Tinnitus
Tinnitus is not a type of hearing loss, but many people who suffer tinnitus also have hearing loss without knowing it. Hearing aids and sound therapy can relieve some of the effects of this symptom.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is typically experienced as a hissing, buzzing, whistling, roaring or ringing in one or both ears that only you can hear. For some people, it has a huge impact on daily life, causing stress, anxiety, anger and disturbed sleep. Surprisingly common, almost 1 in 10 Indian experience some form of tinnitus. We can help you take control and manage the symptoms of tinnitus.
The severity and regularity differs from each individual who suffer from tinnitus. The symptoms of tinnitus vary from one person to another, ranging from temporary to persistent, mildly irritating or very disturbing. About 80% of people with tinnitus may also have some degree of hearing loss without being aware of it2. Unfortunately, there is no cure for tinnitus, however there is a form of relief for those who are affected by tinnitus. Our hearing healthcare professionals are here to help and can recommend different techniques to help relieve this nuisance.
Causes of tinnitus
Between 20-30% of the Australian population suffer from some form of tinnitus. Tinnitus is commonly a symptom of an auditory or sensory fault in the hearing system usually caused by a stressful event. There are a variety of potential tinnitus causes, including:
- Exposure to extreme loud noise
- Tinnitus may be a side-effect of some medications
- High stress levels and lack of sleep combined may increase the severity of tinnitus.
- Caffeine and alcohol may set off tinnitus.
- Smoking may cause tinnitus as there is a restriction of blood flow through to the ear canal and limited supply of oxygen
- Head or neck injuries
- Ear conditions or infections
How does tinnitus affect your life?
The symptoms vary from one person to another, including the intensity. Some people are able to ignore their tinnitus, while some tinnitus sufferers may become very sensitive to places with constant or loud noise. Unmanaged tinnitus may have a devastating impact on your daily life, as this may lead to concentration problems, disturbed sleeping patterns or avoiding social situations.
Sound therapy
Sound therapy can be a helpful tool for managing the symptoms of tinnitus. Listening to different and carefully selected sounds, may help you feel as though your tinnitus is reduced or temporarily gone. Our expert clinicians can assist you in customizing hearing aids and sound therapy to your needs and preferences. A tinnitus sound app may also be downloaded from the app store and you can get relieving sounds when you need them. We can help you find the sound therapy that gives you the most effective relief.
Hearing aids and technology for tinnitus
We customize hearing aids and sound therapy exactly to your needs and preferences.
Oticon Opn S™
Our latest hearing aid, provides a variety of relief sounds for those who experience some form of tinnitus.
Tinnitus sound app
Get relieving sounds right when you need them. Download on the App Store or get it at Google Play.
Think you might have tinnitus?
Think you might have tinnitus?
A clinical assessment is recommended for those who experience the symptoms of tinnitus. Our hearing healthcare professionals can help recommend different techniques, sound therapies, hearing aids and counselling that can help you manage and relieve this nuisance.
Tinnitus FAQs
Tinnitus refers to any sound heard in the head or ears for which there is no corresponding outside sound. Most tinnitus is reported as sounding like ringing, whistling, humming, cicadas, buzzing, static or the ocean. In most cases, tinnitus is reported as sounding like it is in both ears and the main cause is noise exposure. Tinnitus can cause anxiety and sleep disturbance however the good news is that tinnitus can be treated and relieved.
Medical management consists of making a diagnosis as to the cause and providing an explanation to the patient. It involves taking a history of noise exposure, previous ear problems, head trauma, illness and drugs used in the past. An examination of the head, neck and ears and an accurate audiogram is also conducted.
If an unexplainable asymmetrical hearing loss is found, a Computed Tomography (CT) or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan to exclude an acoustic neuroma may be required.
A tinnitus assessment will take 90 minutes, your clinician will start by asking you questions about your medical and hearing history, which is commonly known as case history. the Sample questions are as follows:
For how long and what have you noticed difficulty with your hearing?
Have you experienced hearing difficulty gradually or suddenly?
Do you have a history of ear infections/ surgeries?
Do you hear ringing, buzzing or humming in your ears?
Is there a family history of hearing loss
Next, your clinician will conduct a test or series of tests to assess, such as:
Loudness tinnitus pitch
Loudness and sound tolerance test
Finally, the clinician will discuss your assessment results with you and also help you to understand why tinnitus became a problem and how it can be treated. If your clinician detects any sign of an underlying medical condition, they will prepare a hearing test report explaining the results to your GP for further clinical assessments.
Tinnitus can be treated with a neurophysiological mode, called Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT). This involves:
An extensive audiological evaluation
Counselling sessions
The use of external sound
The use of sound devices may also be employed
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) is a process of retraining the subconscious parts of the brain to ignore the sound of tinnitus. The ultimate goal of retraining therapy is to achieve a state in which you are not aware of your tinnitus.
If you have hearing loss, there is a good chance that a pair of hearing aids will benefit your tinnitus and help you hear again. Request an appointment to get a check-up to determine if you will benefit from using hearing aids.