Have you ever experienced a constant ringing, buzzing or humming noise? Did you notice that you were the only one that could hear it? This is called tinnitus and it’s a very common condition. This is an auditory illusion, also known as a phantom sound that can be caused by a variety of things.

This can include built-up earwax applying pressure into the eardrum and canal. It can also be a symptom of undiagnosed medical issues such as a tumor or even something that comes along when someone is facing age-related hearing loss. However, it’s commonly caused by being exposed to loud sounds. These loud sounds don’t even need to be as loud as fireworks or a plane.

It can even be the volume at a concert, sports game, bar, restaurant, dance club or anywhere else where there is guaranteed to be loud noise. Sometimes it can be easy to avoid tinnitus, such as wearing an earplug or covering up your ears if you’re going to be exposed to something loud. But unfortunately, that isn’t always going to be the case, especially if you’re exposed to a loud sound very unexpectedly.

Tinnitus usually doesn’t last for too long, especially if the reason you have it was due to being around loud noise. It is usually expected to go away within 24 hours, sometimes no later than one week. However, if it lasts longer than this then you must seek assistance from an audiologist. Tinnitus is usually the symptom of some other condition that the body is facing. Attempting to ignore tinnitus can allow the underlying condition of the body to get worse, but tinnitus itself can cause poor quality of life in patients as well.

Lack of Sleep

You need to have a good night’s sleep of seven to nine hours to function properly. This means sleeping for seven to nine consecutive hours with no interruptions. Unfortunately, those who have tinnitus may find it difficult to fall asleep. Nighttime is when tinnitus is the most noticeable. The surroundings are very quiet which makes the auditory illusion sound more prominent or louder. Tinnitus can wake someone up as well from their sleep due to the noise that it’s making. This is going to lead to the person feeling exhausted, muscle soreness and a lack of mental clarity.

Physical Health

Due to the cause of tinnitus, there could be a variety of physical symptoms that can accompany it. When tinnitus is caused by tumors or built-up earwax, this will cause pressure and headaches. This also can cause pain or other irritations with the jaw as well. Tinnitus can make the muscles feel tired due to the common trait of lack of sleep. This can then make the patient not want to exercise or will do little movement compared to their life before tinnitus.

Hearing Loss

A very common sign of tinnitus is hearing loss. While one doesn’t cause the other, they are both usually linked as they both happen simultaneously. Hearing loss is going to make it far more difficult to do daily tasks and communicate. This will then lead to a decline in mental health.

Social Withdrawal

Many patients don’t realize it, but tinnitus can affect how you socialize. Since tinnitus causes other noises to be muffled over the sound of ringing or whatever noise that you may be hearing from tinnitus, it can cause isolation. This is due to being self-conscious or facing rejection from not being able to properly hear and having to ask people to repeat themselves.

Mental Health

While tinnitus can cause social withdrawal, it does have other mental health effects too. Due to the lack of sleep and having to constantly hear the phantom noise, this makes patients fall into a depressive, anger or anxious state. In general, tinnitus can greatly affect someone’s mood and how they’re feeling. This then will affect their daily life and how they interact with others.

Lack of Focus

Tinnitus is both mentally and physically draining on the body. Most patients will experience a lack of sleep, and some will struggle to hear what others are saying to them or the general noise in their surroundings due to tinnitus. This will cause a lack of focus, making concentration far more difficult. This can lead to lower grades, social withdrawal, anxiety, lack of work performance and put more stress on the person. Overall, it’s just going to make even the simplest of tasks feel difficult to do.

Tinnitus is something that everyone will eventually experience in their lifetime. Many patients grow to ignore it but seeking out an audiologist is still incredibly important. There could be an underlying cause of tinnitus that could be serious to health. You can learn more about Audiology and Hearing Aid Center by calling at (920) 486-6922.