Tinnitus and Hearing Health

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Amy Sarow

Amy Sarow, AuD, CCC-A

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Let's Talk About Hearing and Its Connection to Overall Health

As a result of the pandemic, we know that holistic health is vital for well being in everyday life. According to the World Health Organization, overall wellness is not merely the absence of disease but requires self care and maintenance. Let’s focus on how we can stay present and tend to our mental health and emotional, physical, and social well being. I’m glad you’re here. Let’s help one another live our best lives. 

An audiologist is a hearing healthcare professional who helps with communication disorders, such as hearing loss and tinnitus. If you have hearing loss, hearing technology is one way to help you stay connected and avoid social isolation. According to the Hearing Health Foundation, one in ten Americans suffers from hearing problems in at least one ear. If you are not directly affected, you likely have someone in your life who does. I aim to share good information to help us all live our best lives.

Hearing Test - Diagnostic Information to Help Your Next Steps

Are you having ringing in the ears or difficulty hearing? A hearing test is an important next step. A comprehensive hearing evaluation will determine whether you have normal hearing, mild hearing loss, moderate hearing loss, severe hearing loss, or profound hearing loss. Additionally, a hearing test will determine whether the hearing difficulty comes from the hearing nerve, inner ear, middle ear, or outer ear. The type and severity of your hearing loss will determine which options can provide the best support. For example, adults with mild to moderate sensorineural hearing loss can try OTC hearing devices or consider prescription-level care. However, if you have severe inner ear hearing loss, or affecting the auditory nerve, you’ll want to look for a local audiologist for prescription-level hearing technology.

If the hearing test shows you have conductive hearing loss, treatment options will be different than for sensorineural hearing loss. Conductive hearing loss comes from damage or blockage in the outer ear, ear drum, ear canal, or middle ear. Depending on the cause, medical management may be required to treat fluid in the middle ear or wax impaction in the ear canal. Other causes of conductive hearing loss may include otosclerosis, which may benefit from a surgical approach. Your audiologist can go over your hearing test results and make refer you to another specialist, such as an ENT, in this case.

Age related hearing loss affects 50% of older adults. Unlike conductive hearing loss (from the outer ear or middle ear), this type of hearing loss means that increasing volume will not always offer speech clarity. Sound is able to enter the ear canal, but once it reaches the inner ear, the words do not come through crisply. This means that listening in background noise can be especially challenging.

Have you noticed a sudden change in your hearing? Sudden sensorineural hearing loss needs immediate medical attention. For best outcome, you need to see a doctor within two weeks of the occurrence.

Intervention for Hearing Loss: What Options Are There?

Today we have many different types of intervention for hearing loss. Hearing devices come in a variety of styles and types, from traditional RIC devices to tiny, nearly invisible options. For those with a greater degree of permanent hearing loss (sensorineural), a cochlear implant is another option. A cochlear implant is designed to bypass damage that has occurred to the delicate inner ear structures.  Cochlear implants are not a quick fix, as they involve a surgery and a period of aural rehabilitation in order to learn how to hear with the device. However, this type of intervention can make a big impact for those who no longer benefit from a hearing aid.

Hearing Protection - Save Your Ears

Loud noise and loud music are two sources of noise pollution that can permanent hearing damage. To protect your hearing for years to come, you’ll want to be careful in those loud environments and limit your exposure or protect your ears. When sound waves travel to the inner ear, they can cause damage when the sound intensity, or loud noise, is too high. Prevent noise-induced hearing loss by wearing earplugs, reducing the volume, or limiting the amount of time you are exposed to loud sounds.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a symptom, not an illness. However, chronic tinnitus is often related to damage to the auditory system, for example from loud noises. Sometimes a condition, such as a middle ear infection, can create or worsen tinnitus. Treating the underlying condition can help. A thorough medical history can help determine the potential underlying causes of tinnitus.  

Tinnitus sounds different for everyone and may be in one or both ears. You may be hearing ringing, buzzing, whistling, chirping, or a humming sound. Another type is pulsatile tinnitus, which is often related to blood flow, head or neck trauma, neck surgery, or vascular etiologies. Consult with your physician if you experience pulsatile tinnitus. 

While there is currently no cure, there are management strategies that can help in treating tinnitus. Tinnitus retraining therapy is one method to help tinnitus. Sound therapy can help manage tinnitus symptoms as well. Exposure to loud sounds can worsen tinnitus for many. Avoid loud sound exposure or wear earplugs to avoid making tinnitus worse. 

The American Tinnitus Association, National Institute of Health, and other organizations are working to cure tinnitus. 

The Ear and Dizziness

The inner ear is responsible for your sense of hearing but also your balance. The balance portion of the inner ear consists of semicircular canals. Certain types of hearing loss, such as Meniere’s disease, involve not only hearing loss but also dizziness. Nerve related hearing loss can also result from a benign growth on the hearing nerve, called an acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma. This condition can also cause dizziness and imbalance. 

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Tinnitus and Hearing Health

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