Conditions
Tinnitus
Sufferers of tinnitus can hear noise within their ear or head that is not coming from an outside source. It can be quite common amongst sufferers of colds, but can also be caused by exposure to loud music. Up to 10% of the population suffer from tinnitus and it can range from nothing more than an annoyance to a much more serious condition that can cause problems when sleeping or concentrating. Old age is the most common cause of tinnitus, but it can occur in any age group, and can be self-inflicted by over-indulgence in thrash metal. The most common cause is damage to the hearing nerves that causes a random series of signals to be received by the brain, and interpreted as sound. It can also be caused by ear wax, anaemia, and in rare cases by more serious medical conditions such as tumours. There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are various coping mechanisms that you can discuss with your GP.
Comments
You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments are reviewed before they are published.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out the Channel 4 Health site or NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.
at the ages of 13-15 to say i was a bit of wild child is an understatement i was off the rails,in the duration of heavy drinkin and smoking of cannabis id blast loud music, i now have rather poor hearing more in my left than right and i keep hearing high pitched noises im only 18 and its very scary and anoyin sometimes as on a few ocasions ive gone to take a nap at my boyfriends and my 17week old daughter has aparently been screaming down stairs and other people who are upstairs and without offence a lot older than me can hear but i cant.please help is there anything to help the loss of hearing and noises i keep hearing
ivw had this ring for a long time but i only hear it when im in a quiet place
Hi im harrison im 13 yrs old and very bubbly , but the only problem is that my mum got diagnosed with loosing the upper level of hearing , and shes only 38, she has to wear hearin ades , and basically when shes in a room full of people talkin she cant concerntrate (listen/hear) a person who is trying to speak to her , but im worried that i may have it because i reallly struggle to concerntrate alot when people are talking and also struggle to hear a person trying to talk to me in a room full of talking people e.g a quiet restraunt
please help as im reallly worried …
Hi I am 29yrs old and since september 08 I have had what seems like fluid trapped behind my ear drum. I have been prescibed nose sprays and drops which dont help. It has got worse and now affecting my other ear. I cant hear properly and have to have tv & music louder, ask people to repeat what they said because to me it sounds mumbled. At night when im trying to sleep, all I hear is a loud pulsing noise or choo choo train chuffing away. Im worried if I dont get my hearing back soon I may lose it altogether :(
I had some ringing in my ear so I went to the doctors and was told I had an ear infection. the doctor perscribed some medicin for the infection. she said it would start to work within 2-3days i've been taking it for a day and still waiting for results. will the ringing go away with the infection?
Tinnitus can be linked to TMJ (Google this)the muscles connecting your jawbone and close to your ear.
This involves your jaw alignment and inflammation of these muscles can cause tinnitus. Speak to your dentist about this it may prove more useful than your doctor.
Avoid strain on your jaw, don't chew gum and see your dentist ASAP you may need a mouthguard if you are grinding your teeth in your sleep exacerbating the problem.
A word of warning your doctor will be very keen to give you anti-depressants if you keep coming back about Tinnitus, Its your choice if you want them but I would avoid. I tried them for about 2 weeks and was sick as a dog. I was also very self concious of the fact that I was on medication while I felt fine mentally.
To me the only thing making me depressed was the fact the doctor gave me antidepressants! I stopped taking them and focused on the dental route luckily for me this was more effective I still have it but its not as bad.
Also get a hearing test, when I found out that my hearing was unaffected it made me feel a lot better. Prior to the test I just wasn't sure, peace of mind is golden.
Finally exercise every day I took up running, if you tire yourself out you won't have to worry about getting to sleep at night, sorted!
Sometimes you will have bad nights dont beat yourself up about it and dont bottle it up talk to someone about it, there are a lot of blogs online about this strangely it seems very common in the US of A.
Thankyou,
My teenage daughter decided she was playing her music too loud on her earphones after watching your show and you only had to tell her once!!!
hi im 14 and i used to swim for a club, so i was always in the water. but ive stopped and now its been 2 years.i went on an aeroplane when i had an inner ear infection, i nearly passed outon the flight through the pain, in the same ear, reacently ive had trouble when im in load areas(school corridors) it sounds like im under water and is alittle painfull
My names james I'm 14 and I play drums
should I be wearing protection for this?
hi my name is phil i am 44 last year i got hit over my head with a metal bar and since them i have constant ringing in my ears is this normal after being hit over the head. could this start it off
Important Notice
The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.
If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here

