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Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the continuous perception of noise that isn’t there. This affliction is not a disease, but a symptom resulting from an underlying cause such as hearing loss, stress, anxiety or sinus problems.
Tinnitus affects the cochlea, the part of the ear that converts wave vibrations to electrical signals before sending them to the brain. The cochlea is a very important part of the system that allows us to hear. There are thousands of tiny hair cells in the cochlea that are stimulated by the pressure of sound waves. When a sound is detected in the inner ear the tiny cochlear hairs move. Then electrical signals are sent through the auditory nerve, which the brain interprets as sound.
These tiny hair cells and auditory nerves are extremely delicate and are easily damaged if you are exposed to a sudden loud noise or you have been exposed to loud noises over a long period of time. These sensitive organs can also be damaged as a result of a severe blow to the head. When the tiny hairs get bent, or even broken, they send electrical impulses randomly to the brain. These signals are interpreted as sound, even though there might be a complete absence of sound.
Some tinnitus is caused by damage to parts of the ear from loud noise or severe emotional or physical stress. Tinnitus can originate in any four sections of the ear; the outer ear, the middle ear, the inner ear and the brain. Infection or disease in the middle ear bones or tympanic membrane can also cause tinnitus. The most common cause is damage to the endings of the hearing nerve in the inner ear. Age goes along with a certain amount of nerve impairment, and thus tinnitus.
Nowadays loud noise exposure is an extremely common cause of tinnitus. Excessively loud noise like concerts, firearms and high intensity music like that from in-ear headphones, have a very harmful affect on the cochlear hairs causing them to bend and break. The vast majority of the western world will experience tinnitus temporarily or intermittently but the kinds of noises experienced by sufferers vary from person to person. Generally it is a buzzing or ringing sound. Tinnitus sufferers hear a noise that no one around them hears often causing confusion and distress.
There is no cure for tinnitus...yet.