What are the Most Common Causes of Tinnitus?

Do you ever hear a ringing in your ear that has no external source? Perhaps it’s not a ringing; it could be anything from a buzzing to a whirring or a high-pitched squeal. Some people even report hearing music playing on repeat – small pieces playing on a never-ending cycle. Regardless of what type of noise you can hear, this can be quite frustrating. Many people do experience changes to their mood and lack of sleep due to the condition.

You might find that your tinnitus only occurs every so often. If that’s the case, you can prevent or delay it from becoming a more severe or constant issue. Tinnitus is not life-threatening, but can certainly be challenging to cope with. So, let’s run down some of the most common causes of the condition that you need to understand.

Earwax

You might be surprised to learn how many issues earwax can cause with your ears. When you have earwax, it’s possible for it to build up to the point where it blocks the ear canal. At this time, it does become more difficult to hear. You might notice an issue with the sound being muffled or echoed. Tinnitus can be another issue, particularly if your earwax is impacted. That’s usually due to trying to clean it out the wrong way using over the counter possibilities. The good news is that once you get your ears cleaned professionally by an audiologist, your tinnitus will immediately disappear. You will be able to hear clearly once more.

Hearing loss

While tinnitus can occur without hearing loss, it is quite common for it to develop as a side condition. Essentially, this means that as your hearing grows worse, you lose pitches and volumes that you used to be able to hear. This is then replaced with whatever sound your tinnitus causes. Tinnitus caused by hearing loss cannot be treated but can be managed. Retraining therapy is often the best option. Using this therapy, you can teach your brain to recognize tinnitus as a subconscious thought. Since it never reaches the conscious part of the mind, it can be ignored completely.

Exposure to loud noise

Tinnitus can also be due to exposing your ears to loud noise. Exposing your ears to extremely loud noise once or moderately loud noise regularly can damage your hearing. Eventually, you will find that you experience random bursts of tinnitus. These will become more regular if you do not take action to protect your ears from loud noises in the future. Wearing ear protection is often the best way to do this.

Ear infection

Finally, you might find that you experience tinnitus if you have an ear infection. This will typically be accompanied by pain within the ear. The pain and the tinnitus will often disappear once your infection has been effectively treated. As soon as you do this, you should find that your tinnitus improves. This can occur gradually or suddenly depending on individual factors.

If you need any more information about tinnitus or you believe you are suffering from this condition, contact your audiologist today.