Learn the truth about tinnitus to improve the quality of life

If you are one of the millions of people in the world who suffer from tinnitus, then you know that it affects everything from work to home and social life, and the constant sound in your ears can also cause stress and frustration.

Tinnitus is the perception of sound without actual sound. For many people, tinnitus is characterized by ringing, but it also sounds like whistling, buzzing, or hissing. Ringing or buzzing noise in one or both ears that may be constant or come and go, often associated with hearing loss. Ringing in ears can have causes that aren't due to underlying disease. Examples include exposure to loud sounds, whiplash, head injuries, too much ear wax, or medication side effects.The noise you hear when you have tinnitus isn't caused by an external sound, and other people usually can't hear it. Tinnitus is a common problem. It affects about 15% to 20% of people, and is especially common in older adults.

According to the American Tinnitus Association, there are millions of tinnitus patients in the United States. Since many people suffer from tinnitus, it is more important to distinguish facts from rumors. Knowing the truth about tinnitus can provide you with the best opportunity to effectively cope with and reduce symptoms, thereby improving your quality of life.

Tinnitus is a disease?

Tinnitus itself is not a disease, but a symptom caused by many underlying diseases. The harmful noise, nerve damage, vascular disease and even brain trauma are just some of the possible factors that cause tinnitus, and it can also cause tinnitus (and hearing loss) due to certain drug reactions. There is currently no "cure" for tinnitus, but there are treatments available that can reduce symptoms and make it easier for people to coexist with it.

As long as you change your eating habits, tinnitus will disappear?

Although some people think that certain additives and food ingredients (such as alcohol, sodium, caffeine) can aggravate tinnitus, they are usually not the underlying cause. A balanced diet and maintaining a healthy lifestyle (including exercise) are always important to overall health, but tinnitus needs to be dealt with separately, and these alone cannot “cure” tinnitus.

Only people with hearing loss have tinnitus?

People with hearing loss may have tinnitus, and it is highly correlated, but tinnitus may also occur without hearing loss. If you are exposed to very loud noises such as rock concerts or explosions, you may hear temporary tinnitus. Certain diseases or drug use can also cause tinnitus, so even you don’t have hearing loss, it is worth a hearing examination.

Everyone with tinnitus will eventually become deaf?

Tinnitus and hearing loss often exist at the same time, but their condition are self-existent. Having tinnitus does not mean that you have hearing loss. Even if you have hearing loss, it does not mean that you will be completely deaf. Hearing aids can compensate for hearing loss, and some models can even deal with tinnitus symptoms at the same time.

Hearing aids for tinnitus

The tinnitus masking technology of hearing aids can conceal the internal sound of tinnitus by adding special external noises, thereby solving hearing loss and tinnitus symptoms. This is the so-called “masking”. The progress of sound therapy has achieved great success. Other methods include meditation, stress management techniques, and changes in diet and exercise. You can consult an expert specializing in tinnitus treatment some method that suits you.

Can hearing aids help with my tinnitus? Amplification with hearing aids can bring relief to people experiencing tinnitus, as they may boost ambient sounds that can help take the focus off of tinnitus.