Tinnitus (Ringing in the Ear)

One well-known effect of overexposure to noise is hearing loss, or the inability to hear certain sounds. But another risk is a phenomenon that is just the opposite: perceiving sounds when there are none. This perception of sound when no external sound is present is called tinnitus, or "ringing in the ear." 

What Does Tinnitus Sound Like? 

People with tinnitus hear noises in their ears. Each person with tinnitus experiences it differently. "Tinnitus" is from the Latin word for "ringing," and to some people the noise does indeed sound like ringing. Others describe their ear noise as roaring, rushing, hissing, chirping, beeping, buzzing, whistling, or clicking. The sound might be high-pitched, low-pitched, or multi-toned, or it might sound like static. It might seem to be in one ear, both ears, or inside the head. The sound might be constant, or it might come and go. It might be just barely noticeable, or it might seem screamingly loud. 

Nearly everyone experiences ear noise; in total silence, most people will report hearing faint buzzing, pulsing, or whirring sounds, the normal compensatory activity of the nerves in the hearing pathway. It's when these sounds are intrusive that it becomes tinnitus. 

What Causes Tinnitus? 

Tinnitus may be caused by various drugs, ear disorders, infections, injuries, or psychiatric disorders, but the most common cause by far is loud noise, such as from explosions, gunfire, amplified music, farm machinery, or emergency sirens. Many rock musicians develop tinnitus, and it is common among combat veterans. Ninety percent of people with tinnitus also have some degree of hearing loss. 

Like hearing loss, tinnitus can occur temporarily, brought on by an episode of too much noise, or it may happen after years of overexposure to noise. It can appear suddenly or gradually. 

What Is It Like to Have Tinnitus? 

Tinnitus is a subjective experience. Similar to the experience of pain, the annoyance of tinnitus cannot be measured objectively. Some people hardly notice the noise unless they consciously turn their attention to it. For others it may disrupt sleep and concentration, and can cause depression and emotional shifts. According to the American Tinnitus Association, about 25% of those with tinnitus find it disturbing enough that they seek medical attention for it, and for about 4% of sufferers, it is so debilitating that it seriously interferes with normal daily functioning. For a few people the experience is so agonizing that they are driven to consider suicide. 

How Is Tinnitus Treated? 

Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, and there is no cure. Even in some cases where the auditory nerves have been severed (during the removal of a tumor from the inner ear, for example), so that the patient loses all physical hearing, tinnitus can persist. 

There are a range of treatment options for chronic tinnitus; no one treatment works for everyone. Many treatments focus on helping the person learn to coexist with it, using a variety of stress management and relaxation techniques, counseling, and sometimes antidepressants or other drugs. Some people find it helpful to mask the ringing in the ear by using white noise, and there are in-ear white noise devices made for this purpose. 

Two treatments, tinnitus retraining therapy and Neuromonics, combine directive counseling with white noise or music that is individually engineered for the patient's audiological profile, to teach the brain circuitry to filter out the tinnitus signals. These treatments take six months to two years and cost several thousand dollars. 

Temporary Ringing in the Ear? 

If you experience temporary ringing of the ears from an exposure to loud noise, consider it a warning sign. First, immediately leave the loud environment, or put in ear plugs if that is not possible. Next, rest your ears for 24 hours, meaning no loud sounds at all, to give your ears a chance to recover. And lastly, next time you are in a similar environment in the future, be sure to wear hearing protection. There are plenty of tinnitus sufferers who will tell you that you don't want their nightmare. 

From NoiseHelp