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Understanding Types of Tinnitus

There are two types of tinnitus that your board certified hearing specialist or audiologist might diagnose if you start experiencing the sensation of ringing, buzzing, or hissing in your ear.

Subjective tinnitus is the most common type and can either be a result of a problem with your ears or as a problem with the auditory nerves that are sending sound from the ear to be interpreted by the brain.

Objective tinnitus is rare, but presents an actual sound that your hearing specialist or audiologist can detect through testing. The issue could be a result of a vascular, bone, or muscular issue.

What Causes Tinnitus and How is it Treated?

A common cause of tinnitus in many people is exposure to loud sounds. This can mean listening to headphones at a higher volume, not wearing ear protection when using firearms, or simply going to loud concerts. Even quick exposure to very loud sounds can result in permanent damage to parts of your ear. Other common causes are impacted earwax and old age.

Can Tinnitus Be Treated?

When tinnitus is caused by some medical issue such as a vascular condition, it can be possible to eliminate or reduce tinnitus by treating the root problem. In other cases where tinnitus has resulted in permanent hearing loss, hearing specialists and audiologists can help you suppress the phantom noises with white noise machines, hearing aids, or masking devices.

How to Avoid Tinnitus

You can take steps to avoid developing tinnitus by taking precautions and adopting healthy lifestyle habits. You should utilize protective headphones if you expect to be in an environment with very loud sounds. Additionally, you should always keep volume at a reasonable level when utilizing headphones. If you have mild tinnitus, you can avoid it worsening and mitigate noise by avoiding habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or consuming excess caffeine which can dilate blood vessels in the inner ear.