Ringing in the Ear

An article by Adrian Featherstone.

The onset of a sound like a ringing in the ear can be caused by a sudden exposure to a loud sound, continuous exposure to noise or potentially to an underlying health issue. The condition of apparent noise in the ear is known as Tinnitus. The word derived from the Latin word and literally meaning ringing.

The sounds of Tinnitus are very common. They are particularly so amongst people of 55 years of age and over. In many cases the ringing in the ears causes only a mild annoyance. For others the sounds are distracting enough to interfere with sleep patterns and can even result in hearing problems.

Sometimes if the sounds of tinnitus are accompanied by dizziness or vertigo it may just be a symptom of an ear infection or wax build up. If accompanied by dizziness, hearing loss and a sensation of fullness in the ears it could that these are symptomatic of Meniere’s disease, which is caused by a build up of fluid in the inner ear.
However, the most common cause of ringing in the ears is an exposure to loud sounds. Repeated exposure on a regular basis to loud noise can result in a permanent hearing loss. For this reason it is important that protective measures are taken in any noisy working environment.

It is often the case that exposure to excessive noise occurs in social situations. For example spending time at concerts or clubs where loud music is played. Similarly, the now common practice of listening to loud music through earphones can affect hearing. All of these situations can be catalyst to the onset of Tinnitus.
It is thought that some nutritional deficiencies can cause the onset of the sounds of tinnitus. A typical example of this might be a zinc deficiency. Zinc is one of the essential minerals to our wellbeing. Recommended daily intake is 8mg for women and 11mg for men. A mixture of nutrients may be beneficial in reducing ear ringing when taken in supplement form.

Otolaryngologists sometimes recommend a formula containing vitamins C, B1, B2, niacin, B6, B12, pantothenic acid, choline, inositol and bioflavonoids. Some studies have suggested that this combination can reduce the symptoms of Meniere’s disease, as well.
When the symptoms interfere with sleep, melatonin supplements are sometimes suggested. There is some evidence that low serotonin activity may cause the problem. Together, serotonin and melatonin regulate sleep cycles and many other biological processes.

Tinnitus can accompany head and neck injuries such as whiplash. In those cases, the symptoms usually resolve in time as the injury heals. Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause ringing in the ear for some people. Even aspirin can cause it.
As with all medical complaints if the problem persists or worsens it is always best to seek the advice of a doctor.

More articles by Adrian Featherstone:

• What Causes Ringing in the Ears.  What causes the ringing in the ears that we universally call tinnitus?
• Much Needed Tinnitus Relief.  Living a normal life with the sounds of tinnitus constantly ringing in your ears would seem an impossibility to most tinnitus sufferers.
• Tinnitus Cures That Might Work For You. With the realisation that the noises you are hearing in your ears or in your head are not going to go away comes the journey to either eliminate them or to learn to live with them.
• Alternative Tinnitus Treatment.  Most people who have found that they are living with the ringing in the ears which characterises the sounds of tinnitus will have been told by their medical practitioner that there is no known tinnitus cure.
• Subjective and Objective Tinnitus.  The sounds of tinnitus that will be so well known to those living with this condition are variously described as ringing in the ears, hissing,whistling or buzzing.
• Symptoms of Tinnitus.  Millions of people around the globe experience the symptoms of tinnitus. The ringing in the ears which characterises this complaint is especially common in the towns and cities of the industrialised western world.
• Symptoms For Tinnitus.  Ringing in the ear is one of the primary symptoms of tinnitus. Tinnitus being a condition which commonly affects about a fifth of the population aged 55 or over.
• What Causes Tinnitus.  There will be few people who have gone to a discotheque or to a live band concert who will not have experienced the sounds of tinnitus.
• Finding Your Own Tinnitus Relief.  Only those of us who have lived with the sounds of tinnitus singing away in our consciousness and who have suffered the constant ringing in the ears that goes with it truly understand the trauma tinnitus creates.
• The Early Days of Your Tinnitus. Whether they realise it or not most people have heard the sounds of tinnitus. After exposure to any very loud noise we all have a ringing in the ear to some degree. 
• Tinnitus Hypnosis.The use of Tinnitus Hypnosis and Tinnitus Hypnotherapy in the battle to clear tinnitus symptoms has long been recognised...
• The Effects of Tinnitus. Tinnitus is widely described as a condition
  in which a person hears noises where no corresponding external noise exists.
• Beginning the Search for a Tinnitus Cure. If you were able to ask a large group of sufferers who were looking for a tinnitus cure to describe the arrival of a tinnitus sound in their lives, a great many of them would tell you a remarkably similar story.
• Do Any Tinnitus Remedies Actually work?  Anybody who has had the misfortune to find themselves living with tinnitus will be only too well aware of the frustration that this debilitating condition can cause the sufferer.
• In Puruit Of A Tinnitus Cure. Realising that the noise in your ears just isn’t going away can initiate a sense of panic and stress into even the most stoic of us. The diagnosis of tinnitus that so often follows this realisation only serves  to compound the problem still further. 
• Tinnitus Masking. Those of us that suffer with the intrusion of tinnitus sound in our ears will know that the condition is at its worst when there is no other external noise to dilute that sound. It is at these times that tinnitus masking can be extremely effective. 
• Turn Down Those Tinnitus Sounds. The volume of your Tinnitus Sounds will almost certainly relate closely to your state of mind. When we are feeling down and out of sorts, when we feel depressed and moody we become very inward looking. Of course for the tinnitus sufferer, waiting for them inside their head there are always those tinnitus sounds.
• Tinnitus Sound and Stress. Stress has long been recognised as being a major player in both the cause and subsequent intensity of tinnitus sound.