What are the Top Causes of Tinnitus?
Most people know of tinnitus as the irritating sound that doesn’t seem to go away. All throughout the day, you’re bugged by a ringing that appears to emanate from inside your head. Most of the time, tinnitus is a symptom of something else. It can also stay for a short while then disappear naturally or be in your life forever – it all depends on the cause.
Bearing that in mind, if you want to know what typically causes tinnitus, then here are some of the main culprits:
Exposure to noises
Most hearing health professionals will say that noise exposure causes tinnitus in the majority of their patients. Usually, exposure to dangerously loud noises will do the trick. All it takes is one loud noise to create issues in your ears that lead to tinnitus. But, you can get it from cumulative noise exposure as well. For example, living near a construction site and hearing all the loud sounds for days on end.
Impacted earwax
Your ears are supposed to make earwax, and they serve a significant purpose in keeping bacteria out of your inner ear. However, it’s common for some people to generate too much wax that ends up getting pushed deep in the ear and hardening. When this happens, it can touch your eardrum, which may cause the sensation of tinnitus. Thankfully, you can solve this problem by getting the wax safely removed by a hearing health professional.
Age-related hearing loss
Yes, your age can cause tinnitus! This is due to the damage of the small hair cells in the ear that act as sensors. They can become damaged by noise exposure, but also due to the aging process. As you get older, your sensory hair cells start to deteriorate, meaning you lose a lot of them. This is also what ends up causing hearing loss. Tinnitus and hearing loss tend to coexist, with the ringing sensation getting worse as you lose your ability to hear external sounds with clarity. As such, many people say that hearing loss itself causes tinnitus.
Ear infections
Ear infections are another top cause of tinnitus as they lead to all sorts of issues with the inner workings of your ear. Luckily, a good hearing health specialist can diagnose your ear infection and prescribe medication to help it clear up. Your tinnitus will usually go away with the infection, so there’s no need for additional treatment.
Perforated eardrum
If you have a perforated eardrum, then tinnitus is one of the many symptoms you experience. It tends to be caused by objects hitting your eardrum – like a cotton bud – but it can also be caused by a change in pressure or loud noises. Either way, if you have a perforated eardrum, then you’re going to have tinnitus as well.
Hopefully, this post can help you figure out what might have caused your tinnitus, giving you an insight into whether or not it’s permanent. It makes a lot of sense to see a hearing specialist when you notice the tinnitus symptoms. Book an appointment today, and they will examine your ear and find the right course of action for you.