What Is The Cause Of Tinnitus?
The cause of tinnitus is based around the cochlea which is in the inner ear. There are tiny hairs lining the cochlea which are stimulated by sound waves. The sound waves cause the tiny hairs to move and discharge electricity through the hearing nerve. These electrical signals are then send to the brain which translates them into what we know as sound. Loud noises or trauma to the cochlea can cause tinnitus.
The hair cells can become damaged or destroyed and this can cause hearing loss (either partial or full hearing loss). It also causes tinnitus as the tiny hairs begin moving quite rapidly when they are irritated after being damaged by trauma or noise. The hairs are no longer able to function as they should and they send random signals to the brain. This in turn causes noise which is the cause of tinnitus. This noise of randomly leaked signals to the brain registers to us as ringing in the ear.
Damage to the sensitive hairs in the ear can be caused by old age, trauma, medications if used long term, ear wax, ear infection, high blood pressure, tumors and a variety of other reasons. As you can see, the cause of tinnitus can be wide and varied. Doctors often have to consider each possible cause and test for each one either by physical examination or by asking the patient if they have undergone and traumatic experiences that may be causing their tinnitus.
There is currently no cure for tinnitus, but there are relief treatments available including tinnitus maskers and tinnitus retraining therapy to name just a couple.
If you smoke or drink alcohol and suffer from tinnitus, it is best to eliminate these altogether as they are known to aggravate the condition. Some medications such as aspirin and antihistamines may also worsen the tinnitus conditions; therefore their use should be minimized.
The cause of tinnitus can not be generalized as there are a wide range of reasons why people suffer from this distressing condition.