Tinnitus is the term of where the noises your hearing is actually coming from  inside your body, as usually the noises are coming from the outside.

When you get told about this issue it is often described as ‘ ringing in the ears’ however many sounds can be heard such as :

1. Buzzing
2. Humming
3. Grinding
4. Hissing
5. Whistling

Some people even hear music or singing but others can also hear the beat to their pulse which is called (pulsatile tinnitus).If you are suffering from tinnitus you will begin to notice you are loosing your hearing or its not as good as it normally is.

Seriousness of the symptom

Tinnitus is rarely  a sign of a serious underlying condition. As for some people it may just come and go and be a minor irritation that will eventually go unnoticed. However it can sometimes be more serious and it will stay for longer and cause significant impact on everyday life.  In the most severe cases it can be very distressing and affect concentration. Also in the most extreme cases it can cause sleep insomnia and depression. In time tinnitus will fix itself however its important to go to your GP and seek medical attention, just to see whether there’s a underlying cause that can be treated to help.

When to see your GP 

You should see your GP if you continuously or regularly hear sounds such as buzzing or ringing in your ear. They will be able to examine your ears check to see if there is a problem causing this symptom and try to give you the best advice or antibiotic to help.  Some cases could be from ear-wax build up , or simple hearing loss. If your GP thinks necessary they will refer you to a hospital specialist for further tests and treatment regarding your ears.

What causes tinnitus

Tinnitus can develop over time or occur suddenly. There’s not usually an explanation on why it happens but often occurs along with some degree of hearing loss. The associations are – age relation, inner ear damage, wax build up, ear infection, Meniere’s disease or Otosclerosis. However around 2 in every 6 people doesn’t have any infections or hearing loss ext..

Treating tinnitus

Currently there is no single way of treating tinnitus that works for every ear. However if a underlying cause can be found and is treatable , the procedure will be carried out as soon as possible by your GP or specialists. If a specific cause cant be found these treatments might be able to help..

• sound therapy – listening to neutral sounds to distract you from the sound of tinnitus.
• counselling – therapy that aims to educate you about tinnitus and help you learn to cope with it more effectively.
• cognitive behavioral therapy – therapy that aims to help change the way you think about your tinnitus so it becomes less noticeable.
• tinnitus retraining therapy– therapy that aims to help retrain the way your brain responds to tinnitus so you start to tune the sound out and become less aware of it.

At Hear4u we are able to give tinnitus counselling.

Treatment Options

Sam & the Hear4U team can offer you a solution that works based on the severity of your condition. After the initial assessment, we will be able to provide you with the best fitting treatment that works for you.