It is currently estimated that nearly 50 Million American adults live with tinnitus.  By now, you may have heard that hearing loss is associated with increased rates of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, thyroid disease, problems with balance, falling, and the development of dementia.  Most medical doctors are now educating their patients about the risks of untreated hearing loss and the benefits of early intervention.   

Tinnitus is experienced by approximately 80% of people living with hearing loss.  Tinnitus is defined as a sensation of sound in your ears, sometimes in your head.  It may be described as a “ringing” sound, but many patients also report a shooshing, buzzing, or whooshing sound – similar to the sounds inside a conch shell.

Many people dismiss the ringing, when in fact this sound essentially represents an internal alarm alerting you that something is not as it should be.  Whether the tinnitus is constant, only noticeable in a quiet room or at night, pulsating or seems to have certain triggers (ie, exercise or caffeine), it is important that the root cause of the problem be determined so a proper treatment plan can be put in place with your hearing healthcare specialist.   Ttinnitus can interfere with daily life and result in depression, anxiety and affect concentration.  

The most common cause of tinnitus is damage to the sensory organ of hearing, the cochlea (ie, the inner ear).  The cochlea is to hearing what your eyes are to vision.  Within the cochlea are tiny hair-like cells.  When these cells are damaged, the nerves that connect the hair cells to the brain, become permanently damaged; and often times the ringing will ensue.  A common cause of tinnitus is excessive noise exposure, either a single intense noise or long-term exposure either from work or play.  

Tinnitus is often the result of a “Central Gain” in neural activity that occurs when there is a loss of proper neural stimulation from the ear to the brain.  Simply, when the brain is not stimulated in the case of individuals with hearing loss the brain will increase activity to make up for the missing input.   This “Central Gain” is neurologically analogous to “Phantom Limb” phenomenon studied in neuroscience.  Our ear’s perception of pain is the ringing.  

The single most effective treatment option available for patients suffering with tinnitus is a hearing instrument.  The FDA has approved treatments for individuals with tinnitus by providing the brain with restored proper stimulation.  And while most people with tinnitus also suffer with hearing loss, that is not always the case.  Fortunately, newly available hearing instruments have been designed for people with hearing loss and for individuals with (so called) “normal” hearing.  Studies show that patients who use the tinnitus support technology note a significant reduction in their daily tinnitus experience – with some even reporting that the ringing is no longer noticeable during the day!

 

Sarah Banks, BC-HIS

Hear Again America

60 North Merrimon Ave, Ste #109
Asheville, NC 28804