Is Tinnitus Incurable? How Can I Stop the Ringing!?

We are often asked, “Is tinnitus incurable? How can I stop the ringing?” It is challenging for many of us to understand why tinnitus occurs and why we have to live with the constant ringing sensations day in and day out.

It’s easy to get frustrated and tinnitus can make it difficult to sleep, concentrate on conversations, and interact with others.

So what can you do to cure the ringing in your ears?

El Dorado Hearing is here to explain why the ringing in your ears, also known as tinnitus, occurs and what can be done to prevent it.

Remember that tinnitus isn’t a condition but a symptom of an underlying condition often related to hearing loss or an ear injury. Follow along as we walk you through what causes tinnitus and if hearing aids can stop tinnitus symptoms from occurring.

What Causes Tinnitus?

Before exploring how to treat tinnitus, it’s important to understand its causes.

While every individual case is different, in most instances, tinnitus is a result of environmental factors or health conditions, including:

• Loud noises – Both short-term and long-term exposure to loud noises can damage the ear. As a result, the individual mainly experiences temporary ringing in their ears, and if the loud noises are recurring, they are more likely to experience permanent ringing in the ears.
• Age – As we age, our hearing often gets worse. This means that the older you get, the more likely you are to experience tinnitus.
• Excess earwax – If a person doesn’t properly clean earwax from their ear, the blockage can lead to an irritated eardrum which causes the ringing sensation.

Depending on the severity of the tinnitus, the patient may only notice the ringing noise when in quiet environments. They may also hear noises other than ringing, such as buzzing, whistling, or similar sounds.

How to Treat Tinnitus

There currently is no cure for tinnitus. However, treatment methods can be used to reduce or prevent the ringing sensation in the ears. The most common way to treat tinnitus is with hearing aids. Tinnitus often occurs due to the ear’s lack of sound, so to fix it, you need to introduce noise to the ear!

Hearing aids help amplify the sounds around you and minimize the chance of ringing in your ears. Although hearing aids won’t completely correct tinnitus, if tinnitus is caused by hearing loss, it will likely make an impactful difference for the person.

In most cases, patients will find the relief they need once they begin wearing hearing aids regularly.

However, an audiologist may also recommend the following treatments along with hearing aids:

• Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) – Tinnitus Retraining Therapy helps the patient learn greater control over their response to tinnitus.
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) – MBSR trains patients to use mindfulness to embrace and control the ringing in their ears.

If you aren’t sure which treatment plan would be the most effective for your tinnitus, schedule an appointment with an audiologist for assistance.

El Dorado Hearing is here to help

Take the first step to relief by scheduling a tinnitus evaluation with one of our skilled audiologists at El Dorado Hearing. If you or a family member is struggling with tinnitus, we can help you find a solution involving hearing aids to treat your hearing loss.

Our doctors of audiology specialize in evaluating, diagnosing, and treating tinnitus with great success. Contact us to schedule an appointment and reduce the ringing in your ears caused by tinnitus.