Tinnitus Help - Stop the Ringing in Your Ears

The majority of people with tinnitus have what's know as the "somatic" form. That's when the noises you hear are generated or otherwise affected when you move your head or neck. In a Scientific American article, science journalist Anton Benz refers to a recent clinical trial, in which audiologist Susan Shore of the University of Michigan and colleagues used a new procedure to significantly alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus. Benz says the researchers developed a “bisensory” treatment.  It consists of an "in-ear headphone and two externally attached electrodes that delivered a combination of acoustic and electric stimuli to reduce activity in the dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN)." The way is works is that "precisely timed sounds alternated with weak electrical pulses that activate touch-sensitive nerves, aimed at steering damaged nerve cells back to normal activity," according to the University of Michigan's Fast Forward Medical Innovation page.

According to Arthritis.org, people with arthritis can experience hearing loss and tinnitus for two reasons: due to the arthritis itself and due to the high levels of aspirin and other medications they take. In addition to reducing blood flow to the inner ear, acetaminophen may reduce a protein that protects the inner ear from damage. Sometimes, lowering the amount or frequency of your arthritis medications, or even changing to another medication entirely, can reverse hearing loss. Other "medications known to cause tinnitus include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and certain antibiotics, cancer drugs, water pills (diuretics), antimalarial drugs and antidepressants," according to Mayo Clinic. It's not just the meds, though. Older people who've had rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for years may experience tinnitus too, say rheumatologist Judith Frank . That's because the inflammation associated with RA can damage the tiny joints in the ear (in addition to the

Ignoring your tinnitus is very different than becoming accustomed to it and ignoring the sounds you hear.  That's because tinnitus isn't always caused by exposure to very loud noise. It can also be the result of an ear or head injury, a circulatory disorder or simply by how old you are.  However, until you get a diagnosis, you won't know if it's something as simple as a build up of earwax, which is easily remedied. The one time you can probably ignore the sounds in your head are if they occur right after a really loud concert or sporting event. If the tinnitus is indeed temporary, it'll go away by itself in a few days and you don't have to worry about it. Still, you can use the scare as a warning from your body to use some earplugs next time. If you totally ignore the condition, though, you could have an injury or even tumor that only your doctor can diagnose. There are other reasons to get the reasons behind your tinnitus diagnosed: According to HearingInfo.net

Maybe it's Taylor Swift, or maybe it's just that Gen Zs are growing up more educated than the rest of us, but ear plugs are all over TikTok as fashionable (healthy) accessories.  The hashtag leading the pack is simply #earplugs with more than 292 million views, but the lonely #earplug has 51 million and even the polite #earplugsplease has 43 thousand views. More concert-goers than ever seem to be using hearing protection, and that's a smart move: The only preventable hearing loss is that due to noise. And a major side effect to very loud noise exposure is tinnitus. Other than reducing noise exposure, there's no way to control other factors that cause hearing loss (aging, genetics, infection or illnesses). Once you've damaged the hair cells in your inner ears, that's it. Cheap foam earplugs are just as effective as expensive ones, but those designed for music filter out bass and high frequency better. In other words, the sound quality you'll hear wearing che

People who have high-intensity tinnitus probably scoff at those who wonder if they even have the condition. But because tinnitus varies in intensity and sound type, wondering if you even have tinnitus is a valid question. If the sounds in your head (that no one else hears) are faint and come and go, you may have a form of intermittent tinnitus. As long as the noises aren't noticeable and don't bother you, it's certainly livable and shouldn't interfere with your daily life. You can have bouts of tinnitus which go away quickly. These episodic events are typically caused by loud noises (concerts, for example) and even mundane things like sneezing too hard. You'll hear ringing in your ears for a while, and then everything's back to normal. It's when the sounds are high-frequency or high-volume plus unrelenting that you'll know without question that you have tinnitus. The tinnitus itself is not a cause for alarm -- after all, it can go away by itself. It'

