, "ringing ears" or ear noise is a phenomenon of the
Nervous System connected to the
Ear , characterised by perception of a
Ringing ,
Beating or roaring sound (often perceived as
Sinusoidal ) with no external source.
According to the American Tinnitus Association, tinnitus is pronounced two distinctly different ways, with both being acceptable: ti-NIGHT-us, or TIN-it-us.
The sound may be a quiet background noise, or loud enough to drown out all outside sounds. While the term 'tinnitus' usually refers to more severe life impacting cases, a 1953 Heller and Bergman found in a study of 80 tinnitus free university students that 93% reported hearing a buzzing, pulsing or whistling sound.
While most prevalent among baby-boomers because they were the first generation to be exposed regularly to amplified music, an increasing number of young people are developing tinnitus. As a result it is sometimes referred to as "the club disease" as many people experience tinnitus or "ringing ears" after attending loud clubs or concerts or using personal stereos at unsafe volumes.
Persons who have been exposed to loud exhausts on motorcycles and race cars are also prone to this condition.
Tinnitus can also be exaggerated by severe emotional or physical stress and brought on by loud noises (especially when heard in an otherwise quiet environment) and by physical damage occuring to the ear drum, cochlea or nerve.
Many people report that tinnitus is exaggerated by foods or medication, also.
Tinnitus can be objective (the sound, e.g., a
Bruit , can be perceived by a clinician) or subjective (perceived only by the patient).
Causes of tinnitus include:
The inner
Ear contains many thousand minute hairs which vibrate in response to sound waves. These hairs in turn send signals to the brain which is interpreted as sound. If these hairs become damaged, largely through volume related tinnitus, then deafness to certain frequencies occurs. If these hairs become damaged then they falsely relay information at a certain frequency that an externally audible sound is present, when it is not.
The mechanisms of subjective tinnitus are often obscure. While it's not surprising that direct trauma to the inner ear can cause tinnitus, other apparent causes (e.g.,
TMJ and dental disorders) are difficult to explain. Recent research has proposed that there are two distinct categories of subjective tinnitus, tinnitus caused by disorders of the inner ear or the acoustic nerve, and '''somatic''' tinnitus caused by disorders outside the ear and nerve, but still within the head or neck. It is further hypothesized that somatic tinnitus may be due to "central crosstalk" within the brain, as certain head and neck nerves enter the brain near regions known to be involved in hearing.
Since there is no tinnitus cure, only treatment, it is wise to take precautions to prevent it occurring. If a ringing in the ears is audible after exposure to a loud environment such as a concert or work place, it means damage is being done. If it is not possible to limit exposure, wearing earplugs or ear defenders - a legal requirement for workplace environments over 85
DB in England - can be advantageous. For musicians and DJs, special musicians' earplugs can lower the volume of the music without distorting the sound and can prevent tinnitus developing in later years.
Many types of tinnitus are temporary and will go away by themselves while others are more permanent in nature. Although there are no specific cures for tinnitus, anything that brings the person out of the fight or flight, stress response helps symptoms recede over a period of time. Calming body-based therapies, counselling and psychotherapy help restore well-being which in turn allows tinnitus to settle. Chronic tinnitus can be quite stressful psychologically as it distracts the affected individual from mental tasks and interferes with sleep, particularly when there is no external sound. The affected individual may have to generate artificial
Noise that masks the tinnitus sound. In terms of tinnitus treatment a combination of external masking and psychological counseling known as
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is widely practiced. While it does not actually cure the tinnitus, many report that it becomes much less disturbing and in some cases the offending sound is no longer heard at the conscious level (Habituation of Perception).
Current theories about tinnitus suggest that in many cases the perceived sound is neurogenic and that any primary damage to the inner ear would have healed in a normal timeline. In ongoing studies at the
University Of Arkansas For Medical Sciences Center For Translational Neuroscience and elsewhere, overactive areas of auditory cortex and identified and inhibited using
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to effect some relief.
