I don’t know how I missed this question 3 months ago!
I remember being put down for my nap as a very young child and laying there… listening to my ears ring… and watching my floaters against the whit ceiling. I assumed everyone had such things. I didn’t know tinnitus was abnormal until I was in Audiology 101 as an undergrad. I’ve never known what silence is…
Now I have been an Audiologist for nearly 17 years and there is still much that is not known about tinnitus. It is a cochlear (inner ear) and/or auditory nerve issue… so that is why people without external or middle ear structures can still have it. It is likely that there are different causes and structural/functional impairments involved in tinnitus, which is why there is so much variability in what people experience.
Unfortunately the inner ear structures are so miniscule, we can not actually see them at work with out current imaging technologies. They can be examined under an electron microscope following an autopsy, but that isn’t very helpful. Some of the functional MRI type of imaging is helping understand the nerve aspect, but the cochlear component is still a mystery.
Some people (more than you would think) actually hear music rather than the typical tones, hissing, humming, or buzzing sounds that most people consider tinnitus. And many people are so aggravated that they can not sleep, which can contribute to issues of anxiety/depression and even some to suicide.
I saw and listened to Neuromonics at a convention when it was first coming out. The audiologist performs tinnitus-matching (time consuming and inexact attempts to match the pitch and volume of the patient’s tinnitus); and the device plays the matched noise in the background of some music. I was not too impressed—especially considering the cost (over $2000 I recall)! I have a colleague who has run a tinnitus support group for many years, and she has not come across any success stories in the 2 years since its release.
As suggested, listening to low-level music, white noise or other low-level sounds wrks for most of us to mask the tinnitus and help us sleep or focus on other things. The majority of people do tend to get accustomed to having it there, and so only notice it when they stop to think about it or when there is very little ambient noise to drown it out.
When a person experiences hearing loss—whether from a blockage of sound (e.g., wax build-up or head cold) or from inner ear loss (e.g. noise damage or aging)—they will perceive the tinnitus as getting louder, because there is less ambient noise available to the brain to drown out the tinnitus. For those with permanent hearing loss, the use of hearing aids is beneficial in not only making speech louder and clearer, but also in amplifying those ambient noises where the individual’s hearing is the worst (which very often correlates to the pitch of the tinnitus).
You may also see ads in the backs of magazines and products at health food stores with dietary supplements claiming to reduce tinnitus. The only supplement that I have seen authentic scientific results showing a fairly successful reduction in tinnitus is gingko biloba. However, ginko biloba does have side effects such as thinning the blood, so one must use caution, and really should consult their physician prior to beginning a supplement regimen. In addition, supplement manufacturing is not regulated, so there is no way of knowing of you are actually consuming what is listed on the label.
That having been said, I have been taking this supplement for almost 2 months, and I have noticed some reduction in my tinnitus. I decided to try it after I was informed that one of the physicians in the group I work for has recommended it. I won’t recommend something until I’ve tried it, so I wrote an email to them, and the President of the company very honestly told me that since my tinnitus is a lifelong condition, it is highly unlikely that I will experience much reduction. He said that the most I could hope for would be a a minimal reduction of the increases that I have noticed in recent years, and hopefully to keep it from progressing as rapidly with age. I appreciated his honesty, and was also impressed by the testimonials on the website. I am not endorsing this product, and have no business relationship with them. I am mentioning it as an option, because it seems to be a quality product as compared to others you might find. Again—check with your physician first to see if it is safe before you to take ANY dietary supplements!
For more information: The American Tinnitus Association
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