What Are the Causes of Tinnitus?
What are the causes of tinnitus, and what can I do about it? Many people are looking for the answer to these puzzling and important questions since tinnitus is a painful disorder that often erodes the quality of life for sufferers, sometimes even disrupting their careers or their relationships! This article intends to simplify the possible causes of your tinnitus to help you take steps to feel better as soon as possible.
So here’s what we know. Experts agree that there are many possible medical and lifestyle causes of tinnitus. Unfortunately it gets really confusing because the causes are not all the same for all sufferers, and often a person’s condition can be brought about by 2 or more causes! Even well-intentioned health care providers have difficulty prescribing a clear path for treatment.
Fortunately, there is good news. If you follow some simple steps you have excellent chances of reducing or eliminating your tinnitus completely. The first step is to learn as much as you can about the possible causes so you can take charge of your health. We’ll discuss the steps for treatment in other articles.
First, what is the most common cause of tinnitus?
1. The primary cause of tinnitus is prolonged exposure to loud sounds, resulting in hearing damage. Up to 90% of people with tinnitus have some level of noise-induced hearing loss, with smaller percentage of hearing loss attributed to the natural aging process. Noise causes permanent damage to the sound-sensitive cells of the cochlea, a spiral-shaped organ in the inner ear. Carpenters, pilots, rock musicians and street-repair workers are among those whose jobs put them at risk, as are people who work with chain saws, guns or other loud devices or who repeatedly listen to loud music. On rare occasions, a single exposure to a sudden extremely loud noise can also cause tinnitus.
One important point regarding hearing damage is that while tinnitus is often associated with hearing loss, it does not cause the loss, nor does a hearing loss cause tinnitus. In fact, some people with tinnitus experience no difficulty hearing, and in a few cases they even become so acutely sensitive to sound that they must take steps to muffle or mask external noises.
So what are other contributing factors to tinnitus?
2. Secondary or contributing factors to tinnitus: With hearing damage serving as the primary cause of tinnitus, let’s look at a variety of other conditions and illnesses can serve as secondary contributors or triggers. The key is that these secondary causes usually combine with hearing damage and often create tinnitus symptoms, where it might not otherwise have surfaced.
A. Medical contributors to tinnitus:
- Blockages of the ear due to a buildup of wax
- Ear infections or Meniere’s disease, which affects the inner part of the ear
- A tumor of the nerve that allows us to hear (auditory nerve)
- A perforated eardrum
- Otosclerosis, a disease that results in stiffening of the small bones in the middle ear
- Other medical conditions such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, anemia, and an under active thyroid gland
- Neck or jaw problems, such as temporomandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome
B. Lifestyle/non-Medical contributors to tinnitus:
- Certain drugs – most notably aspirin, antibiotics, or quinine medications. In fact, tinnitus is cited as a potential side effect for about 200 prescription and nonprescription drugs
- Diet- Including specific food allergies and/or an inflammatory diet, or a vitamin deficient diet
- Certain substances- Such as alcohol, smoking and caffeinated beverages
- Overall poor health and habits- Which contribute to medical conditions noted above
- Stress, Anxiety and emotional disturbances
- Toxins and environmental factors- Simple things like the wrong toothpaste can serve as a trigger to tinnitus attacks!
Now that you understand the causes of tinnitus can you are ready to take your first step to eliminating tinnitus- talking to a medical professional for a diagnosis. We have written an article about this topic since the visit is not a simple exam. On top of the exam, there are usually tests, a patient survey, family history and more. Being prepared for this visit with 10 minute’s worth of reading first may save you time, money or both, and providing a better outcome, as well.
Remember, there is an excellent success rate for tinnitus patients who are committed to finding both short and long-term solutions for themselves. It can take patience, but if you are open to both conventional (medical) and alternative (holistic or naturopathic) solutions you can often see some relief from your symptoms in a week or less, and potentially eliminate your condition entirely over a few months or so if you follow a plan.
We highly recommend that you read up on tinnitus, since being informed always serves you when you are making more informed choices. Take a look at our Tinnitus Reviews, where we do the homework for you, to help you can decide which product will bring you the best results for you immediately. For the most in-depth background on tinnitus, you might want to consider Tinnitus Miracle, our number one recommended tinnitus E-book. What are the causes of tinnitus? Well now you know and you are one step closer to feeling better!
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