Tinnitus can create lingering, phantom noises, and it affects an estimated 360 million people worldwide.
If you are one of the many people in the world who suffer from tinnitus, then you know the impact it can have on all aspects of your life, from work to social and family life.
Today, I will help you to debunk myths about tinnitus.
First, I want to remind you that Tinnitus is the subjective perception of sound in the absence of a real one.
The causes of tinnitus can vary, but tinnitus itself can be divided into two categories: tonal and non-tonal.
Tonal tinnitus is perceived as overlapping sounds or an almost continuous sound with a well-defined frequency, such as ringing, whistling or buzzing.
This is the most common form of tinnitus.
Non-tonal forms of tinnitus include clicking, buzzing, rattling and popping sounds…
Table of Contents
Does Tinnitus Harm a Person?
Tinnitus itself is not a disease, it is a symptom.
Tinnitus does not directly harm a person, but the cause of tinnitus can be harmful.
For this reason, it is necessary to have a tinnitus examination to determine the cause of it.
Regardless of the cause, tinnitus causes very serious psychological consequences in some people.
TOP 3 Popular Myths of Tinnitus
Myth 1. Nothing Can Be Done About Tinnitus
Of course, there is always a solution to how to treat tinnitus.
Research into tinnitus is ongoing and treatment approaches are constantly improving.
Whether your tinnitus is severe, moderate, or mild, you can find a solution.
For example, hearing aids are small high-tech devices.
Not only do they improve hearing and amplify sounds, but they also provide many solutions to relieve tinnitus.
Hearing Aids complement the volume of external noise and increase the number of sound stimuli received and processed by the body.
The sound of tinnitus is blocked by other noises, making it difficult to hear and helping the brain to focus on external noises.
Myth 2. People With Tinnitus Eventually Become Deaf
Hearing loss and tinnitus may present at the same time.
However, this does not happen in all cases.
If you suffer from tinnitus, it does not mean that your hearing will decrease, and even if it does, it does not mean that you will become deaf.
Hearing aids in most cases help to relieve the symptoms of tinnitus and correctly compensate for hearing loss at the same time.
Myth 3. Tinnitus is Always Perceived as Ringing in The Ears
The sounds of tinnitus can be different for everyone.
Tinnitus in the form of ringing is quite common, but can also be expressed as crackling, buzzing, clicking. The sounds of tinnitus can also change for each person every day.
Noise of high pitch (in the form of ringing): More often associated with damage to the cochlea or the auditory nerve, and the appearance of noise in the morning is characteristic of atherosclerosis.
Low tonality: May represent middle ear pathology, but also possible damage to the auditory analyzer.
These subjective noises are considered to be the conscious perception of stimuli by the auditory centers of the cerebral cortex due to various pathological processes of the auditory analyzer.
Pulsating: Synchronous with the pulse, of vascular origin. Sometimes a doctor can hear it.
Cracking or buzzing: Muscle noises. At the heart of their causes is the clonus of the curtain that stretches the eardrum, and it can arise from the pathology of many pairs of cranial nerves.
How Do You Know if Tinnitus is Permanent? Main Symptoms…
Let’s figure out what type of Tinnitus is the most dangerous and can be permanent…
Subjective Tinnitus
This is the most common type and counts around 95% of cases.
It can only be heard by you, and is usually caused by excessive external noise. It can appear quickly and last up to three months, and is classified as acute, or up to 12 months, classified as chronic. In some cases, the noise may last much longer.
Objective Tinnitus
Occurs very rarely. It can be heard by a doctor by listening very carefully or using a stethoscope.
This type of tinnitus may be due to vascular deformities or involuntary muscle contractions. The noise is often described as pulsating.
Neurological Tinnitus
This type of tinnitus is caused by a condition known as Meniere’s disease.
It affects your nervous system. This type of tinnitus is often accompanied by dizziness and problems with coordination. If it is not treated this type of tinnitus might be Permanent.
Somatic Tinnitus
This type is weighed down by, caused by, or otherwise associated with the sensory system in your own body.
Signals from different parts of the body are disrupted, causing spasm that contributes to serious tinnitus. If it is not treated this type of tinnitus might be Permanent.
Tinnitus and Alternative Treatment
Antihistamines, anticonvulsants, pain relievers, and anti-alcohol medications are sometimes used to relieve tinnitus.
However, experts caution that there is very little evidence that any of these provide measurable symptom improvement.
Here are real methods what can help with the tinnitus:
Acupuncture
One of the popular alternative treatments for tinnitus. A placebo-controlled study in 88 patients showed that acupuncture can reduce noise levels.
Despite this, the effectiveness of acupuncture for tinnitus has not yet been well studied.
The results of existing studies are mixed and often biased, making it impossible to draw a definitive conclusion about the benefits of acupuncture.
Zinc Supplements
There is speculation that zinc deficiency may contribute to tinnitus.
A study of 100 patients showed that the 65+ group with the lowest blood zinc levels had higher tinnitus loudness.
Another study in the same age group found no significant improvement in tinnitus after 4 months of zinc supplementation.
Ginkgo Biloba Supplements
Although some studies have shown a positive effect of ginkgo on tinnitus, especially in patients with recent onset of symptoms, most controlled studies have shown that it is no more effective than placebo in alleviating tinnitus symptoms.
Other dietary supplements, such as B vitamins and melatonin, have also been shown to have no beneficial effects when studied.
Melatonin
The last natural product that has the potential to help treat tinnitus is melatonin.
In a very detailed study by the Ohio State University Eye and Ear Institute, sixty-one adults with chronic tinnitus were randomized to receive 3 mg of melatonin or placebo every evening for 30 days.
After 30 days of dosing, a 1-month washout period followed before switching to another drug.
The results very convincingly showed that melatonin causes a statistically significant reduction in the intensity of tinnitus and improvement in the quality of sleep in patients with chronic tinnitus.
Melatonin is most effective in people with more severe and bilateral tinnitus, as well as people who have been exposed to noise for a long time.
FAQs
Can Tinnitus Go Away After 3 months?
Yes, subjective tinnitus usually can appear quickly and last up to three months, and is classified as acute, or up to 12 months, classified as chronic. In some cases, the noise may last much longer.
Can Tinnitus Go After 3 Years?
If you have a constant tinnitus, most likely that in 3 years you will hear it much less over time. Hearing Aids might be a solution to relieve tinnitus.
Does Tinnitus Get Louder Over Time?
Tinnitus gets Louder over time when you are stressed and depressed. It is because certain areas of the brain may be involved in the process.
A recent study conducted at the University of Berlin (Germany) showed that tinnitus is related to stress correlated closely with other forms of stress in the patients studied.
How Long Can Tinnitus Last?
Tinnitus lasts for a long time (more than 5 minutes) and should be distinguished from a short, transient sound that lasts a few seconds or occurs after a strong sound stimulus. Such noise is in no way connected with the mechanical processes occurring in the ear, its cause is in the nerve cells.
Will I Go Deaf If I Have Tinnitus?
Hearing loss may be found in a small group of patients with tinnitus, although there is no reason for treatment.
If these patients are rehabilitated with a hearing aid, their hearing loss will be corrected, and their tinnitus will be improved.
How Does Loud Noise Influence Tinnitus?
Loud noise causes permanent damage to sound-sensitive cochlear cells.
Workers in noisy factories and construction sites, pilots, musicians and the military are at risk.
A single exposure to a sudden loud sound can also cause tinnitus.
For example, in the case of a loud rock concert, vibrations of the tympanic membrane depend on the intensity of the sound and can lead to perforation, which will significantly reduce hearing and can lead to subjective noise.
