Tinnitus

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a condition that accompanies various disease processes within the organ of hearing, and sometimes also outside of it. Sometimes these feelings are very tiring for the patient and can lead to deep depression or prevent work and leisure. Tinnitus may be the first symptom of a more serious illness, e.g. Meniere's disease or otosclerosis.

What are tinnitus?

Tinnitus is not quite a disease but a condition that, fortunately, does not cause hearing deterioration or damage. We can call this an acoustic phenomenon that can only be heard by the patient. It also happens that tinnitus is the first symptom of such diseases as: otosclerosis, Meniere's disease, toxic damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve tumor. Tinnitus is an intrusive sound that in the patient's head causes such a great nervous tension that it is not able to function normally. Very often, people with this kind of disorder are isolated from their surroundings, friends and family ... However, physiological noise can hear everyone in absolute silence, e.g. in a sound-proof room - such noise is normal, but is suppressed by noise from the environment. 

Pathological noise is treated after the cause is detected, and the therapy itself is to remove it. If this proves impossible, it is recommended to administer sedatives, and in extreme cases, surgical treatment is possible in the otolaryngological ward.

Causes of tinnitus

There may be many reasons for tinnitus, from prosaic too difficult to diagnose. Below are a number of factors / ailments that may increase the risk of tinnitus. 

1. Being in excessive noise - listening to loud music (especially through headphones) or working in noise for a long period of time makes the patient hear tinnitus when in silence. It usually appears due to damage to the auditory nerves or only progressive damage. How to prevent this? One should primarily give up listening to loud music through headphones, also in the car do not turn on the radio loudly.

2. Stress - the popular "ringing in the ears" usually occurs in the evening, when we lie down to bed after a whole day. What is important - there is no pain, but there are problems with falling asleep. Eliminate the cause of stress, put on more rest, meet friends or walk. It is important to remember about relaxation and leaving all problems connected with it at work. Falling asleep can help listening to relaxation music.

3. Operation of chemical factors.

4. mechanical injury of the head or neck.

5. Atherosclerosis - causes the walls of the arteries to overgrow with cholesterol and other lipids from the center, and the blood, wanting to pass through the vessels, must squeeze through them with greater force. Then the patient experiences tinnitus that appears after an intense day of work or physical exertion. Such a situation should necessarily be consulted with a physician, who in turn should refer the patient to the examination of cholesterol and triglycerides. Good advice: try to reduce animal fats and carbohydrates. Change your lifestyle and include more fruits and vegetables in your diet, and start doing some physical activity. You can measure your cholesterol without leaving your home. 

6. Hypertension - very high blood pressure often causes tinnitus and pulsation. In addition, at high pressure, there is additional pain in the back of the head, which intensifies especially after physical exertion. It should be remembered that hypertension is a fairly cunning disease that can deceitly destroy kidneys and eyes. If your pressure exceeds 140/90 mm Hg a few days in a row, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Very often at the beginning it is enough to change eating habits and more physical activity. To effectively control the pressure, it is worth to have an arm or wrist blood pressure monitor. 7. Abuse of certain preparations - tinnitus may appear during or after the given medicine. Typically, the preparations causing this condition are antibiotics (e.g. neomycin), but also aspirin or other analgesics. It is important to be aware of and remember which medicines are causing your tinnitus - then your doctor may prescribe another preparation. If you are forced to use anti-inflammatories or painkillers, start with the lowest doses.

8. Hyperthyroidism - is a disease that affects the increased amount of thyroid hormones in the blood, and they in turn stimulate our circulatory system to increased work. This situation causes the patient to get elevated pressure and accelerated heart rate (hyperkinetic circulation). Blood flowing through the arteries near the temple at high pressure makes the patient feel noisy or ringing in the ears. It is important to properly diagnose and treat the thyroid gland, so if you have any symptoms (such as weight loss and insomnia) - go to the doctor.

