People who suffer from permanent tinnitus are very distressed. Sheila Kumar throws light on this affliction.

It could be the sound of a bell ringing, loud and clangy. It could be the sound of waves out at sea. It could be like a heat blower, a kettle’s shrill whistle, a kind of pulsated roaring, a hissing, a clicking. It could be the gurgle of running water, the sizzle of an egg frying, the buzz of a doorbell.

All of this is just a list of noises, some of it sounds exotic even but when those noises go on constantly inside your head, it’s altogether a different matter and is called tinnitus.

A US-based hearing institute recently pegged the number of tinnitus sufferers the world over at an astounding 40 million and rising. Almost all these people who walk around with noises inside their heads are adults. The majority of these 40 million suffer from occasional noises but for the remaining 10 million, this loud and noisome affliction is constant and severe enough to affect their daily life and living, both mentally and physically.

Almost all of us, at one time or another, hear noises inside our heads. It could be a ping, a click or a buzz. However, for most of us, it soon goes away too. People who suffer from permanent tinnitus, however, suffer a lot of distress, are unable to sleep and keep wondering if the tinnitus is the precursor to something far more serious, like a tumour in the brain. Insomnia, depression, panic attacks…tinnitus sufferers become vulnerable to such afflictions at some point. The noises of the day usually mask tinnitus but it becomes more pronounced at night time.
Patients also report an increase in tinnitus when they suffer from headaches or are otherwise stressed. It doesn’t take too much of effort to figure out, that tinnitus sufferers have had some degree of hearing loss. Often, if that problem is attended to, the tinnitus may decrease or just vanish. However, for those who have to live with the sounds, the first thing is to come to terms that tinnitus need not be dangerous. It is a condition, nothing more nothing less.

What brings on these sounds inside the head? Tinnitus is often a reaction to medication, continual food allergies, hearing loss due to ageing when the membrane within the ear canal dries out, heavy smoking, even excessive alcohol intake or diabetes. Ear infections which have damaged the organ at some point in life, foreign objects or severe wax build up also lead to tinnitus. Blood rushing through an injured vein too, causes tinnitus to occur. Professionals who are exposed to noise as part of their workplace hazards (hangar mechanics, pilots, welders, drillers and the like) also may expect to suffer from tinnitus.Where the matter turns serious is when tinnitus is a symptom of cardiovascular disease, blood vessel abnormalities in the brain, Meniere’s disease, anemia, aneurysms and tumours in the head.

If tinnitus is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dizziness, rapid breathing, hallucinations or vertigo, it is time to go see the doctor immediately. The first thing then, is for tinnitus patients to have their problem checked out through aural tests and an MRI, to rule out all serious causes.

If all the tests are clear, then the next thing to come to terms with is that the mechanism that causes you to hear such sounds where there is no outside source is still unknown.

The point is to learn to live with the sounds. Medical experts term this as ‘habituation’ and habituation is impossible till you rid yourself of all fears regarding your condition. When the mind hears noise it cannot relate to, noise with no external stimuli, it sends alarm bells racing inside your head.

This places the mind and body on high alert. So, first calm yourself down and understand that your tinnitus is not a threatening issue, downsize it to a nuisance. Your doctors have established that tinnitus is not dangerous. Accept the condition as it is, stop fretting about the constant 24/7 sounds and keep busy. Surround yourself with other noise but never in excess…play soft music. Relaxation techniques like Tai Chi, yoga, reflexology and massages work wonders for some patients.

Relax, breathe deeply, calm yourself then exercise to ensure good blood circulation. If you are in an aircraft and your tinnitus bothers you excessively, pinch your nostrils, blow through your nose, suck on a sweet or chew gum. In general, limit your intake of coffee, alcohol, nicotine and aspirin. Wear earplugs at night or moistened balls of cotton if they help.

Don’t fall prey to wonder cures, because the more you arm yourself with knowledge about tinnitus, the less you will be gypped. Also, don’t work yourself into any anxiety or anger regarding your condition…tell yourself that people suffer from and live with far worse problems. Finally, don’t talk about it all the time and don’t worry about it constantly.

Of late, tinnitus maskers are available and you could ask an ENT specialist about them. They look like hearing aids and give off a subtle sound that tries to mask the tinnitus without interfering in the hearing process. Doctors prefer by and large though, that one learns to live with the tinnitus rather than become habituated to external aids.