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• What are symptoms of tinnitus
• What causes Tinnitus
• What can I do with my tinnitus

What is Tinnitus?

About 20% of the 50 million Americans who have experienced Tinnitus (say tin-ny-tus) have sought some sort of relief from either medical or non-medical practitioners each year. Tinnitus is a troublesome condition of intolerable noises in the head. These noises are often audible in one ear, but can also be in both ears.

Tinnitus is bothersome because you may experience it for 24 hours or longer. No one else hears these noises, but you alone because it does not come from any external source. Tinnitus may come and go. The noise may be low, medium or high-pitched. There may be a single noise or two or more components.

What are symptoms of tinnitus?

Tinnitus symptoms can vary in pitch and tone. Some people describe the noises as a low roar, humming or ringing. While others describe it as sounding like a whine, whistling or buzzing. But most patients describe it as "ringing in the ears".

When the ringing is constant, it can be annoying, distracting and most cannot lead normal lives. If ringing is severe, people find it difficult to, work or even sleep. Typically patients are told "to learn to live with it.

Tinnitus may be related to blood pressure, kidney problems, imbalanced diet, allergies, or side effects of medication you're are taking. It is therefore vital to visit your doctor for an examination of your tinnitus causes.

If your situation requires more attention, your doctor will refer you to an ear, nose, and throat specialist (otolaryngologist) or ear specialist (audiologist). Audiologists can measure your hearing extent and determine if you need a hearing aid.

Tinnitus is not a modern disease, but it's just more prevalent these days due to high noise level exposure resultant from increased usage of technological devices and other sources.

The exact cause of tinnitus is still not understood, but damage to the microscopic edge of the hearing nerve of the inner ear is key suspect to causing tinnitus. Some of the most common causes of nerve damage to the endings of the hearing nerve include:

• Too much exposure to loud noise - too loud noises can cause damage to sensitive organs in the inner ear.
• Other medicine
• Allergies may also cause tinnitus
• Aging - muscles shrink and weaken as we advance in age
• Tumors
• Problems in the heart and blood vessels, jaws, and neck

What can I do with my tinnitus?

Most doctors recommend hearing aids, counseling, and maskers, especially for people well advanced in age. Maskers (electronic sound devices that contradict ringing in your head) are mostly used today for tinnitus purposes. Click here to view the top tips on how to manage your tinnitus.