Ringing Ear
If you’ve ever experienced ringing ear and conducted research looking for information, you’re probably familiar with the term tinnitus. Tinnitus is the medical term for ringing ear, a condition characterized by a ringing, hissing, whooshing or pulsating sound in one or both ears. Millions of people have experienced ringing ear at some point during their lives.
In many cases, ringing ear is an acute problem caused by exposure to an unusually loud noise, such as an explosion, heavy machinery or a music concert. These cases of ringing ear often subside on their own over the course of a few days, without further treatment. In other situations, ringing ear lasts for weeks or months, sometimes even becoming so severe that it interferes with a person’s ability to sleep at night or concentrate during the day.
Short-term ringing ear caused by exposure to noise might go away on its own, but the damage caused to the hearing nerve is permanent. Hearing loss associated with aging can result in chronic ringing ear and each exposure to damaging noise contributes to a cumulative loss of hearing over time.
Ringing ear can be solved by treating the underlying cause, if one can be identified. Underlying causes include hearing loss, easily fixed with a hearing aid or other assistive device, high blood pressure, stress, a buildup of fluid, mucus or earwax in the ear, an infection or even some medications, such as large doses of aspirin.
Not all cases of tinnitus have an easily diagnosable cause and some cases can’t be linked to an underlying cause at all. These cases of ringing ear are extremely difficult to treat, because there is no known cure for unexplained ringing ear.
Ringing ear can cause depression and anxiety in its chronic form, as sufferers lose sleep, lack the ability to focus and have difficulty concentrating on their jobs. When the daily routine begins to be disrupted, ringing ear has become quite a serious, although not life-threatening problem. At this point, most individuals seek effective treatments that will provide at least some relief from this constant ringing in the ear. Even if you’re not aware of an underlying cause, it may be worth trying some holistic treatments that claim to be effective in treating tinnitus in order to get some relief from this persistent problem.
April 13th, 2010 at 6:45 am
my dad had they very problem for ages and wouldn't goto the doctors but when he finally went we found out he would have to have an hearing aid for the rest of his life. he wasn't happy but it did the job