What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a noise, ringing ears, or a roaring sound in the affected ear. It is very disturbing: sometimes it actually causes ear pain. Noise is measured in decibels. And people have told us that at higher decibels, it actually creates pain. It is certainly very uncomfortable.
We have heard many many people describe tinnitus as sounding like the sound of escaping air, running water, being inside a seashell, a sizzling, musical, buzzing, or humming noise, ringing noises, blowing sounds, hissing, whistling, high or low pitched sounds, roaring, pulsating sounds, etc. some people can hear their heart beat. You might want to explore this term on the MedlinePlus site.
Persistent tinnitus (ringing in the ears) sometimes accompanies hearing loss or hearing fluctuation, but most of the time, it has its own cause(s). In Meniere’s Disease (balance and hearing symptoms) can be very persistent and very unpleasant. And because it is in the person’s ear, they cannot remove themselves from it: it always travels with them.
It is important to recognize that tinnitus, or “this sound”, comes from the inside of the ear
A person with tinnitus will almost always be exposed to two sounds;
- One sound comes from inside, its’ own internal source only you are hearing it.
- The other sound comes from someone speaking (external source).
These sounds (tinnitus) compete for attention and this can be most frustrating, irritating, and stressful because neither sound will be clear. It is also very hard to escape the sound. Which is why tinnitus can also interfere with the ability to concentrate, to rest, or to sleep.
Understandably it will frequently cause psychological distress. It is very important to remember that increased levels of stress and tension can also be a trigger for an attack.
Tinnitus, in its mild form, is tolerable. We all have bits of it at times. In its loud, chronic form is very destructive and stressful. It can lead to increased depression and despair.
Is there a tinnitus treatment, or are there ways of getting around the tinnitus symptoms?
Many people are inclined to, or counseled to, use white noise. For some that works, for others it does not. I have spent years learning an amazing amount of information about tinnitus, dizziness, hearing loss and other Meniere’s disease symptoms!
You might want to ask yourself why there is ringing in the ears. This noise is coming from deep inside the inner ear. You couldn’t get at it from the outside if you tried. But if this nerve was NOT bothered, it wouldn’t ring, right?
What is making it ring? In order to have it do anything, “something” has to come into its “world”. But because of its remoteness, that’s virtually impossible, UNLESS something IN your body is bothering or irritating it and causing / creating the tinnitus.
What could be causing your tinnitus?
It could be something that can get into that area FROM inside your body. It could be a virus, bacteria or chemicals. I’m sure there are other things as well. In a “quiet, undisturbed, and peaceful” nerve, nothing out of the ordinary is happening. There should be no unusual noise. Now along comes “something” that is causing the hearing nerve to result in noise or ear ringing.
In other words something is now (not before) disturbing the “quiet and peace” of the inner ear and its nerve. Otherwise you wouldn’t be aware of an “intruder”. We take our health so much for granted that it is only when something really unpleasant, comes along, do we pay attention.
I am guessing it gravitates to the inner ear hearing/acoustic nerve. (It may also rest in another part of your body, but for now, we’ll stick to the inner ear.)
If You Take Prescription Drugs, Check Those Out for Side Effects
Did you know that many drugs (which are chemicals) have tinnitus as a side effect? Here is my favorite site for searching for this kind of drug information. That means this ringing in the ears may be produced by a chemical being released into your body.
Ask your pharmacist for help. Or go online and type in “drugs that cause tinnitus” into Google. The results will surprise you! If you don’t take any drugs, check your blood pressure. Sometimes high blood pressure can be a trigger for your symptoms, or a full on attack.
What if you don’t take any drugs? How about other chemicals? You are surrounded by chemicals all day long. And frequently, you get them onto your skin, into your nasal passages, into your eyes, or through your mouth as you breathe and just “live”. These are all ways for it to enter your body.
Often, and most likely, you choose to put them onto and into your body with sunscreens, cosmetics, drinks, etc. It is important to be aware of how you could be exposing your body to chemicals. The chemicals may be one source of tinnitus.
Don’t Forget to Look for Unexpected Sources of tinnitus;
High blood pressure is more fluid, and that equals more pressure. Explore all sorts of chemicals in your home. From air fresheners, bathroom and shower cleaners to things kept in the basement, garage, or attic. And check what you put on your lawn.
One lady we talked with finally discovered her daily, early morning, horrible tinnitus symptoms came from the specialty coffee she had first thing every morning. This is why you need to dig deep and search for the unexpected sources that may be behind your Tinnitus.
One example of an unexpected source may sound very strange. I have people tell me they have this. It is a pain or weird sensation such as an unpleasant, unexplained noise when they use either their microwave oven or talk on their cell phones. I have no idea how, or why, but enough people have mentioned this to me so I have to assume that there might be something to this.
I want to encourage you to keep on searching for the reason you have tinnitus. Please don’t give up. There is a reason, an underlying cause(s) for this to be happening: you really need to find it. Absolutely nothing ever happens in our bodies without a cause.
- If you would like a copy of our Meniere’s Disease Study Guide, please click here. This guide is a step by step journey exploring your symptoms and what may be causing them.
- If you would like more information on the system that David, and numerous others, have used, please click here; What Finally Worked.
- If you have any health questions or concerns, please feel free to Contact Us and we will be happy to share our knowledge and ideas with you.
Karin Henderson, Retired Nurse
(604) 463-8666 – Pacific Standard Time