Everything You Need To Know About Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)

According to the Australian Tinnitus Association

“Tinnitus is a physical condition, experienced as noises or ringing in the ears or head when no such external physical noise is present. Tinnitus is usually caused by a fault in the hearing system; it is a symptom, not a disease in itself.”

What Causes Tinnitus?

Tinnitus can be caused by many health or environmental impacts from recent or past events. It can be as small as a build-up of wax in the ear or too much stress, to bigger problems such as excessive noise from loud music or machinery. The external noise causes damage to the sensory hair cells and when the brain picks up on the signal, it creates a ringing, buzzing or inconsistent sounds.

What You Should Do If You Have Tinnitus 

Tinnitus can get worse if it is left un-managed. Sometimes the ringing sensation in your ear can be ear wax and can be solved by seeing your GP. However the most common reason for tinnitus is ageing and a hearing aid will help the severity of your tinnitus. This is also a simple fix and you can book an appointment with one of our hearing specialist to find out what hearing is the best fit for you.

What You Can Do To Manage Your Tinnitus

According to health direct “about 1 in 3 people in Australia suffer from tinnitus at some point in their life”. This is a large percentage of people suffering with ringing in their ears. While it is not curable, our hearing aids are great at masking the severity to help you manage it. Along with hearing aids, which we covered in the previous article “Can a hearing aid stop tinnitus?”, there are also lifestyle changes you can also focus on to make sure your tinnitus doesn’t get worse.

1. Avoid loud noises cause damage to the hair cells inside your ear. Damage to this area will increase the severity of tinnitus.
2. Stress causes a rise in adrenaline and a decrease of blood flow to the ear. This results in distortion to hearing or ringing in the ears.
3. Foods high in sodium and, or sugar decrease the blood flow to ears. Smoking narrows your blood vessels which supply vital oxygen to the ear. Making your tinnitus symptoms worse

We are here to help- call our office today! Our hearing specialist team are more than happy to assist you in managing your tinnitus!