Tinnitus: Everything you need to know - Part 1. What is. What are the eeects of. Tinnitus?

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Allyson Austin
6 years ago
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whistling, rushing or other sounds in one or both ears. This noise can be continuous or intermittent and varies in loudness (and exasperation) depending on the patient.

1 Tinnitus: Everything you need to know Part 1 What is Tinnitus? Tinnitus isn t a disease it s more a typically preventable condition of the auditory system where the sufferer experiences the sensation and symptoms of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling, rushing or other sounds in one or both ears. This noise can be continuous or intermittent and varies in loudness (and exasperation) depending on the patient. What are the eeects of Tinnitus? Tinnitus is often caused by damage to the inner ear and/or to the part of the brain where sound is processed. This damage can trigger spurious neuronal activity which manifests itself as white noise and phantom sounds. Subjective Tinnitus (head or ear noises which are only perceivable to the patient) is the most common type of Tinnitus and accounts for over 99% of reported cases. This type of Tinnitus appears and disappears suddenly and can last between 3 and 12 months each time (although for many it never stops).

Around 90% of Tinnitus sufferers also have some degree of hearing

Longterm disruption of sleep Stress, anxiety, depression and even

tasks Difﬁculty in concentrating and other changes to cognitive

The most common causes of Tinnitus include: Exposure to loud

2 Around 90% of Tinnitus sufferers also have some degree of hearing loss and the effects can be debilitating and often include: Longterm disruption of sleep Stress, anxiety, depression and even suicidal thoughts Difﬁculty with employment and other simple life tasks Difﬁculty in concentrating and other changes to cognitive abilities How is it caused? The most common causes of Tinnitus include: Exposure to loud sounds Earwax buildup and infections Allergies Emotional stress Meniere s Disease Sideeffects to drugs/medications

3 Who suuers from Tinnitus? Men are more likely to suffer from Tinnitus than women as are adults over the age of 55 Approximately 10% of the UK and 20% of the US has some level of Tinnitus 1 in 200 sufferers are severely affected by it UK US If you suffer from Tinnitus then you are part of an exclusive club who s VIP members include: Chris Martin Debbie Harry Steve Martin Pete Townsend Ludwig van Beethoven Jeff Beck Gerard Butler Neil Young Ozzy Osbourne Eric Clapton Phil Collins William Shatner Noel Gallagher Anthony Kiedis Will.I.Am Whoopi Goldberg Trent Raznor Bob Dylan Sylvester Stallone Oscar Wilde Barbara Streisand

4 Tinnitus: Everything you need to know Part 2 What can relieve Tinnitus? Despite the many snakeoil salesmen who falsely claim otherwise; there is currently no scientificallyvalidated cure for most types of Tinnitus. There are however many treatment options, tools and methods which can dramatically relieve Tinnitus symptoms and enable sufferers to mitigate their condition and these include: Counselling, support groups and therapy such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT) Maskers like Soundscape by Aurio which can often counterbalance Tinnitus significantly Sound therapy and enrichment such as speciallydesigned sound generators which create neutral sounds and natural noises Hearing aids which can amplify ambient sounds so as to drown out Tinnitus Alternative therapies/approaches including diet, exercise and meditation Selfawareness and selfhelp techniques to avoid negative cycles and the more psychosomatic causes of Tinnitus these would include avoiding silence, listening to music, staying calm and positive, keeping busy, ensuring you find time to rest and relax, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, sticking to patterns etc. Ear irrigation by a medical professions and medication like eardrops

TURN DOWN THAT RACKET! Have you ever stood just three foot away from a friend and not been able to hear what they were saying? If so then that noise level would have been damaging your ears!

Tinnitus! Anything over 80 decibels (db) is getting dangerous, but just how loud is that?

quiet Eighth as loud as 70dB Quarter as loud as 70dB Half as loud as 70dB fairly quiet The arbitrary base of comparison Television, toilet flush Passenger in a modern car Food blender or garbage

5 TURN DOWN THAT RACKET! Have you ever stood just three foot away from a friend and not been able to hear what they were saying? If so then that noise level would have been damaging your ears! Spending just 30 minutes in a bar, club or concert that is loud enough for you to need to shout just to maintain a conversation has more than enough decibels to cause you acoustic trauma like Tinnitus! Anything over 80 decibels (db) is getting dangerous, but just how loud is that? Noise Source Decibels EEects Breathing, pin dropping Laying in bed Libary Talking at home Conversation at a restaurant Vacuuming or taking a shower 10dB 25dB 40dB 50dB 60dB 70dB Barely audible Very quiet Eighth as loud as 70dB Quarter as loud as 70dB Half as loud as 70dB fairly quiet The arbitrary base of comparison Television, toilet flush Passenger in a modern car Food blender or garbage disposal The average factory 75dB 77dB 80dB 80dB Mid 70 db s starting to get loud Upper 70 db s becoming annoyingly loud Twice as loud as 70dB Possible damage during sustained exposure Lawnmower, motorbike at 25ft Jet flyover at 1,000 feet, sporting event Steel mill, nightclub Live rock music, Formula 1 race Thunderclap, chainsaw, police siren Peak stadium crowd noise Gun firing Jet takeoff at 5 metres Rocket launch 90dB 100dB 110dB 114dB 120dB 130dB 138dB 150dB 180dB 4x louder than 70dB & likely damage possible 8x louder than 70dB & serious damage possible You re at the average human pain threshold 16x louder than 70dB Painful 32x as loud as 70dB Intolerably loud Dangerous noise levels without protection Eardrum rupture Possible brain damage or death

Prevention is always better than cure, so be sure to: Avoid all sounds over 80 decibels and steer well clear of sustained exposure to all types of loud noise Take regular timeouts when at any noisy

6 Prevention is always better than cure, so be sure to: Avoid all sounds over 80 decibels and steer well clear of sustained exposure to all types of loud noise Take regular timeouts when at any noisy environment, like a club or concert Don t stand by speakers and wear hearing protection like earplugs Turn down the volume on your TV and on your stereo Stay well rested and well hydrated Exercise, eat healthy, increase your daily intake of vitamins and avoid alcohol, caffeine, salt and food additives such as aspartame and monosodium glutamate Make yourself aware of Tinnitus causing sideeffects from any medications you are taking Experience how it feels to live with Tinnitus:

Soundscape by Aurio Soundscape by Aurio is designed for conditions such as Tinnitus and provides a peaceful spectrum of sound to an otherwise chaotic world.

7 Soundscape by Aurio Soundscape by Aurio is designed for conditions such as Tinnitus and provides a peaceful spectrum of sound to an otherwise chaotic world. It provides a toolbox to help you enjoy your existing music, create calming environments and enhance your daily routines all by using your devices inbuilt audio capabilities, including AirPlay and itunes. Aurio's free to download Soundscape app is your music but better with carefully balanced and soothing sounds that take your existing portable music library with you to listen on any device. The output is rebalanced to give you a more pleasant experience not just on headphones but through your speakers too. Get it now for ios on iphone and ipad via the App Store (coming soon for Android): Aurio 2017 BLOG

Tinnitus can be helped. Let us help you.

What a relief. Tinnitus can be helped. Let us help you. What is tinnitus? Around 250 million people worldwide suffer Tinnitus is the perception of sounds or noise within the ears with no external sound