The most recent findings is that napping may actually increase tinnitus volume -- but only in a minority of people tested. According to TinnitusUK , "many people with tinnitus do in fact sleep well and see sleep as a refreshing escape from tinnitus. Those people who sleep well do not seem to have ‘different tinnitus’ from those who have trouble sleeping." However, in an article in the Sleep journal, researchers say that overall, naps increase tinnitus loudness. In fact, the first nap of the day had more tinnitus modulations than the second or third naps of the day. There's a connection between tinnitus and sleep: tinnitus is a phantom perception (the sounds we hear don't exist outside our heads). The thing that's weird here is that "most people only experience phantom perceptions when they’re asleep," according to an article in The Conversation. "Sometimes, certain brain areas can be overactive during slow-wave sleep. This is what happens in sleep

If you've got temporary hearing loss or tinnitus after being at a loud concert or sports event, you may be able to fix it -- if you act fast. A 2021 Keck Medicine of USC study published in Science Daily  has found that the nerve damage to the inner ear caused by loud noises is basically a build up of fluids. Treating that "fluid buildup with a readily available saline solution lessened nerve damage in the inner ear." A previous study by the same otolaryngologist showed that inner ear fluid level is not affected until noises reach 100 decibels, which is how loud a motorcycle is.  "When researchers applied hypertonic saline, a salt-based solution used to treat nasal congestions in humans, into affected ears one hour after the noise exposure, both the immediate fluid buildup and the long-term nerve damage lessened, implying that the hearing loss could be at least partially prevented." The benefits of this knowledge are twofold: 1. If fluid buildup can be measured,

There are many risk factors for developing tinnitus.  Some, like smoking, you can control. Others, like getting older, you can't. Still other risks, like high traffic noise , are sometimes difficult to do much about. These risk factors include: Exposure to loud noises Regular exposure to loud noises is known to be associated with both hearing loss and tinnitus. Ongoing exposure causes damage to the tiny hair cells in the inner ear that help transmit sound to your brain. Advanced Age As you get older, there is a decline in the number of functioning nerve fibers in your ears, which may lead to hearing problems and tinnitus. Smoking Smokers have a higher risk of developing tinnitus. It's not a direct correlation, but a kind of side effect from all the other bad stuff smoking does to your body : reduced blood circulation; harmful substances like nicotine and carbon monoxide generate oxidative stress; vascular disorders; and neurological effects. Drinking alcohol Booze also increase

While there are a number of tinnitus treatment options available, none have been very successful. A 2022 study published in Frontiers In Neurology found that the number of articles published on tinnitus treatment has been increasing steadily since 2000: 2,933 publications in 74 countries. Researchers have been concentrating on neuroplasticity, sound therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in their attempt to develop "innovative diagnostic and treatment strategies for tinnitus." The reason for this push in research is that tinnitus affects so many people around the world and is thought to increase in the future.  "The prevalence of tinnitus is increasing, impacting approximately one in five people," the researchers note, adding that the reason for this increase is "due to the fast-paced lifestyle, demographic shifts, and increased occupational and recreational noise exposure." Still, the work is not evenly distributed between countries.  The U.S. h

Researchers at the University of Auckland developed a mobile-phone-based therapy last year that has shown clinically significant improvements in patients with tinnitus. The clinical trial was extremely small, with 61 patients. Half were given the new treatment and the other half used a white noise app. Those 31 people using the "new digital polytherapeutic" prototype showed "clinically significant improvements at 12 weeks, while the other group (30 people) did not." The trial participants were instructed to aim for a minimum of two hours of total use per day for 12 weeks.  The device uses a personalized treatment plan that "essentially rewires the brain in a way that de-emphasizes the sound of the tinnitus to a background noise that has no meaning or relevance to the listener." So, it's not a cure per se, but a treatment that can improve the lives of people who are bothered by their tinnitus. The original research article was published in  Frontiers in