The senses we have were made so that we can all enjoy life at its fullest. We see the beauty of a sunset, smell the crisp scent of woodsmoke and we can hear the trill of birds or the sounds of our favorite music.

But for some people, there’s a condition that can interfere with or rob them of the joy of listening to their favorite sounds. It can also rob them of many of life’s pleasures. That condition is tinnitus.

What is tinnitus? Tinnitus is hearing a sound inside your ear when the sound doesn’t exist outside of your ear. The definition for the word tinnitus means ringing. But it’s not always limited to ringing.

People who suffer with tinnitus might hear a variety of noises including ringing or buzzing or a high-pitched whine in their ear. Millions of people struggle with tinnitus and the condition often affects just one ear, but can be in both. In some rare cases, the patient has a medical condition, which is cause behind the tinnitus. Continue reading →

Though tinnitus can develop at any time, researchers have been able to identify several common factors among those who have the condition. Within the ear, each person has a nerve that enables hearing. At the end of that nerve are tiny nerve endings. When those tiny nerve endings get damaged, the results can be tinnitus and hearing loss.

Hearing loss can occur first – before the symptoms of tinnitus – and actually then result in tinnitus. One of the main causes of hearing loss is prolonged exposure to sounds louder than the auditory nerve can handle.

Rock music concerts, jobs working with loud machinery and other conditions where the decibels are too high can cause hearing loss. Some loss takes effect immediately – you might notice a ringing in your ears after leaving a concert. Other losses will show up years down the road. Continue reading →