What causes ringing in the ears?

Tinnitus is a perception of sound that occurs without an external sound source. Individuals often report hearing sounds, including a buzzing or whooshing noise or a constant ringing in one or both ears.

There is no single identifiable cause for tinnitus symptoms; however, constant exposure to loud noises, age-related hearing loss and hearing loss of any degree is the most recognised contributing factors.

When hearing loss occurs, the brain is deprived of the external stimulation required to interpret noise. Consequently, the brain searches for sound internally, picking up on the subtle neural activity and interpreting these sounds as significant to fill in the missing gaps. Our brain is sensitive to the damaged inner ear. The brain perceives its new awareness of this neural activity as threatening and pays more attention to it. It can be a constant noise, or, like with pulsatile tinnitus; the sounds can be intermittent.

Hearing aids can reduce the impact of tinnitus. They do this by improving the brain’s ability to process sounds and reducing any stress caused by actively listening. Stress is a common contributing factor to tinnitus. Both emotional and physical stress can trigger tinnitus.

It is common for the ringing to be more intrusive in quiet environments. Many individuals experience some degree of sleep disturbance as well. Introducing external sound into your environment is a common strategy to alleviate tinnitus noise. By doing this, the individual will actively reduce the contrast between tinnitus and silence; therefore, symptoms become less noticeable.

We also recommended engaging in enjoyable and engaging activities, helping to reduce stress levels further.

Your appointment will begin with your audiologist working through your completed questionnaires and conducting a detailed case history. Your audiologist will examine your tinnitus symptoms’ impact on you, your significant others, and your lifestyle.

You will then be guided through a comprehensive hearing assessment to assess the function of your hearing pathway and identify gaps in your hearing and potential contributing factors of your tinnitus.

Once you complete the assessment, your audiologist will review the results. The discussion involves education and counselling on the mechanisms of your tinnitus, and you are provided with strategies to help reduce your level of ringing in the ears or other associated symptoms.

Lions hearing clinic takes a holistic approach to tinnitus management, which may include a referral to our partnered psychologists.

We want to stress the importance that whilst your symptoms may not be eliminated; habituation is a process that can and routinely does occur with appropriate management. Therefore, the impact on quality of life can be significantly reduced.

For many people, constant ringing in the ears or even ringing in one ear can be debilitating and significantly impact their quality of life, causing concentration difficulties, sleep disturbance, avoidance of quiet or loud noises and problems relaxing.

If you relate to any of the above, our dedicated audiologists would like to meet with you. They will develop a personalised management program specific to your circumstances, helping to reduce the harmful impact your symptoms have on your quality of life.

Our audiologists are trained to evaluate symptoms through a comprehensive audiological assessment and subjective measurement. They use an evidence-based approach to managing tinnitus.

Take the quiz to see if you need an appointment and determine whether you have common or pulsatile tinnitus. If you answer yes, we will contact you to understand how your symptoms affect you and then arrange an appointment with a specialist audiologist. If you answered no but are still suffering, we recommend you start your hearing journey with a hearing assessment at Lions Hearing Clinic to determine the best pathway for you.

Almost everyone has experienced some degree of tinnitus at one stage. To combat this, a study was conducted by Dr Jacob Johnson, finding that the Lyric reduces ringing in the ears faster and provides more significant relief than other hearing aids. In addition, he discovered that Lyric could drastically improve sleep quality in clients whose ears ring.

Lyric is purchased on an annual subscription basis, including replacement Lyric devices and access to the latest technology and services throughout the year.

Book a Lyric assessment today and take advantage of an obligation-free trial. The resulting fee for the trial is $300, with no obligation to purchase the device or proceed further. If you decide to proceed with a Lyric fitting, there will be an annual subscription fee, with the trial fee fully redeemable on your first subscription.

If your ears constantly ring, or you experience buzzing or wooshing sounds, the Lyric might be the solution you’ve been waiting for!