What you can do to cut the risks of noise-induced hearing loss?
Do you know that hearing aids stimulate your brain activity?
Laura has been wearing Phonak Naida hearing aids for about a month, and says she has noticed a big improvement in both her hearing and speech.
Tinnitus is the sensation of ringing or other noises in the head, which is generated inside the body rather than coming from outside. Tinnitus noises are described variously as ringing, whistling, buzzing and humming. The noise may be heard in one ear, both ears or in the middle of the head, or it might be difficult to pinpoint its exact location. This condition is more common in old people but it can occur at any age. It often gets worse at quiet times, such as when you are trying to sleep.
This happens when there is less background noise around to mask or to distract you from the tinnitus. Tinnitus may also be noticeable when you are stressed or tired. For most people, it is an irritation that they live with but for others, it can lead to difficulty in sleeping, poor concentration and depression.
The causes of tinnitus are as varied as those of hearing loss and the exact cause may not be evident in individual case, even after examination by a specialist. Tinnitus in older people is usually caused by natural hearing loss, which lessens the sensitivity of hearing nerves. In younger people, it is often caused by damage to hearing as a result of excessive noise. Tinnitus is not a disease or an illness, it is a symptom generated within a person’s own auditory pathway.
Treatment may be quite different in each case of tinnitus. In most cases, there is no cure and treatment is designed to help people manage tinnitus on a day-to-day basis. Some therapies focus on relaxation techniques. Others include cognitive therapies which counsel patients to cope with the emotional reaction to tinnitus and to improve quality of life.
Tinnitus Masker: Special hearing aids called “Tinnitus Masker” or “Noiser” made for tinnitus can be adjusted or specially programmed to divert attention away from the disturbing sounds in the ear. Tinnitus maskers generate a special sound that tends to drown noise in the ear and eventually helps the patient not to perceive it at all. For tinnitus sufferers who also have a hearing problem, devices for combined compensation of tinnitus and hearing loss are available.
