What is tinnitus?

The causes of tinnitus are not very well understood. What is known is that it’s generally related to hearing disorders. If the tinnitus cannot be pinpointed to one specific physical cause, then often it cannot be cured. However, there are many ways that tinnitus can be controlled so the impact on your life is minimised.

One way of looking at tinnitus is as the brain’s inability to filter out unimportant sensory information. Essentially this is a learned habit so you can actually re-teach yourself not to hear the ringing sound. So, once examinations into the possible physical causes of tinnitus have been exhausted, the next step would be a referral to an audiological physician (if your health authority has one). They generally use a technique called Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT).

There are, however, many ways that you can help yourself to deal with your tinnitus. According to The British Tinnitus Association (BTA), it’s easier to get on top of your tinnitus when you’re feeling otherwise well in yourself. So, it might be worth making sure that your general health has been taken care of, and that any unresolved issues, such as depression or anxiety are dealt with.

The BTA also provide useful information relating to possible treatments for tinnitus. These include making sure that you avoid total silence (you may wish to listen to music as you go to sleep) and trying to build your tinnitus into a mental picture. They do stress that the most important factor is trying to remain calm; the more stressed you become the more your tinnitus will affect your quality of life.

For more information, support and advice, contact BTA on 0800 018 0527.