4 FAQs About Tinnitus

Have you recently been diagnosed with tinnitus? Perhaps you just think that you have the condition and are now considering visiting your hearing health professional to find out for sure. Before you do that, check out the answers to these frequently asked questions about the condition. This should help you determine whether you have the condition and what to expect when you visit your hearing care provider.

What causes tinnitus?

This is likely the first question that you probably have about the condition. What exactly is the cause? There are a number of factors that can cause tinnitus, including exposure to loud noise, earwax buildup, an infection, hearing loss and even some medications.

Is there a treatment for the condition?

When you speak to your hearing care provider about tinnitus one of the main questions you will have is whether or not it can be cured. Unless your tinnitus is objective, this is unfortunately not possible. While there is a lot of research on going into potential cures, right now, treatment can only be offered to help you manage the condition. This can include retraining therapy or using hearing aids to mask the noise. Both can be effective at essentially helping you block out the noise and ensure that it doesn’t impact your everyday life.

Will it ever go away?

While there is no cure, there is chance that tinnitus will go away by itself. One day you might just find that you can no longer hear the noise that could have been bothering you for months. A hearing health professional will be able to explain what this means and the likelihood that it will happen. Generally speaking, the longer your tinnitus has been affecting you, the less likely it is that it will just disappear. However, you shouldn’t give up hope.

Does tinnitus get louder?

Your condition can get worse as you age and this may be a sign of hearing loss. However, it is also possible that the noise you are hearing stays at the same volume. There may be times where the noise seems louder such as when you are in a quiet environment or trying to sleep. This is simply due to the fact that there is no other noise distracting you from the sound. This is why many people use masking noises when they are trying to sleep. A hearing care provider can recommend management options like this to ensure that your tinnitus does not impact your quality of life.