Did you just recently find out that you have a hearing condition known as tinnitus (or ringing ears)? If yes, then first of all you should know that you don’t have to suffer from it for a lifetime. The truth is, there are a number of approaches to help you stay clear from tinnitus, even though no 100% foolproof medical treatment for tinnitus is available currently. The first step to getting control over tinnitus is to figure out the root cause(s) of your condition. There are various causes of tinnitus.
Common Contributing Factors of Tinnitus
1. Cochlea damage-related tinnitus
Cochlea damage is what causes ringing in ears in about 85% of the tinnitus sufferers. Tinnitus related to cochlea damage is frequently noise damage, mainly caused by continuous exposure to loud noises. The types of loud noise exposure that puts you at risk of tinnitus include: MP3 players (e.g. iPod), concerts, loud stereos, industrial noise, abrupt high level of noise such as explosions.
Loud noises impair your hearing mechanisms by damaging your cochlea. You may suffer from tinnitus or even hearing loss. The condition may be permanent or temporary.
Other possible reasons for cochlea damage are such as ear wax removal, ear infection, dental surgery, head surgery, and ear surgery. These types of tinnitus occur although the person has not really been exposed to loud noises.
2. Tinnitus triggered by stress
This is the second most prevalent cause of ringing ears, accounting for 10% of tinnitus cases. In stress-induced tinnitus, there is a breakdown in the function of certain important parts of the brain that involves the hearing mechanism. Hypothalamus is one of them.
If you are constantly under stress, you’ll probably always hear very loud bouts of ear ringing. This is because the hypothalamus is severely affected by long-term stress, and stops producing certain essential chemicals that your body needs to function normally.
If this is the cause of your tinnitus, you should then learn how to manage or reduce stress so that your tinnitus symptoms can be reduced.
3. Tinnitus from sinus infection
Tinnitus arises from sinus infection accounts for a small 5% of all incidences, and represents the third most common cause of tinnitus that can be prevented. Individuals susceptible to this form of tinnitus are those afflicted with chronic allergies, sinusitis and rhinitis.
This type of tinnitus is a consequence of thick mucus accumulated in the middle ear – a side effect of antibiotic and antihistamine drugs in sinus infections and allergy conditions. This building up of mucus further predisposes the person to ear infections, and thus ringing ears. The best way to treat this form of tinnitus is to thin down the mucus, then drain it out from the ear.
4. Meniere’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease is another common cause of tinnitus. In fact, tinnitus is one of the symptoms in Meniere’s Disease, an inner ear dysfunction that lead the invidual to suffer from frequent episodes of dizziness, nausea, ear pressure and tinnitus. It is a chronic condition that often leaves the sufferer feeling very exhausted and need to sleep for a few hours after an attack.
No doubt tinnitus is a frustrating and even life debilitating condition, but you certainly can do something about it. Target the underlying cause to your tinnitus, you will then be able to reduce your ringing ears or even end your tinnitus permanently. You can also achieve tinnitus relief with different tinnitus home remedy options without depending on drugs.
Serena is a freelance health writer, who has written for major pharmaceutical and international medical communications companies.
Article from articlesbase.com





