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Tinnitus is a condition that accompanies various disease processes within the hearing organ, and sometimes also outside it. Sometimes these feelings are very tiring for the patient and may lead to deep depression or prevent work and rest. Tinnitus may be the first symptom of a more serious disease, such as Meniere’s disease or otosclerosis.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is not exactly a disease, but a condition that, fortunately, does not deteriorate or damage your hearing by itself. We can call it an acoustic phenomenon that can only be heard by the patient. It also happens that tinnitus is the first symptom of diseases such as otosclerosis, Méniere’s disease, toxic damage to the inner ear or a tumor of the auditory nerve. Tinnitus is an intrusive sound that causes so much nervous tension in the patient’s head that he is unable to function normally. Very often people with this type of disease isolate themselves from the environment, friends and family. On the other hand, every human being can hear physiological noise in absolute silence, e.g. in a soundproofed room – such noise is normal, but it is suppressed by noise from the surroundings.
Pathological noises heals after detecting the cause, and the therapy itself consists in removing it. If this proves impossible, it is recommended to administer sedatives or improve blood flow, and in extreme situations, surgical treatment in the otolaryngology department is possible.
Before that, a visit to a specialist is necessary. It is worth going to the ENT specialist as soon as you notice any disturbing symptoms. The initial visit can take place online in a form convenient for us via the halodoctor.pl portal.
The causes of tinnitus
There are many causes of tinnitus, ranging from the mundane to the difficult to diagnose. A number of factors / conditions that can increase the risk of tinnitus are listed below.
1. Being in excessive noise – listening to loud music (especially through headphones) or working in noise for a long period of time causes the patient to hear tinnitus when he is in silence. It usually appears due to damage to the auditory nerves or only progressive damage. How to prevent it? First of all, you should give up listening to loud music through headphones, also in the car you should not turn on the radio loudly.
2. Stress – The popular “ringing in the ears” usually occurs in the evening hours, when we go to bed after a long day. Importantly – there is no pain, but there are problems with falling asleep. You should eliminate the cause of stress, put on more rest, meet friends or go for a walk. It is important to remember to relax and leave all related problems at work. Listening to relaxing music can help you fall asleep.
3. Action of chemical agents.
4. Mechanical trauma of the head or neck.
5. Atherosclerosis – causes the walls of arteries to overgrow with cholesterol and other lipids from the inside, and the blood, wanting to pass through the vessels, must “squeeze” through them with greater force. Then the patient experiences tinnitus that occurs after an intense day of work or exercise. Such a situation should be consulted with a doctor who, in turn, should refer the patient to cholesterol and triglyceride tests. A good tip: try to reduce animal fats and simple sugars. 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 throbbing. Moreover, with high blood pressure, there is also pain in the back of the head, which increases especially after exercise. It should be remembered that hypertension is quite a cunning disease that can insidiously destroy the kidneys and eyes. If your blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mm Hg for several 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 getting an upper arm blood pressure monitor.
7. Abuse of certain medications – tinnitus may appear while taking a given drug or after its completion. Usually, the preparations that cause this ailment are antibiotics (e.g. gentamicin), but also aspirin or other painkillers. It is important to be aware of and remember which medications are causing your tinnitus – then your doctor may prescribe a different preparation. If you have to use anti-inflammatory or painkillers, start with the lowest dose possible.
8. Hyperthyroidism – is a disease that affects the increased amount of thyroid hormones in the blood, which in turn stimulate our circulatory system to work more intensively. This situation causes the patient to develop increased blood pressure and increased heart rate (hyperkinetic circulation). The blood flowing through the arteries around the temples at high pressure causes the patient to feel noises or ringing in the ears. It is important to properly diagnose and treat your thyroid gland, so if you have any symptoms (e.g. weight loss and insomnia) see your doctor.
If there is too much earwax in our ear, it may also feel as if we have tinnitus. In this case, it is best to use Fonix Ear Hygiene Spray to safely remove excess earwax from the ears. We also recommend Orelon NaturSpray Herbal Medica ear, available in a 15ml package.
Tinnitus diagnosis
If your tinnitus persists for more than 5 minutes, it is essential to contact your GP or the otolaryngologist directly. A diagnostic test consists in performing an analysis with the use of specialized equipment. If the examination does not reveal specific things, it will be necessary to visit the Clinic of Ear Noise, which is located in Kajetany. It is the only clinic in Poland that accepts patients from all over the country – all you need is a referral from an otolaryngologist.
Home remedies for tinnitus
Home remedies are used especially at the beginning, when the tinnitus is so unbearable that it makes it difficult for the patient to fall asleep. So what should be done?
1. Do not use stopwatches.
2. Get all problems and stressful situations out of your head when you go to bed and try to sleep.
3. Do not fall asleep in complete silence, the radio or TV may play softly in the background.
4. If you notice that you experience tinnitus after taking a certain drug – stop taking it as soon as possible, but after consulting a specialist.
5. Take stronger drugs only in consultation with your doctor.
Regular pressure checks can also be important. Such persons should have a working blood pressure monitor at home. The Easy Med blood pressure monitor will be perfect for this role. It has a convenient large display and arrhythmia detection.
Tinnitus – treatment
Habituacja – very much many patients have been cured of tinnitus thanks to the habituation method, and although we are not aware of it – habituation processes occur in all of us. So what is this process? Habituacja is characterized by the fact that at some point we stop completely perceiving sounds from the environment, e.g. we do not hear the ticking of a clock or cars passing outside the window. They are only audible when we remember them. This has been used to treat tinnitus, and the place where this method is used is the Tinnitus Clinic. Although treatment is quite expensive and the effects require a lot of time and patience – it is worth it, because about 80% patients noticed effectiveness. While the humming does not disappear completely, it makes everyday life easier.
Psychotherapy – sick first of all, he should get rid of any fears that his tinnitus will cause him a dangerous disease in his head. In such a situation, group therapy turns out to be helpful, during which the patient can share his fears and experiences with others. In addition, rehabilitation stays are organized, during which various forms of therapy are carried out. Thanks to this, patients stop being afraid of the disease.
Broadband noise generator – produces white noise, which is so quiet that it does not drown out other sounds and is not perceived by people from the environment. White noise teaches the subcortical hearing centers to perceive tinnitus unconsciously. Generators are worn by patients like 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 therapy with a broadband noise generator, it should be excluded that the tinnitus is caused by more serious ailments (e.g. a tumor).
Hearing aid – it works well in patients with severe hearing loss. The hearing aids not only alleviate tinnitus, but also improve your hearing ability. This is because amplified outside sounds provide a natural background sound, making the noise heard very softly or not at all.
To alleviate tinnitus symptoms, try Tinnitus – Panaseus dietary supplement available on Medonet Market.
Tinnitus prevention
Here are some practical tips that might help you prevent tinnitus.
1. Avoid being in noisy places or listening to music through headphones.
2. Avoid stress.
3. Remember about relaxation and mental rest. Coloring books for adults have recently become a popular way to relax. Here are our suggestions:
4. Remember to check your blood pressure regularly.
5. Periodically, you can test your sugar and cholesterol levels.
6. Avoid cooling down your body.
7. Use painkillers and anti-inflammatories in moderation (avoid overusing them).
8. Do you have a blocked ear? See your doctor to find out what is causing this.
9. If you suffer from thyroid disease – stay under the constant care of a doctor.
10. Don’t pick your ear (especially with sharp objects). It is best to use special means to clean the ears.
11. As you dive, try to ascend slowly so that the pressure level in your head is balanced.
12. Avoid taking high doses of medications that cause dehydration.