Tinnitus Treatment

One of the most difficult aspects of tinnitus is that it’s hard to describe. While it’s true that some people experience pain or pressure in their ears when they have tinnitus, others simply hear a constant buzzing or ringing sound. Some people who suffer from tinnitus hear all sorts of different sounds, while others only hear one noise, either in one ear or both.

Causes of Tinnitus You Should Know

Here are three things that could be causing your tinnitus.

Inner Ear Damage

The most common cause of tinnitus is damage to your inner ear. It is often caused by exposure to loud noise, ear infections, or even certain medications like aspirin. Inner ear damage can result in hearing loss and high-pitched ringing or buzzing that won’t go away.

Nerve Damage

Changes in tinnitus can be a symptom of nerve damage. This condition is called neuropathy, which is a general term for damage to any part of your peripheral nervous system. Acoustic neuroma is one type of neuropathy that commonly causes tinnitus in Pembroke Pines. This growth can occur on one or both sides of your head and usually results from exposure to loud noise over long periods.

Meniere’s Disease

Meniere’s disease is an inner ear disorder that can cause long-term hearing loss and, at times, short-term vertigo attacks. In some cases, Meniere’s disease is hereditary. If you or anyone in your family has suffered from tinnitus attacks as a result of damage to the eighth cranial nerve, you may have an increased risk for Meniere’s disease.

4 Ways to Manage Tinnitus

Tinnitus can be quite difficult to live with, especially if you have a constant ringing in your ears. The good news is that various methods of treatment are available, which can help ease the symptoms and allow you to lead a more normal life. Here are four ways to manage Tinnitus.

Managing Sleep

When it comes to managing tinnitus, we all know sleep is important, but how much do you really need? It depends on your age. Older adults should aim for at least seven hours per night; children and teens need an average of nine hours per night. And if you are a shift worker or regularly find yourself at odd hours, you should try to make up for lost sleep by taking naps when possible.

Managing Stress

Stress can be a major trigger for tinnitus. Anything that reduces stress will lower your risk of getting tinnitus and help you keep it under control. It’s important to get as much relaxation as possible and reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption. A healthy diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and omega-3 fatty acids also improves your overall health.

Taking Supplements

Common vitamin and mineral supplements like vitamin B12, iron, and calcium can be used as a preventative measure against tinnitus. A lack of these vitamins can cause nerves in your ears to misfire, which can result in tinnitus symptoms.

Finding an ENT Doctor in Pembroke

When you’re online and looking for “help with ringing in my ears,” we can help. If you have tinnitus, it’s essential that you see a specialist who can help rule out other medical conditions. While it is generally not a serious condition, there are cases when tinnitus does indicate another issue that needs to be addressed. A good way to find an ENT doctor in Pembroke is by asking friends and family for their recommendations or calling your primary physician.

Asking yourself, “where can I get help with ringing in my ears?” Contact Southeastern Ear, Nose, Throat Sinus Center. We are experts in treating conditions of the ear from blockage to ear infections to Tinnitus in Pembroke Pines.

When you experience a ringing in one or both ears, this is a condition known as tinnitus. The noise is most often a ringing, but can sometimes be another sound, like a buzzing, or clicking internally, which cannot be heard by other people. It is a common condition, particularly in older individuals, and is most frequently caused by an underlying condition. When the underlying condition is treated, the noise generally improves and becomes less noticeable. Sometimes it is an unavoidable problem. If you have tinnitus in Pembroke Pines, visit the ENTs at Southeastern Ear, Nose, Throat Sinus Center.

For some people, the condition can be mild and not severe enough to seek help. For others, it can be disruptive to your daily activities. Whichever category you fall in, it is important to see a doctor as soon as possible, as it may be due to an underlying health condition that must be treated.

The following are additional steps you can take to reduce your tinnitus at home.

Wear Hearing Aids

In many cases, the exact cause of tinnitus can’t be diagnosed. However, it is commonly caused by age-related hearing loss. When you begin to lose your hearing, your brain starts to change in the way it processes sound frequencies. Some people who are able to hear better realize that their tinnitus has improved, or they notice it less. You can improve your hearing by purchasing a hearing aid. This is a small electronic device that uses a microphone and lets you to increase the volume of external noises. By purchasing a hearing aid, you may find relief from tinnitus symptoms. 

Get Eight Hours Of Sleep

Fatigue can cause your tinnitus to worsen. As a result, it is important that you get at least eight hours of sleep every night. People who have tinnitus usually struggle to go to sleep because of their condition, but you can implement a few strategies to help you.

A sound masking device is a machine that produces gentle, pleasant sounds such as white noise, pink noise, and sounds of nature that can reduce how much you hear the sounds caused by tinnitus. Some sound masking devices can be placed on your tabletop, while others can fit inside your ear.

Another strategy to help you sleep better is to limit your coffee consumption throughout the day.

Before going to bed, create a wind-down routine, where you minimize your use of electronic devices and make sure to dim the lights. Some people enjoy listening to the whir of their fan as they sleep or listen to relaxing music. You can incorporate these into your wind-down routine.

