Tinnitus causes ringing in the ear. It is very uncomfortable and its onset can be sudden. Some tinnitus is temporary and you may experience it if you have been to a loud party or concert. The best way to combat it is to get treatment early and stay out of situations that may cause it to flare up.
More permanent forms of tinnitus can be caused by prolonged exposure to noise and illness. Here is a look at how tinnitus can be treated.
What can you do?
The best way to avoid or reduce tinnitus is to take proactive measures to protect your hearing. Avoid the source of loud music at parties and other entertainment events. It is understandable that when you are in certain fields of work you cannot avoid daily exposure to loud noises. However, there is protective hearing equipment available to reduce the amount of noise you hear.
Often tinnitus is caused by how you listen to music. With the increase in the use of personal devices you have mobile entertainment at your fingertips and so does everyone else. To avoid disturbing others, it is common to wear earphones. Earphones that fit directly into the ear canal are the most dangerous. When you attempt to turn up your earphones there will often be a warning that hearing could be damaged.
Hearing aids
A hearing aid is one of the most common solutions for tinnitus. There are three main types of hearing aids that you can choose from and it all depends on how obtrusive you wish your hearing aid to be.
If you prefer to make your hearing aid as invisible as possible then the best type is one that fits into the ear canal. These are called in-the-canal (ITC) hearing aids. If you don’t mind more visibility you can get a hearing aid that fits behind the ear. These are called behind the ear (BTE). Another popular type is the in the ear (ITE) which fits in the outer ear canal.
Combining treatment
A hearing aid can be used on its own or it may be part of a larger package of treatments that are used to treat your tinnitus. Remember too that your hearing aid will need to be taken care of from time to time. This means that you may need to clean it to prevent wax build-up and check to ensure that the batteries are always working.
Get back to your life
You use your hearing to enjoy life, you need to communicate at work and home. You also need to hear well to be entertained. If you are like most people you enjoy watching a movie or listening to your favorite music. All this can be more difficult with tinnitus.
Often, it is not until you start having difficulty that you realize how important your hearing is. Thankfully there are solutions. The best thing you can do for yourself is to try to treat the problems quickly with the help of a professional.
