Conditions that affect your blood vessels — such as atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, or kinked or malformed blood vessels — can cause blood to move through your veins and arteries with more force. These blood flow changes can cause tinnitus or make tinnitus more noticeable.
Antibiotics, aspirin, or other drugs may also cause ear noises. Alcohol, caffeine, or smoking may worsen tinnitus if the person already has it. Sometimes, tinnitus is a sign of high blood pressure, an allergy, or anemia. In rare cases, tinnitus is a sign of a serious problem such as a tumor or aneurysm.
While it has no clear cure or cause, it affects millions of people in the world on some level and can be challenging to cope with. Thankfully, it's entirely possible to live a normal life even with tinnitus.
Many studies have reported that poor cognitive performance was associated with tinnitus. However, unlike hearing loss, which has been reported to be an independent risk factor for dementia, the link between tinnitus and cognitive impairment remains unclear [1].
Our findings showed that pre-existing tinnitus was associated with a 68% increased risk of developing early-onset dementia among young and middle-aged adults. The results call for greater awareness of tinnitus as a potential harbinger of future dementia in this population.
You should see your GP if you continually or regularly hear sounds such as buzzing, ringing or humming in your ears. They can examine your ears to see if the problem might be caused by a condition they could easily treat, such as an ear infection or earwax build-up.
What does the research say? Serum magnesium levels are lower in people with tinnitus than the general population[3]. Increased susceptibility to noise damage, ototoxicity and auditory hyperexcitability have also been linked to magnesium deficiency[4].
And, based on the research, a deficiency of vitamin B12, in particular, could increase your potential for developing tinnitus.
Low estradiol, for instance, may be responsible for confusion in the transmitting of sound signals from the ear to the brain, possibly resulting in tinnitus.
For some people, tinnitus may be temporary. A person may experience tinnitus as a symptom of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL occurs due to long-term exposure to a noisy environment. A person's NIHL symptoms can go away after leaving the noisy environment.
Vitamin B12 – Vitamin B12 can help alleviate your tinnitus symptoms that are a result of noise damage.
Tinnitus and loud noise
Loud noise will make tinnitus worse. To avoid further exposure to loud noise: wear ear protection such as earmuffs or earplugs for activities such as mowing the lawn, using a chainsaw or playing or listening to live music.
Certain fruits are found to be particularly helpful when it comes to relieving tinnitus, especially foods that are rich in potassium. These include bananas, pears, and tropical fruits such as pineapples, papayas, and mangoes. These foods help lower the blood pressure and encourage proper blood circulation to the ears.
Tinnitus is only rarely associated with a serious medical problem and is usually not severe enough to interfere with daily life. However, some people find that it affects their mood and their ability to sleep or concentrate. In severe cases, tinnitus can lead to anxiety or depression.
See an audiologist if it persists more than two weeks
Most temporary tinnitus cases will last for two weeks, so if your symptoms last longer than that and things aren't getting better, it makes sense to take action.
White noise machines.
These devices, which produce a sound similar to static, or environmental sounds such as falling rain or ocean waves, are often an effective treatment for tinnitus. You may want to try a white noise machine with pillow speakers to help you sleep.
Abstract. Background: Recent studies in noise-induced and idiopathic sensorineural hearing loss have suggested that magnesium supplementation may lessen both hearing loss and the severity of tinnitus in patients.
When we are stressed for long periods of time, we can become imbalanced or out of equilibrium causing our tinnitus to seem louder on some days more than others. Typical stressful situations might include life-changing events like a bereavement or losing a job.
And staying hydrated by drinking water will help reduce the impact of tinnitus. Keep a journal if you need to. On days when your tinnitus seems particularly loud, think back; what have you eaten or drank or done in the last 24-36 hours?
Thyroid and tinnitus may be linked, too. Tinnitus is an ear disorder that occurs as a whistling or buzzing sound, even without external noise. Thyroid disorders such as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroid, and Hashimoto's thyroid can cause tinnitus or increase its risk.
It's possible that your hearing may change, or you may develop tinnitus (ringing in the ears) as you approach menopause. Why? Drops in estrogen can trigger symptoms like hot flashes. Estrogen, a hormone, plays a role throughout the body—in your muscles and bones, heart and brain as well as reproductive system.