Posted on: October 19, 2017
Tinnitus is the term for the sensation of hearing a sound in your ears when there is no external sound present. All of us will experience it once in awhile, but for some it is constant. The vast majority of chronic tinnitus is a symptom of damage or trauma to the hearing system. Although, short bursts of tinnitus can be a warning signs of damage too if they occure after noise exposure, such as an evening at a loud concert.
Tinnitus comes in many forms, most often described as ringing or buzzing. While these are the most common descriptions, some people report other sounds like hissing, sizzling, or pulsing. Tinnitus affects 1 in 5 people and is the number one disability for military veterans.
There are two main forms of tinnitus:
- Subjective, which is the perception of noise in the head that no one else can hear.
- Objective, which is noise in the head that others can hear such as clicking in the middle ear.
The causes of tinnitus are varied with the most common ones being noise exposure, aging, head injury, and side effects of medication.
Most often tinnitus is not curable, but can be managed with counselling, lifestyle changes, sound therapy, and hearing aids in many cases. Less often tinnitus can be caused by something as simple as an ear canal full of wax. In such cases removing the wax alleviates the tinnitus.
If you have tinnitus the first step is to have a full hearing evaluation to help determine the cause. Once this is done a treatment or management regimen can begin.
Over the next several blogs we will delve into the causes and treatment of tinnitus in detail. Until then, if you have questions or are suffering from tinnitus please feel free to contact Accurate Hearing at:
Lower Sackville: 902-252-3004
Cole Harbour: 902-406-4327