Tinnitus

What is tinnitus?

It is a sensation and perception of sound generated inside your head that only you can hear.

Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing sound, but some people hear other types of sounds, such as roaring or buzzing. Tinnitus can have a major impact on people’s lives by causing stress, anger, anxiety and sleep loss.

What can cause Tinnitus  

Tinnitus is usually caused by an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, an ear injury, ear infections, stress, excessive earwax, high blood pressure and sensory nerve disorders. Although Tinnitus can occur without a hearing loss, it is a common symptom of damage to the ear and hearing. Even mild hearing loss can cause significant difficulty understanding speech when there is competing background noise. Difficulty hearing in noise can exacerbate stress that plays into Tinnitus.

Tinnitus can be triggered by a variety of causes, but is commonly linked to exposure to loud sounds, which can damage the delicate sensory cells of the inner ear.

For many people, tinnitus improves with treatment of the underlying cause or with other treatments that reduce or mask the noise, making tinnitus less noticeable.

Can tinnitus be treated?

The first step towards managing Tinnitus starts with a hearing and Tinnitus assessment. This assessment is undertaken over an hour appointment with an audiologist. In some cases, the audiologist may request further investigation by an ENT (Ears, Nose and Throat) specialist.

There are many ways to take control of your tinnitus and reduce its impact on your life, although your tinnitus may not go away entirely. Our clinicians can help you manage your symptoms through education, counseling and sound therapy.
Audiologist will provide information relevant to you and your Tinnitus to help you change the negative interpretation of Tinnitus.

Masking noise can provide an important distractor from Tinnitus that helps to improve relaxation and even sleep. There is a wide range of maskers from white noise to sound therapies based on tones.

People with hearing loss and Tinnitus, amplification is the best therapy. Amplification can be used to stimulate the ears and brain to reduce the contrast between the surrounding sounds and Tinnitus. Hearing aids are proven to be very effective in decreasing Tinnitus.