If stats are to be believed, tinnitus is diagnosed in 15% of the population irrespective of age and gender. Most likely to develop in people over the age group of 50 years. Not a disease but a symptom of various underlying causes. Negligence on your part can make the condition worse resulting in permanent loss of hearing ability. You must be thinking by now, how we will get an idea about whether you are suffering from tinnitus or not. Well, here is your answer.
A sensation of ringing in the inner ear is referred to as Tinnitus. A person experiencing such a condition perceives the sound when there is no sound in the external environment. The sound of a ringing sensation in the inner ear may even sound like hissing, whistling, humming, roaring, or buzzing. The sound experienced by a person ranges from soft to loud and varies from low to high pitch and in some cases even remains constant. It entirely depends upon the underlying tinnitus cause and the severity of the condition. Some tinnitus patients experience ringing sensation in one ear while others may experience it in both. If the condition is chronic, living with such a condition is not an easy task. It will create hindrance in accomplishing daily chores and a person starts experiencing problems while working and hearing. Having a sound sleep with tinnitus becomes nearly impossible as the velocity of sound gets doubled in a silent environment, thus hindering sleep.
As mentioned above, tinnitus is not a disease rather a symptom of various underlying causes. An inflammation, infection, or injury in the inner ear or the auditory system that connects the inner ear to the brain that processes sound results in causing tinnitus along with uncertain episodes of vertigo spells. A variety of conditions are responsible for causing tinnitus out of which noise-induced hearing and Meniere’s disease are some of the most common conditions that show tinnitus. Apart from these, excessive ear wax build-up, side effects of certain medicines, exposure to loud noise for prolonged hours results in damaging tiny hair cells are some other tinnitus causes. People who work in an industry that involves prolonged exposure to loud noises are more at risk of developing tinnitus.
It is advised to seek medical help and consult an expert neurologist as soon as you start experiencing ringing sensations to prevent the condition from getting intense. Your doctor will carry certain vertigo tests to diagnose the underlying cause and suggest the right tinnitus treatment accordingly. He may even prescribe a dose of certain vertigo medicine such as Meclizine Tablet to ease spinning sensations that come along with tinnitus.
Even though there is no such cure for tinnitus, seeking medical help on time helps in managing the perception of sound in your head. He will suggest the best natural tinnitus treatment that does not promise to stop the perceived sound completely but helps you in dealing with the same while giving the much-needed relief and making life easier.
Here is a list of some natural tinnitus treatments that improve the quality of life while managing the perception of sound. Let’s get started!
Natural Tinnitus Treatments
1. Wearing noise suppressing machines
In some cases, doctors recommend suppressing the intensity of the sound to treat tinnitus and reduce the velocity of sound. He will suggest wearing certain devices that help in suppressing the noise. Here is a list of certain hearing devices:
- Hearing Aids
If you are having difficulty in hearing as well as tinnitus, your neurologist will recommend you with hearing aids. It is a small electronic device that is worn in the affected ear. It is quite effective in reducing the distracting sound in the inner ear thus resulting in suppressing noises and improving hearing efficiency.
- White Noise Machines
When a person is suffering from tinnitus sleeping in a quiet environment is nearly impossible as he may start hearing louder sounds in the inner ear thus resulting in anxiety and stress. White noise machines are recommended by doctors as a natural tinnitus treatment for sound sleep. It produces soothing natural sounds like rain droplets which allow patients to sleep peacefully at night.
- Masking devices
Masking devices is another noise suppressing machine suggested by doctors. It is quite similar to hearing aids and is worn in the affected ear. It suppresses tinnitus symptoms by producing low-level white noise continuously.
2. Treating health conditions responsible for causing tinnitus
Certain health conditions may result in causing tinnitus, treating such conditions helps in easing tinnitus symptoms. Your doctor will identify such conditions and treat the same. Here is a list of certain health conditions that your doctor will treat to reduce loud noises:
- Earwax removal
Excessive ear wax build-up and cleaning it on self-results in pushing it further leading to blockage thus causing tinnitus. The doctor will first see the condition and remove the impacted earwax which results in decreasing tinnitus symptoms.
- Treat blood vessel conditions
If a patient is experiencing tinnitus due to blood vessel or vascular conditions, then a doctor may suggest certain medication, surgery or any other treatment to ease the condition depending upon the severity of the underlying cause.
- Switching to a different medication
If any medication is responsible for causing tinnitus or triggering its symptoms further, an expert neurologist will recommend you stop taking a certain drug or reduce or prescribe an alternative medicine for the same.
3. Tinnitus Therapies
Tinnitus therapies are suggested as one of the effective natural treatments by doctors to ease the ringing sensation. Here is a list of certain tinnitus therapies suggested by doctors:
- Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT)
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy allows the auditory system to accept the annoying sounds heard in the inner ear. TRT helps in making the perceived sounds less noticeable. In Tinnitus retraining therapy, a device is inserted in the ear that produces a sound that matches the pitch of the ringing sensation. It counted as one of the most effective tinnitus treatments. Doctors generally recommend patients undergoing TRT for at least a year or two for complete recovery.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
To treat ringing sensations, cognitive-behavioral therapy is another therapy recommended by doctors. It helps in making the sound in the inner ear less noticeable. It helps patients to change their way of perceiving sounds.
4. Medications
Medication cannot cure tinnitus but helps in reducing the intensity of symptoms. Doctors generally suggest certain vertigo medicines like Meclizine tablets to ease the condition. It is quite effective in treating and suppressing vestibular disorders like Meniere’s disease, which is one such possible tinnitus cause. It is advised not to self-medicate without any medical guidance as these antidepressants come with certain side effects like dry mouth, dizziness, and so on. Apart from it, Alprazolam (Xanax), amitriptyline, and nortriptyline are some other medicines prescribed by doctors that help in reducing tinnitus symptoms.
5. Lifestyle Changes
Altering certain lifestyle habits helps in easing tinnitus symptoms as well. Reducing the consumption of alcohol, nicotine caffeinated beverages, prolonged exposure to loud noise, getting a sufficient amount of sleep, etc. helps in reducing ringing sensations while making it manageable.
If you are experiencing ringing sensations in the ear, seek medical help on time before the condition gets worse. Right tinnitus treatment at the right time makes symptoms manageable, however improving the quality of life.