What is that constant hearing in my ears?

The constant hearing in your ears is best described as tinnitus. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention, nearly 15 percent people i.e. about 50 million people in the U.S. alone experience the same noise as you do. This makes it quite common and a little less worrying.

The fact is that this noise is not because of any external source; it is all because of neurological conditions that cause you to constantly perceive a sound and it usually sounds like clicking, roaring, buzzing, whistling, swooshing, or hissing. As per American Tinnitus Association (ATA), tinnitus can be either temporary or permanent.

A tinnitus masker covering the tinnitus sounds is recommended.

Let’s have a deep look on the causes of tinnitus:

First and the foremost thing, it’s not at all a disease. Tinnitus is a sign that something is wrong in the auditory system comprising the ear, the auditory nerve that connects the inner ear to the brain, and the portions of the brain that process sound. Even the piece of earwax blocking the ear canal can cause tinnitus. Some more health conditions that can cause a sound to knock your ear doors are:

• Ear and sinus infections
• Noise-induced hearing loss
• Brain Tumors
• Thyroid abnormalities
• Diseases of the heart or blood vessels

Tinnitus can be the first symptom of hearing loss in elder age. Even certain medications (more than 200 drugs) can cause tinnitus when you start or stop taking them. The best solution here is to always consult a specialist before starting any medicine that is known to start hearing problems.

Varieties of treatments are available for tinnitus:

Unluckily, it doesn’t have a cure yet but yes, Doctors recommends a combination of treatments depending upon the extent of tinnitus to patients. Some are as follows:

1. Hearing Aids

People experiencing hearing loss along with tinnitus should prefer hearing aids as these can control the outside noise which allows you to listen clearly. Once you start listening properly, tinnitus will automatically start diminishing.

2. Wearable Sound Generators

These are small electronic devices that fit in the ear and produce a soft and pleasant sound to cover the sounds produced due to tinnitus. While this device has the ability to completely overshadow the tinnitus voices, a masking level that is just enough to cover the tinnitus sounds is recommended.

3. Tabletop Sound Generators

Like wearable sound generators, tabletop generators too produce a soothing sound that can help the patients forget tinnitus and sleep peacefully. However, these devices are comparatively large and generally placed near the pillow of the patient when they want to sleep.

4. Counselling

When you understand what goes on in your body, you are in a better position to handle your problems. Counseling will help you realize the problem you are facing and then tell you all the things you need to know to deal with the problem. It will help you change the way you think and react on tinnitus and thus enable you relax and feel better about yourself.

5. Acoustic Neural Stimulation

This is a rather new technique useful for people suffering from permanent and lout tinnitus. This therapy involves a palm sized device that is placed near the ear and then used to deliver broadband waves in the neural circuits of the ear and brain in an attempt to minimize the tinnitus causing activities. Astonishingly, this therapy has shown positive results and helped many patients get rid of tinnitus completely.