Main Symptoms of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is when an individual experiences noises, such as a ringing, buzzing, or clicking, in one or both ears. Everyone experiences tinnitus differently, which means the sound will be unique to you, and it could be an ongoing noise or a noise that comes and goes over some time.

It is a common experience, especially in adults over the age of 40, and affects around 15% of people. The noise you hear when experiencing tinnitus is not something that can be heard by anyone else. The most common type of tinnitus as described above is called subjective tinnitus. There is a second kind of tinnitus, which experiences the same symptoms and can be caused by the same conditions, but is a noise that can be heard by a specialist. A specialist will be able to evaluate your situation to see which tinnitus you are experiencing.

Causes of Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be caused by several factors, including a problem with the functioning of certain nerves in a part of your ear, exposure to loud noises, ear infections or diseases, age-related hearing loss, a buildup of earwax, high or low blood pressure, tumors, head injuries and many more.

If you are experiencing tinnitus, and you feel it disrupts your life, work, or sleep, then the best course of action is to speak to a hearing instrument specialist (HIS) who will be able to help with diagnosis and treatment. They will typically conduct various interviews and tests, to understand what you are experiencing, what caused it, and your medical history. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, then it is advised you head to a specialist.

Common signs of tinnitus

If you can hear a clicking, buzzing, humming, blowing, ringing, or similar noise in one of both of your ears that cannot be heard by anyone else around you or can be heard by a specialist, this could be a sign of tinnitus. This noise will be different for everyone, it can be constant or occasional, high or low pitched, or soft or loud. Tinnitus can often come on very suddenly, but also take time to develop.

Depending on what has caused your tinnitus, you could also experience other symptoms. These will vary depending on the condition, for example:

• Pain in your ear(s)
• Nausea or dizziness
• Drainage from your ear(s)
• Sleep problems
• Trouble concentrating
• Loss or trouble hearing
• More sensitive to noises

On occasion, tinnitus is minor and can be lived with, or will go away on its own. In other cases, it is the result of an underlying health condition, which means it ideally should be addressed by a HIS to help you manage the condition daily, or seek the correct treatment.

Your HIS will advise of the right treatment for your experience. Some of these may include:

• Fitting hearing aids with a specialist masking feature
• Sound machines
• Tinnitus retraining therapy
• Lifestyle modifications (medication review and alterations, quitting smoking/drinking)
• Ear wax removal

The sooner you speak to a specialist, the less you risk it developing into a more serious condition.