No one likes that annoying ringing in your ears!
We’ve probably all experienced this at some point: a constant, very irritating ringing in your ear or ears that occurs after you’ve been to a loud concert, or perhaps it just appears randomly during the day. Sometimes the ringing is high, other times it’s low. No matter how it sounds, it might cause you to have trouble hearing things in your surroundings properly and it drives you absolutely crazy. Unfortunately, chronic tinnitus is incurable, but certain forms of tinnitus can be reduced or even fixed. How does it all work? We’ll explain.
Tinnitus can have many different causes, but these are the five most common ones.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the official name for the ringing in your ears. It’s a ringing in your ears that doesn’t seem to go away, a very annoying hum or simply constant noise. Tinnitus is very common but comes in different levels of severity and can have different causes. The ringing can develop gradually but it can also suddenly start. Below, we’ll explain the five most common causes and the things you can do to help alleviate or cure your tinnitus.
1. Concerts and other loud noises
Regular or extended exposure to loud noises is often the cause of tinnitus. The most well-known version of temporary ringing in your ears is the rining you hear after you’ve been out clubbing or have been to a concert. But loud noises at your work can also be the culprit. If you listen to noise above 80 decibels for an extended period of time, you can end up with hearing loss. Examples: alarms, doorbells and freight traffic produce noise of 80 decibels. You can prevent tinnitus caused by loud noises by using hearing protection. Always be cautious when it comes to loud noise because this kind of tinnitus can end up being permanent!
2. Illness
When there’s something wrong with your body, you can sometimes also notice this through your ears because they start ringing. For example, if you have a headache, your ears might also start ringing. To prevent this from happening it is important to get enough sleep. An insufficient amount of sleep can cause migraine with tinnitus. Besides this, you should also relax regularly. You’ll prevent stress this way, which will also prevent potential headaches. Apart from headaches, a cold can also bring tinnitus with it. All the snot and sniffling can cause the Eustachian tube to become clogged, and this causes pressure and temporary hearing loss. One way to reduce the amount of mucus is by steaming. Add peppermint or eucalyptus to the steaming water for an even better effect.
3. High blood pressure
When you have high blood pressure, you run a higher risk of getting tinnitus. The ringing can be both a low or a high note. To get rid of this, you have to lower your blood pressure. You can bring this about by eating less sugar and salt; these two ingredients can really cause your blood pressure to rise. Drinking less caffeine can also help to lower your blood pressure.
4. Ear wax
Ear wax might sound pretty gross, but it’s an essential substance that everybody has in their ears. However, when you have too much ear wax, it can cause a blockage. A serious blockage can cause your ears to start ringing. You might think that this problem is easily fixed with a cotton swab, but this isn’t always the case. In fact, the cotton swab can even make the problem worse! To combat the excessive amount of ear wax, you can go to your doctor and have your ears cleaned. This can be the quickest way to get rid of tinnitus sometimes. It can have an effect immediately or you’ll notice it after a few days. If you’d rather do it yourself, you can buy ear sprays to clean your ears. This will dissolve the ear wax, causing it to run out of your ears when you’re showering. Don’t use this spray when you have a hole in your eardrum, though, and also don’t use it too often. Ear wax has a protective function, so you don’t want to mess with it too much.
5. Chronic
Can you not seem to get rid of your tinnitus? Then your brain might have had a bit of an error at some point and caused a ringing in your ears that cannot be explained. Sadly, chronic tinnitus is incurable, but research has shown that acupuncture can help to reduce the symptoms. The study in question showed that 93 per cent of the people tested noticed an improvement. So, that’s definitely worth a try!
