5 Facts About Tinnitus

If you have recently had an appointment with an audiologist, it’s possible that you have been diagnosed with tinnitus. Tinnitus is a condition that causes you to hear a sound in your ear that other people won’t be able to hear. If you’re confused about this diagnosis, here are some facts about the condition that should clear some things up.

There are four types of tinnitus

While you might think that there’s only one type of the condition, this is not true. There are actually four types of tinnitus. These are objective, subjective, neurological and somatic. Somatic tinnitus is caused by sensory issues. Sensory problems can also make this type of tinnitus worse. Neurological tinnitus is typically caused by some form of a disorder that will be impacting the auditory ability of the individual. Objective tinnitus is caused by small muscle contractions in the area. It can be treated and when this occurs, the symptom will disappear completely. Subjective tinnitus is the most common and is caused by excessive noise. It is not treatable.

Tinnitus is not always constant

As an audiologist will tell you, it’s possible and even likely that your tinnitus will go away over time, even if it has been caused by excessive noise. Tinnitus can last for between three to twelve months and appear very suddenly. It can disappear just as suddenly, often catching the patient by complete surprise. You may not even notice it has stopped straight away. However, tinnitus can also be constant and impact you for the rest of your life. The longer it impacts you the more likely it will be that the condition is permanent.

Tinnitus cannot usually be cured

The only exception to this is objective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus cannot currently be cured by current medicine. However, there are relief options available. For instance, you can mask the noise with hearing aids that create a pitch at the same frequency. It’s also possible for therapy to help you stop the noise from reaching your conscious thought and thus allowing you to not hear it at all. These are just two of the possible treatment options.

Tinnitus is not confined to the elderly population

You would be wrong to think that the condition is only experienced by the elderly. The sad truth is that anyone can develop the condition and it has become alarmingly common in teenagers. A recent study found that nearly seventy percent of teenagers experience some form of tinnitus. This is likely due to advancements in technology such as iPods and MP3 players that have exposed these individuals to excessive noise.

Tinnitus can cause you to hear various different noises

People often think tinnitus means that you hear a ringing in your ears. While this can be the case, it can also cause you to hear other noises as well. For instance, some people hear buzzing while others can actually hear pieces of music playing on repeat. It is unknown why this occurs.