What are the first signs of tinnitus?

Learning about the first signs of tinnitus is key to getting an accurate diagnosis and the most appropriate treatment. Oracle Hearing provides tinnitus evaluations in Lawrenceville, NJ.

Do you ever hear noises in your brain like roaring, buzzing, hissing, or ringing?

Do they bother you during the day or keep you up at night? 

Tinnitus is the term for hearing such noises. While many people occasionally hear them, it’s when they persist that we may find ourselves annoyed by them. 

Tinnitus is a chronic ailment, just like hypertension, diabetes, or hypothyroidism, and although it cannot be cured, there are methods for managing it.

Since tinnitus can be felt in a variety of ways, it’s critical for us to manage it individually for each patient. Some people get relief merely by realizing the cause of their tinnitus following the hearing test. 

Others find comfort through sound therapy, distractions in their environment, alterations in their way of life, or even cognitive behavioral treatment. 

In some cases, tinnitus may be treated medically. If hearing loss is diagnosed along with tinnitus, hearing aids for tinnitus may help.

Can you suddenly get tinnitus?

Tinnitus can appear abruptly or gradually grow over time. Although the actual cause is unknown, it frequently coexists with some degree of hearing loss.

How is tinnitus diagnosed?

Tinnitus can be detected in the following ways:

  • Hearing (audiological) exam
  • Imaging tests
  • Lab tests

Tinnitus Self-Assessment Questions

Before seeing an audiologist, you may ask yourself the following questions:

  • Are you hearing sounds that no one else seems to hear?
  • Do you experience any degree of hearing loss?
  • Do you hear “phantom noises” constantly or intermittently? 
  • Does the sound make it difficult for you to fall asleep at night?

If you believe that you are experiencing early signs of tinnitus, it’s best to get your hearing tested right away to rule out any hearing problems.

How to deal with tinnitus at home

Tinnitus might worsen with stress. Find coping mechanisms for anxiety, such as deep breathing, physical activity, and biofeedback, a relaxing method that alters how people respond to stress. For some people, it helps to lessen tinnitus.

Anxiety triggers the fight-or-flight response, which puts a lot of strain on the nervous system and raises body temperature, blood flow, and other factors. It’s extremely possible that this pressure and stress will affect the mechanisms of your inner ear and cause tinnitus.

If you lack sleep or suffer from chronic sleep problems, your stress levels increase. Signs of tinnitus may feel louder as stress levels rise. Your stress levels may be greater and your tinnitus may sound louder than usual if you haven’t slept well one night. Try your best to have a positive outlook on life.

Making some changes to your diet and maintaining an active lifestyle can also help alleviate any foreboding signs of tinnitus.

Tinnitus and hearing loss

Most people diagnosed with hearing loss may experience tinnitus. Similarly, most people with tinnitus may have some level of hearing loss.

Hearing aids, sound masking devices, noise generators, and modified or customized sound machines may be recommended. An audiologist or tinnitus specialist can best create a tinnitus treatment plan for your specific symptoms.

What results from not treating tinnitus?

Tinnitus has the potential to lower your quality of life, much like many other hearing-related disorders. Many tinnitus sufferers report that they struggle to think, sleep, focus, or simply appreciate silence. Tinnitus that is left untreated can further devastate your life by causing stress, sleeplessness, and even anxiety.

Experiencing signs of tinnitus? Visit an audiologist today!

Finding a tinnitus therapy that works for you might be made possible by making an appointment with an audiologist. The root cause of your tinnitus can be identified, and a variety of potential therapies and solutions can be suggested.

Oracle Hearing Center provides tinnitus evaluations in Lawrenceville, NJ. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with our audiologists!

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