It’s really common for people to experience tinnitus. Tinnitus can become so extreme that it becomes a burden to live with for about 20 million people worldwide. And there are also more common presentations of tinnitus which are much more mild and sporadic and are also easier to cope with.
Tinnitus occurs when you hear a phantom noise, when you’re hearing a sound that nobody else can hear. It could manifest as a continual buzzing or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is frequently linked to hearing loss, but that doesn’t mean that one condition will automatically result in the other.
As a matter of fact, there are a significant variety of types of tinnitus. Treating these varieties of tinnitus will call for different approaches.
What is tinnitus?
Exactly what is tinnitus and what are its causes? Well, it’s essential to mention that not all kinds of tinnitus are the same. Regardless of the particular cause, the symptoms will be similar. But it’s still essential to determine the cause in order to successfully manage the symptoms.
In some instances, concussions or other traumatic brain injuries or neurological problems can be the cause. In other circumstances, tinnitus may be caused by age-related hearing loss. Here are some of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear problems. In some cases, the root cause lies within the brain. Neurological tinnitus is caused by injury to or problems with your baseline neurological functions. In other words, something has broken down with the typical ways that your brain and ear communicate. The outcome is that you hear a phantom sound that might not be there. Neurological tinnitus can be a result of concussion, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some cases, go away on its own. For others, it could be lasting.
- Subjective tinnitus: When you’re the only one who can hear the sound of your tinnitus, which is quite common, hearing specialists will talk about your condition as a subjective tinnitus. Lots of other types of tinnitus also fall into this category. Neurological tinnitus, for instance, is frequently also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can manifest as many different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- Objective tinnitus: With objective tinnitus, you’re hearing a real, verifiable, objective sound. Objective tinnitus isn’t quite as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still happens. Most commonly, this means you’re dealing with something called pulsatile tinnitus, which occurs when you’re hearing your heartbeat or circulatory system. For individuals with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound typically seems louder than it should.
- Somatic tinnitus: Tinnitus sounds are often rather constant for many individuals coping with them. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This is tinnitus that grows worse with movement. Typically, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to get worse when you move your head or neck.
Frequently, individuals will have more than one form of tinnitus at the same time. You may have subjective tinnitus and neurological tinnitus together, for instance. Figuring out the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment options for your symptoms.
Getting help with your tinnitus
If your tinnitus is here this minute and gone the next, you probably don’t need to do anything about it. But if your tinnitus hangs around or returns frequently, it could have real and severe impacts on your day-to-day life. That’s when it’s particularly important to talk to a hearing specialist to get specialized care and find some tinnitus relief.
We have a number of different tinnitus management strategies we might try depending on the root cause of your symptoms. Several therapies can make the sounds you’re hearing less evident. We might also utilize masking techniques to hide your symptoms.
Generally, there’s no cure for tinnitus, though it can usually be effectively managed. We will help you personalize the best treatment for your specific situation. This will help you enjoy life again by pushing your symptoms into the background where they can be more easily disregarded.
