As many as 90% of those who are diagnosed with tinnitus also have some form of hearing loss. Additionally, people who do have issues with their ability to hear may develop tinnitus in the future.
With that said, if you have tinnitus, this does not mean that it will cause you to develop hearing loss.
What About Tinnitus & Hearing Loss?
Tinnitus and hearing loss are impacted by many similar things. Possible causes include lengthy and frequent exposure to fireworks, music, and other loud noises. This type of exposure can lead to damage to the eardrum and the nerves within.
When this happens, the auditory nerves create sounds, effectively creating tinnitus.
Age Can Be A Cause Of Tinnitus And Hearing Loss
If the ear drum gets broken, then hearing loss will occur. Unfortunately, another factor that impacts tinnitus and hearing loss is also old age. Essentially, aging lowers the functionality of the senses, and the ears are often the first to go.
Health Issues Can Lead To Tinnitus And Hearing Loss
Many health issues can lead to tinnitus, hearing loss or a combination of the two. The most common health problems that cause these issues include high blood pressure, autoimmune inner disease, inner ear disorders, Bechet’s syndrome, poor development within the womb, and more.
There are certain rare cases where you can develop tinnitus and sudden hearing loss such as with an acoustic nerve tumor and aneurysm.
If you want to get help for hearing loss or tinnitus, the first thing that you need to do is determine your condition for proper medical treatment. It is best to go to your doctor to do hearing tests before a diagnosis of tinnitus or hearing loss is given.
Let’s discuss a few treatments for these issues associated with hearing loss, tinnitus or a combination.
- Treatment for tinnitus and/or hearing loss could be through the use of hearing aids or medication.
- It is possible for tinnitus to be treated using an antibiotic if there is an infection. It can also be treated using steroids, decongestants, etc.
- Additional therapies include electrical stimulation, low-light lasers, retraining therapy for tinnitus, etc.
The purpose of these therapies is to assist with reducing the ringing noise. In some cases, you may be trained to mask the sounds of tinnitus through exposure to external sounds of a lower intensity.
Hearing Aids Often Help
Next, you can use hearing aids to help with hearing loss as well as to reduce tinnitus. Tinnitus is typically also assumed when a diagnosis of hearing loss is given. In my case, the hearing loss and tinnitus have gone hand-in-hand!
So, before tinnitus masking devices are provided, hearing aids are often tried first.
The great thing about hearing aids these days is the fact that they have come down dramatically in price. Where, just a few years ago, it would not be unusual to pay $4,000 – $6,000 for good quality hearing aids, you can now get some excellent quality units for $300 – $1,000!
Tinnitus Maskers
If the tinnitus continues to persist, then you will be given a device to mask the tinnitus. This device serves two purposes, one as a tinnitus masker and the other as a typical hearing aid. It looks just like a hearing aid and is placed behind the ear, but it also functions to mask tinnitus with complex electronics.
The majority of patients receive relief using this device from hearing the ringing noise to not hearing it at all. This device greatly reduces tinnitus, however, it may not fix the actual hearing impairment.
Since these conditions are highly related, the preventative measures are also basically the same. To reduce your chances of becoming hearing impaired or developing tinnitus, you should avoid loud noises or frequent exposure to loud noises or sounds.
Stay In Good Health
It is also important to prevent high blood pressure since this can make you develop tinnitus.
It is also important to avoid stimulants such as nicotine and caffeine and the things that contain them. This is because nerves that are overly stimulated can create ringing noises.
You should also alter what you eat and drink. It is best to avoid consuming anything that has glutamate or a lot of salt. This is important because glutamate can cause tinnitus.
A Tinnitus Definition by itself can be confusing. Simply put, the condition occurs when you hear a constant ringing or buzzing sound in your ears when there is no external source causing the sound. We’ll cover a few things about what you can do about tinnitus
Common external sources include ear infections, foreign objects lodged in the ear, wax build-up, or foreign hair. While there may be more than one cause, tinnitus most often occurs when there is an imbalance of some kind between the middle ear and the outer ear.
