Tinnitus Causes

Tinnitus is characterized by ringing, buzzing, hissing, roaring, whistling, clicking or other “phantom”, fake noise in the ears. The word Tinnitus is the Latin word for ringing. It’s not a disease, but instead a symptom of an underlying cause. It can occur in one ear or both and can range from mild to severe. There are 4 common Tinnitus causes in addition to some rare causes of this condition.

Most cases of tinnitus are not serious or life-threatening, but it can be annoying or even debilitating depending on the severity. Here is an overview of some of the causes and some ways to prevent tinnitus.

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The 4 Common Causes of Tinnitus

Age

Hearing loss and/or hardening of the arteries due to age commonly results in ringing, or other noise, in the ears. The loss of hearing due to age is also referred to as presbycusis.

Earwax

Earwax is that sticky stuff that builds up in your ears. Its purpose is to protect the ear canal by entangling dirt and debris to keep it out of the inner ear and to slow the growth of bacteria in the ear. If earwax becomes compacted and cannot be cleaned or washed out naturally, it can result in tinnitus.

Loud Noise

Long-term exposure to loud noises like that from firearms, heavy industrial equipment, live bands or other sources commonly results in hearing loss. Tinnitus can develop from short-term exposure such as from going to a live music concert is normally temporary and goes away in a short time. However, permanent damage can occur from long-term exposure.

Otosclerosis

Otosclerosis is where the middle ear bones become stiff. This can result in hearing problems and is one of the common causes of tinnitus. This is typically a genetic condition where abnormal bone growth of the ears occurs.

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Less common and rare causes include conditions like Meniere’s disease, TMJ, head/neck injuries, stressdepression and acoustic neuroma. Pulsatile tinnitus, which is very rare is commonly caused by high blood pressure, narrowing of the carotid artery, atherosclerosis (usually from aging) and benign or malignant tumors in the head or neck. Additionally, certain medications can cause tinnitus.

Prevention of many of these causes of tinnitus include such things as avoiding triggers like loud noises, stress management, taking care of your overall health and using ear plugs if you are going to be around loud noise or music on a regular or temporary basis.