Tinnitus, the presence of ringing or buzzing in the ear, is a variable symptom. Some people rarely experience it, noticing it only on the odd morning after a loud concert at the Historic Scoot Inn, while others are consistently plagued by it. Deciding where you fall on that spectrum will help determine how you manage the ringing. Let’s look at four factors to consider and the management options available to you.
Four Factors To Consider
Think about how each of the following four factors characterizes your tinnitus:
- Duration: how long each bout of ringing lasts
- Frequency: how often the ringing arises
- Volume: how loud the ringing sounds in your ears
- Impact: how the ringing impacts your mood and how difficult it makes it for you to sleep, concentrate, etc.
If your tinnitus lasts longer than five minutes, occurs more than a few times each month (especially when it isn’t triggered by loud noise), or is loud enough to interfere with your sleep or concentration, it may be time to schedule a tinnitus evaluation.
It can be tricky to remember how and when tinnitus pops up, so consider keeping a notebook or note on your phone where you describe the duration, volume and impact of your tinnitus along with the date and time it arises.
Tinnitus Management
If your tinnitus is severe enough to require management, your hearing specialist may recommend one or more of the following:
- Sound masking. Sound masking eases tinnitus by covering the ringing with a soothing noise. You can do it with a white noise machine, a fan or hearing aids.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT with a mental health professional will teach you how to redirect negative responses to tinnitus towards more neutral territory.
- Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT). TRT uses a combination of sound therapy and counseling to help you divert your attention away from tinnitus when it arises.
Because an estimated 90% of tinnitus cases occur with an underlying hearing loss, we may recommend a hearing test when you schedule your tinnitus evaluation. Pairing tinnitus management with hearing loss treatment will yield the best results.
Call Austin Auditory Specialists today to schedule your tinnitus evaluation and hearing test with one of our specialists.