Dunshaw Hearing Aid Centers

Many people suffer from the hearing problem Tinnitus, the common description is ringing in the ears. Clearly it affects hearing, but is it a type of hearing loss?

No.

Tinnitus affects your ability to hear but does not damage your capacity for hearing itself. While Tinnitus is not a type of hearing loss, many people suffer from both afflictions, as they can have the same root causes.

Tinnitus itself has a variety of causes and levels:

One of the most common causes for ringing in the ears is exposure to loud bursts of sound–if you are near a loud burst (such as a gunshot) or a continued loud sound (such as  at a construction site) and do not wear protection, not only can you suffer from sensorineural hearing loss, but you can also begin to suffer from Tinnitus. This happens if there is trauma to the ear which it is unable to recover from. It has been described alternately as hearing a constant ringing, waves crashing against the shore or a continual buzzing noise.

Tinnitus has other less common causes:

It can be a side-effect of oral medication, such as aspirin, or of psychedelic drugs, like Harmaline or Psilocybin. It can also be the result of a variety of physical disorders, such as Lyme Disease or Thyroid disorder. Furthermore, it can be the result of psychological imbalances, such as low-levels of serotonin or anxiety.

Tinnitus are diagnosed in five different levels of with five being the strongest. At level one, the ringing can be so slight it can be covered by everyday noise and go unnoticed by the person who has it. Level five on the other hand, can be so powerful that nothing can cover the ringing, which makes it hard for the individual to focus or get a good night’s rest.

Unfortunately, there is no way to permanently get rid of or cure Tinnitus, however there are many ways to easing it or covering it up. You can have Tinnitus without suffering from hearing loss but is a rare occurrence. If you have a hearing problem and tinnitus, ask your audiologists what may be done to help combat both simultaneously.

Tags: audiologist, causes, sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 10:22 am and is filed under General, Type Of Hearing Loss, hearing loss. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.