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.
My mum has Meniere's Disease and I think I have mild tinnitus; she says that meniere's isn't genetic but should I be worried?
I started getting a ringing in my left ear after a deep dive (30m) about a year ago and it hasn't gone away…....the docs all just shrug their shoulders. On did say it could be to do with biting too hard on my regulator but can't understand why it hasn;t gone away. I've been for an MRI scan and am awaiting results. It's pretty annoying as it keeps me awake most nights. Background music is good but I'd prefer it went away!
please help me im only 25 i have always been a very loud talker but my mum thinks this is because i have hearing problems, i have been getting ear infections and they come back regulary and it causes a really sharp pain that goes in to my jaw. it does not clear up for up to a weeek at a time but then will come back with in a month, it is making me feel really low and now i think i have hearing loss as i am quite loud, but always put it down to being bubbly, everyone says im loud its really getting me down.
Hi,I'm 13 and i have had Tinnitus for as long as I can remember and when I went to my doctor he said that this is the worse case he's ever seen from someone so young as i get it 24/7 and in both ears.It's really annoying and disturbing my sleep,which means I'm late for school so their getting on my mums case and things happened and it's all so confusing,and not only does it affect my life,but people around me too.I try my best to get on with my life but sometimes it gets louder+quieter,sometimes so loud it actually hurts my ears!
Is it normal for tinnitus to make you faint?
I'm 15 and worried about my hearing. I sometimes get headaches and VERY mild earache, and I think it's because I listen to my music too loud. I listen nearly everyday on my ipod because I love music, but I love it loud, I hate it turned down. My hearing suffers quite alot and i'm scared i'll go deaf, please help!
hi i am 27 yr old male i have it for last 4 years the best thing to do is learn not to hear it and try not get stressed out as it provokes its its is hard to live with but it can be done its funny but you learn no ignore it and get on with your life try listing to music at night if you cant sleep …
ive noticed that when watching tv or listening to music i get a high pitched ringing sound in just 1 of my ears, and i find it hard to hear in 1 ear
I'm almost 16,it's normally at night time when I notice this ringing the most. It's really quite annoying when your trying to sleep and it just won't go.I have had it for as long as i can remember and can remember getting particulaly frustrated at night when I was trying to sleep and all I could hear was this ringing, being a young child I wouldn't have known what to do about it. I have always wondered if it was connected with the fact that when I wake up in the morning and go to get up out of bed I always feel really dizzy and my vision goes completly for about 10 seconds, once again this ringing comes back whilst i have no vision. I do suffer from chronic earwax problems aswell. Does anybody know if all these things could be connected?
I suddenly had a high pitch ringing after an earache. I felt like a lot of pressure was in right my ear and my right ear became heavy. After I checked on the internet and saw that the tinnitus may be permanent, I went to the doctor and he gave me ear drops as I had an inflammation and said the tinnitus should go away after a week. After looking online again, I started crying because I'm still convinced that this continuous noise will last the rest of my life….
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