It’s really common for individuals to experience tinnitus. Around 20 million individuals routinely cope with persistent tinnitus so severe that it becomes burdensome. And there are also more common presentations of tinnitus which are a lot more mild and sporadic and are also easier to deal with.
When you hear sounds in your ears that don’t have an external source and no one else can hear them, that’s tinnitus. This may be a ringing in the ears or a buzzing sound you can’t shake. Although hearing loss is frequently accompanied by tinnitus, there isn’t always a cause-and-effect connection between the two.
As a matter of fact, there are a substantial variety of types of tinnitus. Dealing with these varieties of tinnitus will require different approaches.
Tinnitus – exactly what is it?
So, what is tinnitus and where does it stem from? The first thing to recognize is that tinnitus comes in several forms and causes. Regardless of the specific cause, the symptoms will be similar. But distinguishing the cause can be essential to identifying the right treatment approach.
For some individuals, tinnitus is the result of a neurological problem, including a traumatic brain injury or a concussion. In other instances, tinnitus may result from age-related hearing loss. Here are a few of the most common types of tinnitus:
- Neurological tinnitus: Tinnitus isn’t always caused by ear problems. The brain itself can sometimes be the source. Neurological tinnitus is a result of injury to or issues with your baseline neurological functions. In other words, something has gone wrong with the normal ways that your brain and ear interact. As a result, a phantom noise is heard which isn’t really there. A stroke, concussion, or brain injury can all be the underlying sources of tinnitus, as well as others. As the brain heals, neurological tinnitus will, in some cases, go away on its own. It might be permanent in other instances.
- Subjective tinnitus: With subjective tinnitus, the sound you’re hearing is phantom and doesn’t objectively exist and only you can hear it. This type of tinnitus includes many other types of tinnitus as well. Neurological tinnitus, for example, is often also subjective tinnitus. Subjective tinnitus can present as lots of different sound types, including ringing, buzzing, squeals, whistles, roars, and others.
- Objective tinnitus: When the sound you’re hearing in your ears is an actual, verifiable sound, it’s referred to as objective tinnitus. Objective tinnitus is not quite as common as subjective tinnitus, but it still occurs. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is when you hear your heartbeat or pulse, is an example of this type of tinnitus. For individuals with objective tinnitus, that pulsing sound usually seems louder than it ought to.
- Somatic tinnitus: For many individuals, the sound they hear with tinnitus is relatively constant. That’s true for both subjective and objective tinnitus. With somatic tinnitus though, things are a bit different. This form of tinnitus becomes more intense when you move around. Usually, somatic tinnitus will cause the symptoms to get worse when you move your head or neck.
The majority of these types of tinnitus are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For instance, you might have neurological tinnitus and subjective tinnitus. Identifying the cause of your symptoms can help your hearing specialist choose the best tinnitus treatment options for your symptoms.
Getting assistance with your tinnitus
If your tinnitus is here this minute and gone the next, you probably don’t have to do anything about it. But if your tinnitus hangs around or comes back frequently, it may have real and serious impacts on your everyday life. That’s when it’s especially important to speak with a hearing specialist to get specialized care and find some tinnitus relief.
After we determine the root cause of your symptoms, there are a few treatment methods we can use. A few of these techniques can minimize the intensity of your symptoms making them less obvious. Other treatment options can mask the sound you’re hearing.
Tinnitus can’t typically be cured, but it can be effectively managed. We will help you personalize the best treatment for your particular situation. That way, you can more easily disregard the buzzing or ringing in your ears, and get back to the life you enjoy.