole in your eardrum, try softening it with over-the-counter products such as Debrox © or Murine © Ear Drops every two or three days. But if you have a hole in your eardrum, don’t put any liquid in your ears or you could develop an infection. If you aren’t sure, ask one of our board certified physicians.

Earwax is made by glands in the outer part of your ear canal and actually helps keep your ears healthy. Its purpose is to keep dust and sand from reaching the eardrum. Earwax also helps protect ears from infection.

But some people produce too much earwax as they’re not able to self clean very well. Hearing aid users want to pay special attention to this because a major cause of hearing aids not working correctly is earwax plugging the hearing aid.

Earwax can also build up in the ear canal and act like an earplug, keeping sounds out. If you wear hearing aids, you may also hear a squealing sound from them.

To prevent this, clean your hearing aids everyday. Use a wax loop and cloth or tissue to clean the receiver end that sits inside your ear canal.

Replace your wax guards once a month or more often if you get a lot of earwax. If you have questions, ask your certified audiologist.

Again, never try to remove earwax yourself with a cotton tip, car key, bobby pin, toothpick or high-pressure water spray. If over-the-counter products don’t work, one of our board certified doctors may need to wash your earwax out, vacuum it or remove it with special instruments. He may also prescribe ear drops to soften the wax.

Remember to bring your hearing aids with you when you visit our office at least every six months for a clean and check appointment. If you have any questions, please let us know.