Why Do I Hear White Noise? It May Be Tinnitus

You might have tinnitus if you hear a consistent sound in your ear or the occasional ringing or high-pitched sound. Tinnitus causes the people who have it to hear noises others don’t hear, but they are not imaginary.

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is noises that someone hears, not coming from the outside world or environment. Tinnitus can be characterized by either noise that comes and goes or constant noise. The type of noise you hear will change based on the type of tinnitus that you have. There are two types of tinnitus:

• Objective tinnitus: When the audiologist can also hear the noise, they can diagnose objective tinnitus. This is a rare form of tinnitus frequently brought on by problems with the blood vessels, muscular contractions or the middle ear bones.
• Subjective tinnitus: Only the tinnitus experiencer can hear the noise when it is subjective. The most typical kind is this. Issues with the inner, middle or outer may be to blame. Problems with the hearing nerves, or the area of your brain that converts nerve information into sound, can also result in this type of tinnitus.

What Are the Symptoms of Tinnitus?

The noises we hear are funneled from the outer ear, through the middle ear and into the inner ear. Within our ears, we have many tiny hair cells that carry the noise from the outside environment to the auditory pathways of our brains.

It is possible to experience hearing loss at any point in the sound travel journey. Tinnitus is the same; it can happen anywhere in the hearing process. When tinnitus is present in the middle ear, it could be Meniere’s disease or fluid in the ear.

Wax impaction can also cause tinnitus. Although earwax protects the ear, it can cause some issues when it becomes hard. It is also possible that tinnitus is caused by incorrect nerves firing in the brain or when the hair cells are damaged.

Tinnitus can be experienced in the following ways:

• Clicking
• Singing
• Ringing
• Roaring
• Buzzing
• Humming
• Hissing

The pitch and loudness of the noise can be experienced differently by everyone, and some people experience tinnitus loudly to the point it interferes with everyday life.

What Can Cause Tinnitus?

One of the most common reasons that tinnitus occurs is damage to the inner hair cells, but for many, the reason behind the tinnitus can’t be found. Medication, injuries, health conditions and ear problems can all be responsible for tinnitus.

Age-Related Hearing Loss

Hearing often declines with age, starting from around 60 years of age; it is called presbycusis. Tinnitus can be related to natural hearing loss due to aging.

Ear Bone Changes

Your hearing may be impacted, and you may develop tinnitus if the bones in your middle ear become rigid, resulting from otosclerosis. There is evidence that this abnormal bone development runs in families.

Earwax Blockages

A build-up of earwax that becomes hard becomes difficult to remove and may cause irritation that can lead to tinnitus. Don’t be tempted to try to remove this yourself; book an ear-cleaning appointment, so you do not damage your ears.

Are Hearing Loss and Tinnitus the Same?

Hearing loss and tinnitus are different, but tinnitus can interfere with your hearing. Tinnitus can be present infrequently or persistently and interrupt how external noises are heard. Tinnitus alone is not considered a disease but can be a symptom of issues within the auditory system. If you think you have tinnitus, the best thing to do is to start paying attention to your symptoms.

External Noises

When you hear these noises, ask if other people can hear them too. If no one else can hear the noise, this can be an indicator that you have tinnitus. The sound you hear may be ringing, hissing or buzzing. In some rarer cases, you may hear music being played where there is none.

Thumping

Some people with tinnitus report that they can feel thumping in their ears, which is repeatedly heard. This type of tinnitus is called pulsatile tinnitus and is less common than ringing and high-pitched squealing.

Hearing Changes

A change in your hearing can be a sign of tinnitus. If you have trouble singling out some noises, or the noises you hear affect your daily life, this can indicate that you have tinnitus.

If you suspect you have tinnitus, the most important thing that you can do is get in touch with your local audiologist. Call Baker Audiology & Hearing Aids at (605) 610-3466.