Tinnitus Ringing Noise

People with partial or complete hearing loss are most likely to experience tinnitus.

A ringing noise in the ears is what best describes tinnitus. The ringing in the ears can be heard in either one or both ears. The frequency of the ringing can also be constant or intermittent.

For those who have tinnitus due to partial or complete hearing loss, the tinnitus sounds are louder depending on the severity of the hearing loss.

The ears ringing happens as a result of the efforts of the brain trying to receive sound signals from the ears but there are no sound signals due to hearing loss.

There are several descriptions of the sounds that can be heard by a person with tinnitus. Ringing noise in the ears can be in the form of buzzing, hissing, croaking, ticking, chirping, cicadas, or roaring.

When a person has tinnitus, it means that there are problems in the inner ears or head. Tinnitus is a symptom and its presence indicates the presence of a medical problem. A proper medical evaluation must be done to properly diagnose what caused the tinnitus. Proper identification of the cause is vital for the treatment of tinnitus.

The most successful treatments are based on whatever caused the tinnitus.

Common causes of tinnitus are complete and partial hearing loss, ear infections, ototoxic drugs, meniere's disease, head injuries, and tumors. Partial hearing loss can either be due to impacted ear wax or minor damage to the hair cells in the cochlea. The hair cells in the cochlea get damaged when the ears are constantly exposed to loud noises/music. Damage is done as the ears are continuously exposed to loud noises.

Contrary to the belief of many that constant listening to loud music will make your ears immune to loud music, the hair cells are slowly damaged and in time an irreversible hearing loss can happen. The ears can be protected by wearing ear plugs or avoiding the habit of listening to music at loud volumes.