Julie Raney is a certified and licensed audiologist. She has a B.S. in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a Master’s Degree in Audiology from Idaho State University. She has worked as a clinical audiologist in Colorado since 2005. She specializes in hearing amplification for adults and delivers her services in both English and Sign Language.

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After a long day, perhaps you finally find a place of peace and quiet only to you realize there is a buzzing or ringing in your ear. Old wives’ tales say that when your ears are ringing that people are speaking about you. While perhaps you are the talk of the town, what you might be experiencing is actually referred to as tinnitus.

Tinnitus (pronounced ti-nə-təs or tə-nī-təs) is the conscious awareness of a sound in your ears or head not caused by an external noise. Too often associated with hearing loss, the fact is more than 50 percent of people living with tinnitus don’t have measurable hearing loss. At the same time, approximately 80% of hearing loss cases are accompanied by tinnitus.

Since there are many causes, tinnitus can be associated with a variety of health problems. The American Tinnitus Association estimates that currently 50 million Americans experience tinnitus to some degree while 16 million have symptoms severe enough to require treatment. About two million are so seriously debilitated, they can’t function on a day-to-day basis. While tinnitus is more common in patients with hearing loss or other ear problems, the symptom can be experienced by both men and women at any age group. You do not need to have a hearing disability to suffer from tinnitus.

How do I prevent tinnitus?

Because there is no singular cause for tinnitus, prevention strategies are difficult to recommend. With tinnitus, there are many different possible causes and reasons why people experience the condition.

The importance of ear protection

One of the most common causes for tinnitus is exposure to loud noises. This could be gradual exposure or sudden overwhelming exposure. If you want to avoid getting tinnitus, then you need to protect your hearing when exposed to loud noises. Loud music, lawn mowers, occupational machinery and gunfire are some of the major causes of tinnitus in younger generations. Use earplugs if you are going to be exposed to loud sounds over 85dB. You can get sound meters to measure sound.

Safe levels of personal listening

If you listen to music through headphones, make sure you have your devices set at a safe volume and if possible, use noise-canceling headphones. Avoid cranking up the volume to block out other external sounds (noise-canceling headphones help with this!). Your ears adjust to the levels you listen to, so if you listen to music loudly, you will want to keep listening at a loud volume. Try turning down the volume and adjusting to lower levels of sound.

Infections

Tinnitus can be caused by ear infections. If you use earplugs or hearing aids, make sure you keep them clean. Don’t put things in your ear, not even a cotton swab. These can cause infections or impacted earwax. Your ears clean themselves naturally, and if you are worried about a build-up of wax, come visit us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic. Hardened wax can be softened by using olive oil drops available from a pharmacy, once softened the wax may release itself. If not, you will be able to have it removed by a hearing healthcare provider.

Stress and anxiety

Tinnitus can sometimes start when you are anxious or stressed, so try and keep a healthy life balance. Do things you enjoy and de-stress everyday by taking some time out for yourself. Exercise, meditate, stretch and eat well. Anything you can do to lessen your stress can reduce your tinnitus and improve the quality of your life.

Seeking Treatment

Every person living with tinnitus hears a unique sound. The sound can be a low or high frequency, and its volume and pitch may change over time, with the severity varying from person to person. Those with acute tinnitus may struggle to sleep, focus at work, or communicate with others. In such cases, treatment plays a crucial role in helping an individual regain control of his or her life.

If you are experiencing tinnitus, contact us at New Leaf Hearing Clinic. Our team can help you by assessing your hearing abilities and recommending treatment options to help alleviate the symptoms of tinnitus. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!