It’s really common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Around 20 million individuals regularly suffer from chronic tinnitus so intense that it becomes burdensome. This does not even count the more common forms of tinnitus, which for most individuals can come and go without causing a huge impact on their quality of life.
When you hear noises in your ears that don’t have an external source and no one else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. It may manifest as a persistent buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is often linked to hearing loss, but that doesn’t mean that one condition will automatically lead to the other.
As a matter of fact, there are a considerable variety of types of tinnitus. And each one will require a different treatment approach.
What is tinnitus?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it come from? Well, it’s important to mention that not all kinds of tinnitus are the same. The assorted causes of tinnitus will present with similar symptoms. But it’s still crucial to determine the cause in order to effectively treat the symptoms.
For some people, tinnitus is the result of a neurological issue, like a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. In other circumstances, tinnitus may be caused by age-related hearing loss. Here are some of the most prevalent types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear issues. The brain itself can sometimes be the source. Neurological tinnitus is a result of injury to or problems with your baseline neurological functions. In other words, something has broken down with the normal ways that your brain and ear interact. As a result, a phantom sound is heard which isn’t actually there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the root sources of tinnitus, as well as others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some instances, go away on its own. It might be permanent in other circumstances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and doesn’t objectively exist and no one else can hear it. Lots of other forms of tinnitus also fall into this category. For instance, neurological tinnitus can also be subjective tinnitus. There are a large number of sounds that can manifest with subjective tinnitus, including buzzing, ringing, screeching, roaring, thumping, and lots of others.
- Objective tinnitus: When you have objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. Objective tinnitus does happen, though it’s not as common as subjective types. Most commonly, this means you’re experiencing something called pulsatile tinnitus, which occurs when you’re hearing your pulse or circulatory system. Objective tinnitus causes those sounds to be unusually loud.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are often rather constant for many people coping with them. Both objective and subjective tinnitus have this characteristic. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This form of tinnitus becomes more severe when you move around. Typically, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to get worse when you move your head or neck.
Often, people will have more than one form of tinnitus simultaneously. For instance, you may have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. Determining the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment strategy for your symptoms.
Getting tinnitus support
You probably won’t have to take any particular action if your tinnitus symptoms are sporadic. But your quality of life can be significantly impacted if your tinnitus symptoms are rather constant or keep coming back. That’s when it’s particularly important to speak with a hearing specialist to receive specialized care and find some tinnitus relief.
We have a number of different tinnitus management methods we may try depending on the underlying cause of your symptoms. Several treatments can make the sounds you’re hearing less obvious. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Generally, there’s no cure for tinnitus, though it can usually be successfully managed. We will help you personalize the best treatment for your particular situation. That way, you can more easily ignore the buzzing or ringing in your ears, and get back to the life you love.