September 13, 2024
Facebook Live, Hearing Loss
While one in every 10 to 15 people experience chronic tinnitus, 90% habituate, or get used to their tinnitus naturally. For those 10% that are unable to habituate naturally, it doesn’t mean they are weak-minded or have other issues. It means that their brain is reacting to an underlying condition of the auditory system in a more severe way. Hence why normal habituation isn’t occurring. Those living with tinnitus often also report sleeping problems, feelings of irritation, annoyance, frustration, anxiety and/or depression. They also report problems focusing on speech and concentration difficulties.
It is important to first discuss why most tinnitus symptoms occur. Compared to other health conditions, funding for tinnitus research is limited. Therefore it’s moving at a slower pace than we would like. However, researchers are confident that most tinnitus sufferers hear sounds similar to the pain people experience with phantom limb syndrome, where individuals feel sensations, whether painful or not, in a limb or extremity lost due to trauma or surgery. The brain overreacts to the lack of input from the sensory cells of the missing limb, causing this pain.
In this case, damage to the sensory “hair” cells in the inner ear leads to hearing loss. When damage occurs to the sensory cells of the inner ear, the cells do not repair themselves. In some people with hearing loss, the brain overreacts to the lack of input from those sensory cells. That “over-reaction” manifests in the brain as a type of sound. People often report hearing a ringing, roaring, hissing, buzzing, cricket, or locust-type sound.
Although it has no cure, you can live with tinnitus successfully. To manage it effectively, you need to take some steps to ensure that no medical or hearing issues are causing the tinnitus. That is why anyone experiencing tinnitus should first meet with their primary care provider and review their medications and overall health. While providers can switch out any medications that could be contributing to a person’s tinnitus, sometimes it isn’t possible to change medications due to the implications to one’s health. In this case, tinnitus is an unfortunate side effect that one must learn to manage.
The next step is having your hearing tested by a licensed audiologist. It is best to select an audiologist that has a tinnitus treatment program. Tinnitus treatment plans include diagnostic hearing testing and having the patient complete a self-assessment. This allows the patient to rate the severity of the tinnitus and how it is impacting different aspects of their life.
If you find hearing loss, treating it should be your first recommended step. Usually this involves hearing aids, which have a 60% success rate of improving the patient’s perception of their tinnitus. Even if hearing aids do not eliminate tinnitus, you should note that they have a 90% success rate in improving concentration and speech clarity, which are common complaints among those with tinnitus. For individuals who rate their tinnitus severity as high, I recommend hearing aid technology that treats hearing loss and provides masking noises. Not all technologies are created equal, so I prefer using Widex hearing aids to treat patients with both hearing loss and tinnitus.
As with any other health condition, living a healthy lifestyle is important in the successful management of tinnitus symptoms. Factors that can increase the severity of tinnitus include excessive consumption of caffeine, alcohol, or sodium-rich foods, using nicotine, increased levels of stress, exposure to loud noise as well as many medical conditions, including high cholesterol, hyperlipidemia, hyper- and hypothyroidism.
Sleep is so important for good health, and tinnitus often interferes with one’s ability to fall asleep easily. Recommended devices to help mask tinnitus and encourage sleep include sound machines, box fan, radio or television. The general idea is to avoid quiet, as that is when the tinnitus is usually most noticeable. Having a low-level sound in the background for the brain to focus on, instead of the tinnitus, offers tinnitus sufferers control over their tinnitus, which in turn, improves their stress levels. Another solution is to take advantage of the excellent tinnitus apps available to download on your smartphone. One of my favorites is the Resound Relax app. Using the sounds these apps provide can help mask tinnitus and improve sleep habits. Many of my patients prefer to use these apps with a Bluetooth headband, made for sleeping. This lets the sound stream directly to their ears without disturbing anyone with the masking stimulus. Tinnitus patients also use these smartphone apps throughout the day, enabling them to listen to a more pleasant sound than the one in their head. Whenever presenting masking sounds, it is important to remember that the volume of the masker should never meet or exceed the level of the tinnitus-this will only increase the intensity of the tinnitus. Instead, you should play the masker at a level loud enough to shift the focus from the tinnitus to the pleasant masking stimulus.
Finally, for those living with severe tinnitus, these management strategies may not be enough. When this happens, we recommend cognitive behavioral therapy.
People often ask me if the tinnitus will get worse. Most likely, the answer is no. However, the only way to prevent tinnitus from growing worse is to make sure you practice hearing conservation. Whenever around loud, damaging noise, wear hearing protection. Noise induced hearing loss is the most common cause of tinnitus. Preventing further damage is critical to ensure the tinnitus doesn’t grow louder and more disruptive.
By now I am sure you realize, treating tinnitus is not a one-size-fits-all approach. At Adaptive Audiology Solutions we understand this and have designed tinnitus treatment protocols based on research and solutions that provide the best outcomes. We are proud to offer the only tinnitus treatment program in the Carroll and Denison area. This is just another way we are striving to “provide hearing healthcare that puts the patient first.” Call us today at 712-775-2625 or request and appointment to schedule a tinnitus consultation.
Need cleaner or new hearing aid batteries? Visit our online store for a variety of items.
SHOP NOW
712-775-2625
