Tinnitus Treatment
Have you ever experienced an annoying ringing, buzzing, or whistling sound in your ears? This condition is known as tinnitus, and if left untreated, it can wreak havoc on your life. Tinnitus can make it impossible to focus on tasks, enjoy time with your family, or get a good night’s sleep. Schedule a tinnitus treatment appointment in one of our three convenient locations in Chester, IL, Godfrey, IL & Jerseyville, IL.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a ringing, hissing, roaring, or whooshing sound you hear in your ears. Since it is commonly a subjective condition, tinnitus can sound different to each person. It can be a constant irritation and source of stress (chronic), or it can come and go depending on your environment or stress levels (temporary). Tinnitus is most commonly heard in the absence of other sounds, especially when you’re in a quiet place.
Tinnitus may interfere with your productivity, focus, and emotions, making it difficult to get through the day, and causing sleeplessness and stress. Everyone experiences tinnitus differently, and only you can hear your tinnitus, since this sound is in your ears and not in the environment. It might be of some comfort, however, that you are not alone! Tinnitus is extremely common and affects over 50 million Americans. It often occurs in conjunction with hearing loss, and treating both hearing loss and tinnitus together is often your best defense against tinnitus.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be caused by several different factors. Most commonly, it is due to the damage of the delicate cells in your inner ear. This is the same damage that causes sensorineural hearing loss, which is why tinnitus and hearing loss usually appear together. Other causes of tinnitus include a build up of earwax, or an injury, illness, or infection that is damaging the ear canal or inner ear. Certain medications can also cause tinnitus. Swelling in the jaw joint, also known as TMJ, can be associated with tinnitus. Tinnitus can seem worse when you’re stressed. If you are constantly focused on your tinnitus, you may suffer from a feedback loop, where more stress makes your tinnitus stronger, which is turn stresses you even more.
Tinnitus Treatment Options
You have several options in Jerseyville, IL, Godfrey, IL & Chester, IL, depending on the cause. If it’s due to an infection or a buildup of earwax, removing the earwax or treating the infection can restore your hearing. If your tinnitus is due to TMJ, wearing a nightguard may help, or seeking orthodontic treatment for misalignment.
Is your tinnitus only bothersome at night? A white noise machine in your room could help you get the sleep you deserve. This works by masking the tinnitus sounds and causing them to fade into the background of the steady sound from the white noise.
If you have both hearing loss and tinnitus, treating your hearing loss could bring relief from the symptoms of tinnitus. When you help your ear hear more of the sounds in your environment, you’ll reduce your experience of tinnitus, and spend more time focusing on what you want to hear.
Is your tinnitus due to damage in the ear? Sadly, this kind of tinnitus can’t be cured. The cells in your inner ear can’t be restored, and you’ll experience hearing loss or tinnitus. However, there are a few great ways to bring relief to your tinnitus symptoms, and allow you to go about your day without stressing about tinnitus.
If your tinnitus is life altering, combined therapies such as medically prescribed pharmaceuticals to reduce stress, as well as professional behavioral modification strategies and therapies, can be beneficial.
Sound Therapy for Tinnitus
The most common tinnitus treatment is Sound Therapy. This treatment option relieves your symptoms by masking the tinnitus sounds, causing them to fade into the background and allowing you to easily focus on tasks and enjoy your day. It blocks the noise of tinnitus to bring relief by using white noise, pink noise, nature sounds, or even your favorite playlist to diminish tinnitus.
Hearing Aids with Tinnitus Treatment & Therapy Programs
Tinnitus treatment will help you focus on the things you want to accomplish, and reduce the emotional and social impact of tinnitus. Many of our top hearing aids include tinnitus therapy programs to help you overcome this ringing or buzzing sound, and enjoy your day without stressing about tinnitus.
At Professional Hearing Associates we’ll help you find the perfect tinnitus therapy program, and calibrate it to match your unique experience of tinnitus, providing effortless relief throughout your day. These tinnitus masking features will bring relief from the unwanted noise, and reduce your stress levels.
If you’ve been living with tinnitus and need to find relief, visit us for a consultation and discover what the tinnitus therapy programs in our top hearing aids can do for you.