What is tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the term used for the noises that people can hear in their ear/s or within their head, that is generated within the body and not by any external source. It may sound like a high pitched ringing, rushing noise; it may be present all of the time, or just in certain situations. 

Some research suggests that nearly all people have experienced some degree of tinnitus at some point in their lives. 10% of adults report prolonged tinnitus, and for half of these people the tinnitus is moderately to severely annoying. In a very small minority of people the tinnitus has a severe affect on the person’s ability to lead a normal life.

So tinnitus is extremely common and is rarely due to a sinister cause.  Exposure to noise has a marked effect upon tinnitus occurrence, and several studies show the presence of hearing loss in an individual increases the possibility of that individual experiencing tinnitus. However, hearing loss is not an inevitable requirement for tinnitus: it is possible to have tinnitus with an otherwise completely normal auditory system.

What causes tinnitus?

The brain is constantly hearing lots of different sounds around us, but has the ability to sort these sounds, so that we pay attention only to the important sounds that we need to hear.  So if you are sitting in your lounge reading the paper, your brain will filter out the sound of the washing machine in the kitchen nearby, your neighbour mowing his lawn etc. If there is a knock at the door, however, the brain will allow this sound through and will draw your attention to it.

We also have an emotional response to sounds. We will respond differently to the telephone ringing in the middle of the night, to if it rings during the day. Tinnitus sounds are generated in the ear, and sent to the brain for analysis.  The brain recognises this as a new sound and pays attention to it to see if it is significant or not. This can then stimulate an emotional response, which may include fear as to the cause of the sound, or annoyance at the intrusion of the sound.  This can lead to a physical response such as muscle tension, raised blood pressure, heart palpitations and so on.  And so there can become a direct link between the presence of tinnitus and feeling negatively towards the sound. 

What can be done to help?

Just as the brain has made a link between the sound of the tinnitus and a negative emotional response, it is possible to “retrain” the brain, through “tinnitus retraining therapy”.  Part of this process is learning about how tinnitus occurs and how we can reduce the impact it has on our lives.

If there is an existing hearing loss, it is often helpful to fit hearing aid/s, as this helps other external sounds to be more audible which serve to distract you from the internal noises from the ears.

Please feel free to contact us for further details if you are experiencing tinnitus and would like some help in managing it.