Tinnitus is a symptom and not a disease in by itself. Tinnitus explains the symptom of being able to hear stuff that nobody else can, even though in a rare number of instances, this is not true. Tinnitus is really a rather common affliction with about 10% of the population experiencing Tinnitus to one degree or another. It is most commonly observed in older people although it’s turning out to be much more common in the younger population. Additionally, Tinnitus can be found in a single or both ears and / or at times it appears like it’s starting from the middle of the head.

The Signs of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is most often observed in older people even though perhaps due to the distinct lifestyles it is becoming much more prevalent in younger folks nowadays. Perhaps that is due to the fact that people are residing in more noisy environments these days.

The sounds that are heard range from person to person. A few patients hear a musical tone, although the majority of patients hear anything which usually sounds more just like a hiss or whistling or a buzzing or a ringing noise. For a lot of people, it’s more of an inconvenience and doesn’t affect their every day lives although for a number of patients, it’s so dreadful that they will require some kind of remedy to alleviate the symptoms.

The Causes of Tinnitus

Tinnitus is brought about by destruction of the nerves in the inner ear (cochlea). These nerves send electrical impulses to the brain which the mind then render as sounds. When these nerve fibres are damaged, the signal becomes distorted. When this distorted signal gets to the brain, the mind interprets it as a noise that is Tinnitus.

In older people, it’s considered as part of aging and is called presbyacusis. Nonetheless, in younger men and women health experts believe it is because of too much exposure to raucous noises.

You will find other causes of Tinnitus also such as Anemia – wherein the thin blood rushes through the body so quickly that it can cause a sound. Excessive wax within the ear can as well lead to tinnitus. Menieres Illness which is a medical condition affecting balance can also have a side effect of Tinnitus. A number of drugs both legal and illegal could cause Tinnitus as the body responds to them.

The Treatment of Tinnitus

For most people, there’s no treat for Tinnitus. Many treatments simply relieve the symptoms by masking the main cause of Tinnitus.

Tinnitus is sometimes strongly associated to the patients amount of stress. By managing this level of anxiety through the use of sedative drug, tranquilizers or anti-depressants, the signs or symptoms of tinnitus could be reduced.

A few drugs which affect the transmission of electrical signals in the affected nerves were found to soothe the symptoms of stress.

You will find a few self help steps which patients can use either on their own or in conjunction with any assistance that a physician may recommend. For example playing relaxing music on a personal radio station before the individual would go to sleep. You will find white-noise generators which may mask the noise in your head. As a result you can’t hear the sound produced by tinnitus.