9. Reduced blood clotting - tinnitus can also appear when we are drowsy or tired. This is because the heart contracts more often because it wants to make up for the lack of blood in the body. Thus, the blood flowing through the arteries temporarily gives the sensation of tinnitus. It is necessary to consult a doctor! You must not take anti-inflammatory medications on your own because they dilute blood. Low blood coagulation does not necessarily mean a dangerous disease; it can simply be a consequence of a small amount of calcium or vitamin K in the body.

Diagnosis of tinnitus

If tinnitus persists for more than 5 minutes, be sure to contact your family doctor or your ENT doctor directly. The diagnostic test consists in performing the analysis using specialized equipment. If the study does not reveal specific things, you will need to report to the Noise Cancer Clinic, which is located in Kajetany. It is the only clinic in Poland that accepts patients from all over the country - just an appointment from an otolaryngologist.

Home remedies for tinnitus

Home methods are especially applicable at the beginning, when the tinnitus is so unbearable that it makes it difficult for the patient to fall asleep. So what should you do?

1. Cancel the stopwatches.

2. Laying down to bed and trying to sleep, throw out all problems and stressful situations from your head.

3. Do not fall asleep in complete silence, in the background it is possible to play the radio or TV softly.

4. If you notice that you are experiencing tinnitus after taking a certain medication - leave it as soon as possible, but after consulting a specialist.

5. Take stronger medication only in consultation with your doctor.

Tinnitus - treatment

Habituation - many patients have been cured of tinnitus thanks to the habituation method, and although we do not realize it - habituation processes occur in each of us. So what is this process? Habituation is characterized by the fact that at some point we cease to completely receive sounds from the environment, for example, we do not hear the ticking of the clock or passing cars outside the window. They are only heard when we remember them. This has been used to treat tinnitus, and the place where this method is used is the Noise Cancer Clinic. Although the treatment is quite expensive, and the effects require a lot of time and patience - it's worth it because about 80% of the patients have noticed the effectiveness. Although the noise does not disappear completely, it facilitates everyday functioning.

Psychotherapy - the patient should first of all get rid of all fears that tinnitus will cause him a serious disease in his head. In this situation, group therapy is helpful in which the patient can share his fears and experiences with others. In addition, rehabilitation stays are organized, where various forms of therapy are conducted. Thanks to this, patients stop being afraid of illness.

Broadband noise generator - produces white noise, which is so quiet that it does not drown out other sounds and is not picked up by people from the environment. White noise teaches subcortical centers of hearing that are unconscious of receiving tinnitus. Generators are worn by patients similar to hearing aids (at least eight hours a day). The effects are visible after a few weeks of treatment, which should normally last from 18 to 24 months. Before the patient undergoes treatment with a broadband noise generator, it should be ruled out that the noise created on the ground of more serious ailments (e.g. a tumor).

Hearing aid - works well in patients with high hearing loss. Apparatus not only soothes tinnitus, but also improves the ability to hear. This is because the amplified sounds from the outside constitute a natural sound background, which makes the noise heard very quiet or cannot be heard at all.

Prevention of tinnitus

Here are some practical tips that could help to prevent tinnitus.

1. Avoid being in noisy places and listening to music through headphones.

2. Avoid stress.

3. Remember about relaxation and mental rest. Recently, coloring books for adults are a popular way to relax. Here are our suggestions:

•             Mindfulness coloring book. Artistic anti-stress therapy for busy people

•             Defeat Stress. A relaxing coloring book for adults

 4. Remember to regularly check your blood pressure.

5. Periodically you can do a sugar and cholesterol test.

6. Avoid body chilling.

7. Use moderation and anti-inflammatory preparations in moderation (avoid abuse).

8. Do you have a plugged ear? Go to the doctor to see what is causing this.

9. If you have thyroid disease - be under the care of a doctor.

10. Do not poke into your ear (especially sharp objects). To clean the ears, it is best to use special means, e.g. a spray for dissolving and removing earwax.

11. While diving, try slowly ascending so that the pressure level in your head is aligned.

12. Avoid taking high doses of medicines that cause dehydration.