Symptoms for Tinnitus.

An article by Adrian Featherstone:

Ringing in the ear is one of the primary symptoms for tinnitus. Tinnitus being a condition which commonly affects about a fifth of the population aged 55 or over. This ringing in the ear may only be temporary but is often chronic. Sometimes it can be a symptom of an underlying health issue but in most cases no cause for the sounds of tinnitus are ever identified. However, even when no specific cause is found for tinnitus it can often be treated effectively.

The sounds of tinnitus may be present in just one or in both ears. Sufferers often describe them as coming from somewhere in the head rather than specifically coming from an ear. Patients describe the noise in many different ways. Ringing, whining or buzzing are amongst the most common descriptions. Some say that it sounds like hissing, humming, screaming or whistling. A few people report a ticking or clicking noise reminiscent of the sound of frogs or locusts.

In some instances steady tones are heard. These are very similar to the tones used during a hearing test. Because of that it can appear that there is a hearing loss when a hearing test is undertaken.

The sounds of tinnitus can be loud enough to interfere with hearing and day to day activities. More usually however, it is more bothersome in the quiet of the night or in a quiet room. Tinnitus always makes its presents felt when there is no outside noise to occupy the senses of the sufferer.

An interesting study conducted in 1953 revealed that most people hear phantom noises in very quiet rooms. 100 tinnitus-free university students participated in the study.93% of them reported hearing a buzzing, pulsing or whistling sound whilst inside a sound-free anechoic chamber.

This indicates just how common a ringing in the ear is. It is only when it interferes with sleep or causes an irritation that it needs to be treated. Insomnia, daytime fatigue and clinical depression are sometimes symptomatic of tinnitus where the sufferer finds the noise interrupts their normal sleep patterns.

Before assuming that the sound you are hearing is a phantom sound it is worth ruling out any possibility that it is a real sound. Rule out the obvious but then check for the not so obvious. The electromagnetic fields created by overhead power lines as well as the wiring in your home can initiate a high pitched sound which appears to come from nowhere. It is definitely worth checking whether the noise follows you into different places and situations.

If you satisfy yourself that your noises are in fact the sounds of tinnitus and are not coming from any external source, don’t be discouraged because there are safe and effective treatments to help relieve the symptoms of tinnitus.

As with any medical condition the first port of call must always be a doctor. Although he is likely to tell you that there is no known cure for tinnitus be assured that there is a lot that you can do to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of tinnitus.

Having eliminated any physical cause such as perhaps a build up of ear wax the search for your personal tinnitus liberation should start by taking a look at your lifestyle. Stress is a known cause of tinnitus and it is important to actively seek to reduce any stress in your life.

Experimenting with some dietary changes may prove useful. Caffeine, salt and alcohol can play a part in exacerbating tinnitus and reducing or eliminating their intake may have a dramatic effect for you. Lifestyle factors that can worsen the condition include spending time in noisy environments and smoking cigarettes. It is worth keeping a diary of your efforts here so that you can see what if any effect each action has for you.

The search for a release from the symptoms of tinnitus can be a long journey. Staying positive and keeping an open mind will be your key to success. It is worth bearing in mind that what works for one tinnitus sufferer will do nothing for another. But, the converse is also true.

More articles by Adrian Featherstone:

• Ringing in the Ear. 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.
• 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.
• 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.