Tinnitus: the buzzing, whistling,
roaring in my head.

What is it?

Tinnitus is the sound that some people hear in their ears, or in their head, that is not present in the environment. It often sounds like a tone, buzz, crickets, frying, or ocean roar. Others describe it as a bell, hiss, hum steam, whistle, click, tap, water, heart beat, truck, rushing, singing, rumble, echo, or stuffiness.

How common is it?

About 20% of the population suffers from tinnitus. It is more common in patients who are 50 years old and older.

How bad is it?

Some people report having noises in their ears only occasionally, while others live with it all the time. It can affect one or both ears. Its severity varies from patient to patient. That is, some people are not bothered by it, while others are handicapped to the degree that it interferes with their daily activities. Some people have trouble going to sleep because of the buzz or ringing in their ears. Some avoid quiet situations that seem to allow the ringing to overwhelm them, while others avoid loud situations. Some people get anxious and depressed because of the noise in their ears. Many patients report trouble understanding others, and tend to avoid social situations.

Why do people get tinnitus?

It is very common for the adult patient with presbycusis, (normal hearing loss due to getting a little older) to also have ringing in their ears along with the hearing loss. Also, those with a history of noise exposure often have it. Some drugs can also cause hearing loss and ringing.

Treatment

A few years ago it was popular to treat head noises with a "tinnitus masker". This was a device that looks like a hearing aid, but only produces a masking noise to cover up the sounds. For most folks this was not effective enough to wear the device. There has been some studies that show limited success in treating head noises with biofeedback, counseling, and stress reduction. But, so far, there is not a cure.

The best treatment for these sounds is amplification, that is, wearing hearing aids. The hearing aids allow the person to hear the more important sounds in the environment, and therefore not focus on the internal noise in their ears. That anxious feeling is replaced with a sense of relief and the ability to communicate more easily. The tinnitus patients who wear hearing aids are able to enjoy more activities and their lives become richer and brighter. Then the tinnitus is no longer the problem that it was.

To learn more, visit the American Tinnitus Association web site.