Tinnitus is when you hear noises in your ear that is not caused by sounds coming from the outside world. I was shocked when I had my first experience of constant 'whooshing' in my ear. This short blog will go over how to recognise symptoms of tinnitus and how to treat it accordingly as there is no fixed cure.
Tinnitus can occur in different ways, the most common symptoms mentioned on the NHS website include:
ringing
buzzing
whooshing
humming
hissing
throbbing
music or singing
The above can occur in both ears, or one or in your head. I currently experience the whooshing sounds in one of my ears and it has become quite difficult to focus with.
The best option is to visit your doctor and ask for help as it can become unbearable and I sometimes find it difficult to sleep in the silence with the constant whooshing; I have to distract myself with background noises or podcasts till I fall asleep.
Tinnitus can be caused by the following:
Hearing loss
ear infection/ ear blockage ( I would often get really poorly with colds and would end up with multiple ear infections in a year)
Head or neck injuries.
Medications.
I have noticed the excess wear of earphones/ airpods also causes the ear pain and could possibly lead up to ear infections and ear aches. So quick piece of advice would be to listen to however much you can out loud and give your ears a rest.
I had an ear wax removal appointment with Hidden hearing UK the experience was great and everything was done up to standard. However, my tinnitus has significantly worsened which is an unavoidable outcome; but sleeping has become much more challenging and finding ways to distract my brain has been a mission.
There is no specific cure like medicine etc for Tinnitus but there are several ways to calm the brain down and things we can do to prevent tinnitus from deteriorating.
Relax your body and mind - Take on some yoga classes and practice breathing exercises.
If sleeping becomes unbearable; practice a routine; try turning on background noise.
Read self-help books or join communities where you can relate with others and discuss your concerns.
Try not to focus on it.
Always have background noise on; I play constant loops of brown noise. There are other playlists on youtube dedicated to distract the mind from tinnitus too.
And remember if it becomes really difficult to live with and you are becoming more anxious and distressed seek help.
This was a brief overview of tinnitus; there is much more to learn about the subject. You can visit your local hearing centre for more information and treatments you can get. Remember if you know someone with tinnitus check up on them and make sure to distract them from the unbearable sound.
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