Ringing in Ears
Tinnitus is also known as ringing in ears because it usually comes as a ringing noise. It may also come as another kind sound though, and it can either be a buzzing, hissing, roaring, clicking, whistling, humming, or gurgling sound. Usually, the sound that sufferers hear depends on the root cause.
We may have experienced ringing in the ear at some points in our lives, just like after watching a concert or traveling on a plane. And, after some time, it goes away. There are unfortunate ones, though, who hear it constantly and loud enough to affect their daily lives.
The most common cause of ringing in ears is cochlear damage due to noise. We do not realize that listening to our MP3 players set to a high volume or going to concerts and staying near the speakers without wearing earplugs slowly damage our cochlea. As we know, cochlea plays a big part in the transmission and interpretation of sounds. Reports show that around 90% of the cases of tinnitus is caused by noise.
Besides cochlear damage due to exposure to loud noises, other known causes of ear ringing include stress, sinus problems or allergic reactions, Meniere’s Disease, head and neck injuries, temporomandibular joint disorder or TMJ, hearing loss associated with age, vitamin deficiency, and thyroid disorder.
One important thing that should be taken note of ringing in the ears is that it can become a cycle. Usually, it tends to get louder in quiet environments, especially when we are about to sleep. In effect, we find it hard to sleep at night or we develop insomnia. As we know, lack of sleep affects us the next day: we easily get tired and stressed, thus aggravating the ringing ears that we experience. Also, our immune system gets weakened, exposing us to various unhealthy conditions that can also have tinnitus as a symptom, and the cycle can go on and on, leaving us debilitated.
Thus, we should make efforts in order to avoid falling into this cycle, and this is where the importance of remedies sets in. As stress aggravates tinnitus, let us make sure that we manage it. Counseling, meditation, and relaxation can help us with control stress.
We also have to avoid other triggering factors like foods and drinks that contain high amounts of salt, sugar, and caffeine. Furthermore, we have to make sure that our immune system is in good state. A diet that has the right amount of zinc and a proper and regular exercise definitely help. Also, we have to get enough sleep, which can be helped achieve through the use of white noise maskers.
A positive attitude, though, is the kind of treatment that we should not miss having.
If there is ONE BOOK on tinnitus that every tinnitus patient absolutely SHOULD READ, it is the bestseller from Ellen Currie entitled Living Tinnitus Free...