What Causes Ringing In The Ears – Get To Know The 4 Main Causes

What causes ringing in the ears? This is one of the most frequently asked questions by tinnitus sufferers. Knowing the condition's causes is important because its treatment is primarily dependent on its cause. The condition is often associated with age-related hearing loss, although there are other causes. These include the long-term use of ototoxic medications, ear infections, head and neck injuries, thyroid disorder, and vitamin B12 deficiency.

Although there are several causes, what causes ringing in the ears can be narrowed down to four main causes. Let us get to know each:

1. Repeated exposure to loud noise

Exposing our ears to loud noise may damage the tiny hairs inside our cochlea. These tiny hairs move when stimulated by the pressure of sound waves, and then electrical impulses are discharged through the auditory nerve. The brain interprets these electrical impulses as sound. However, when the tiny hairs are bent or broken because of repeated exposure to loud noise, they send electrical impulses randomly through the brain. The brain interprets these impulses as sound, even though there is no external source.

Nowadays, the most common reason for cochlea damage is listening to iPods and MP3 players at a high volume. This means that in the coming years, most of the sufferers of tinnitus may come from the younger generations.

2. Stress or trauma

Stress is another cause of tinnitus, and it is known to aggravate the condition. The reason for this is that when the hypothalamus is subjected to long periods of stress, shock or grief, the essential chemicals needed by the body to function normally are not produced. As you know, the hypothalamus controls many systems in the body, which are responsible for producing these essential chemicals. So when the hypothalamus is severely affected by stress, so are the systems that it controls.

3. Sinusitis or Allergy

Most of the people who have sinusitis and allergy experience tinnitus because of the kind of drugs that they take. Prolonged spells of taking antibiotics and antihistamines, the drugs used to treat sinusitis and allergy, causes the mucous in the middle ear to thicken. The pressure in the middle ear builds up, and this can make a person hear a clucking or cracking sound, high pitched ringing sound, or gurgling whirring sound which are all associated with tinnitus.

4. Meniere's Disease

Tinnitus can also be the result of Meniere's Disease. The disease is an inner ear disorder, and often leads a person to go through periods of vertigo, dizziness, nausea, ear pressure, and ear ringing. Hearing fluctuation and loud tinnitus noises may precede a Meniere's Disease attack.

Now that you have an idea what causes ringing in the ears, you can look into your own experiences, together with your health care provider, determine why you have tinnitus, and have the right treatment.