How Can You Treat Tinnitus?

For many, experiencing the constant sound of hissing, ringing, humming or buzzing in the ears is just a daily occurrence. This sound feels as if it’s impossible to escape, but there are methods to treat it. While tinnitus doesn’t have a cure, it can be resolved through treatments, typically by focusing on the underlying cause of the symptom. At times audiologists can’t find a direct reason that it’s caused by, so they’ll still help you in introducing treatments that can bring relief to tinnitus.

Hearing Aids

While no single approach to treat tinnitus works for everyone, hearing aids can often make tinnitus less noticeable, especially for those who are experiencing age-related hearing loss. The masking devices that are worn like a hearing aid will generate a low-level noise that helps reduce the perception of tinnitus. This method of treatment is great for making tinnitus less noticeable. Audiologists will often recommend you test out this trial to see if this masking strategy works for them.

Earwax Removal

The ears clean themselves naturally but at times wax may build up. This can be from cotton swabs pushing the wax down the ear canal, wearing a hearing aid too often or any other product that stays in the ear for long periods. These can irritate the ear canal and cause build-up. This is one of the most common reasons tinnitus can form and an audiologist can quickly treat it by removing earwax. The wax can be removed by micro-suction tools at your audiologist’s clinic.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy

This is a technique that is mostly used for patients whose tinnitus is caused by a type of abnormal neuronal activity. Tinnitus retraining therapy is similar to masking hearing aids because this method also focuses on making the ringing less noticeable. However, what makes it different is the fact that the patient will need to have an individual counseling session to explain how their tinnitus possibly formed and to get an understanding of the auditory system. A device will then be inserted into the ear, like a hearing aid, this will generate a variety of pitches and volumes. This form of treatment could last up to two years.

Changing Medication

Medications can cause tinnitus, many of which include antibiotics and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). What is often the cause is that the higher the dosage, the worse the tinnitus can become. Audiologists cannot prescribe new drugs for you, but you can speak to your general practitioner about switching to an alternative medication that doesn’t have tinnitus as one of the symptoms.

Cutting Out Alcohol

Alcohol consumption can cause tinnitus type noises in the ear for some patients. Excessive drinking has been linked to audible hallucinations, as well as those who are facing alcohol withdrawals. Cutting out alcohol can potentially help ease or completely stop tinnitus.

Quit Smoking

Smoking is another lifestyle change that can treat tinnitus. Nicotine is known for interfering with neurotransmitters in the auditory nerve. Heavy smokers are also more at risk of facing age-related hearing loss at a much young age compared to non-smokers.