Remove Excess Earwax

If you have tinnitus, it may be a sign of excessive ear wax. If your condition is mild, removing excess wax may be enough to resolve the problem. If your condition is moderate or severe, it is not likely that this remedy will get rid of the problem entirely, but it can reduce the noise in your ears. Do not assume that you have an earwax blockage and attempt to treat it yourself with a cotton bud. If there is a blockage, you may end up making it worse. Instead, schedule an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor in Pembroke Pines. They will determine if you have a blockage and will remove it safely. If it is a reoccurring problem, your doctor may recommend wax removal medication.

Manage Stress Levels

Stress has been known to worsen tinnitus. As a result, it is important to improve your stress levels with relaxing activities. You can begin by incorporating more activities you find relaxing into your daily routine but also actively practice mindfulness. You can take up meditation and learn breathing techniques. You may find that, over time, your reduced stress levels will reduce the noises in your ears.

Visit Southeastern Ear, Nose, Throat, Sinus Center

The best way to treat the problem is to see a professional, like our renowned ENT Dr. Robert Contrucci, D.O., P.A. for the treatment of tinnitus in Pembroke Pines. Call (954) 437-5333 to schedule an appointment.

If you have a ringing sound in your ears that won’t go away, tinnitus could be the cause. This is an internal condition that only you can hear and can be distracting enough to affect your daily life. 

It is so common that 15% – 20% of people are affected by it.

If you think that you or a loved one is affected by this debilitating condition, this article can give you great insight. 

We will explain exactly what it is and what treatments are available.

Dr. Contrucci’s office is located in Pembroke Pines, serving all South Florida patients. He has over 30 years of experience as a Board-Certified Otolaryngologist. He and his team treat any condition of the ear, nose, throat, and sinuses. 

The symptoms of tinnitus.

Tinnitus is best described as ringing in the ears. There are however many other sensations that can result from this condition. Other common complaints or sounds for those suffering from it can include:

• Humming
• Clicking
• Buzzing
• Hissing
• Roaring
• Waves Crashing

These noises can vary in volume from a bare whisper to being so loud you can barely function. It can affect one or both of your ears as well. They may vary in pitch, tone, and volume or be a steady sound. It can also come and go or be constant.

There are two types of tinnitus.

There are two forms of tinnitus that can occur in patients. The first is most common while the second is particularly rare.

Subjective Tinnitus

This is the condition that most people suffer from. It is when only the patient can hear the noise. It is the perception of sound with the absence of an acoustic stimulus. This is the result of input in the auditory pathway being altered or disrupted.

Objective Tinnitus

This rare exception is where your doctor may actually be able to hear the same noises you are during an examination. Sounds are being generated in the middle ear by a physiological occurrence. 

This sound typically occurs from the ebb and flow of blood vessels. It can also happen from muscle spasms in the middle ear, causing a clicking sound.

What are the causes of tinnitus?

There are numerous things that cause tinnitus, but you should know that sometimes the reason can never be determined. 

The following are the most common reasons people suffer from both forms of tinnitus.

• Head and Neck Injuries Trauma to the head and neck most often create tinnitus in just one ear. This type of injury can result in affecting brain functions linked to hearing or damage to nerves associated with hearing.
• Hearing Loss This cause mainly affects older patients and people who are constantly exposed to loud sounds. There are delicate and tiny hairs in your inner ear that trigger electrical signals to your brain. This signal travels along a nerve from your ear to the part of your brain that interprets noise. When these hairs break or get bent, it can cause random signals to your brain causing tinnitus.
• Medications There are various drugs that can either cause or worsen tinnitus. Fortunately, the condition often ceases when you can stop taking the medication. Some drugs that treat cancer and depression can be to blame. Other drugs that can cause tinnitus can be anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antimalarial, even diuretic.
• Ear infection or Blockage An ear infection can cause fluid to build up increasing the pressure in your ear. Other things like dirt, foreign matter, and earwax can have the same effect.

Know when you should see a doctor.

There are those who are afflicted with a mild form of tinnitus and are not bothered by it. More often than not, this condition is disruptive to one’s daily life requiring diagnosis and treatment.

You should make an appointment with an ENT specialist regardless of the severity of your condition. Over time, your tinnitus will likely worsen, and receiving treatments early on can help you deal with it.

If you recently suffered from a cold or upper respiratory infection and your tinnitus hasn’t left after a week, call your doctor. You should see your doctor right away if your condition is accompanied by hearing loss, dizziness, anxiety, depression, or loss of sleep.

Treatments for tinnitus.

Unfortunately, there is no scientifically proven cure for tinnitus. All treatments associated with this condition are meant to reduce the impact and severity of the illness. These solutions can offer a better quality of life while diminishing the severity of the condition.

Sound therapy is used to help the patient counteract their reaction to this problem. This is done by “masking” the sounds you are hearing. 

Another treatment often used is behavioral therapy. This method addresses your reaction to the negative impact of the stimulus. By learning to control these negative emotions, you can begin to disassociate yourself from negative thoughts.

Hearing aids are used when loss of hearing is a result of the condition. While it will improve your ability to hear, it will not eliminate the condition.

We Can Help

Southeastern Ear, Nose, Throat, and Sinus is dedicated to serving South Florida patients. Make an appointment by clicking here or give us a call at (954) 437-5333. We now also offer telemedicine appointments.