Tinnitus Or Tinnitus: Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
Sight, smell, hearing… our senses have been designed by evolution as ways to know more and better everything that surrounds us.
However, sometimes complications can appear that cause some components of our senses to turn against us, causing us discomfort instead of informing us about what is happening around us. The phenomenon known as tinnitus, or tinnitus, is an example of this..
Tinnitus or tinnitus is an alteration in our perception that causes us to hear a ringing or buzzing sound. (although it can be described in many alternative ways) that it is not produced by something that occurs outside our body. This intrusive sound may be more or less constant or come in waves or “beats,” and may be heard in one ear, in both ears, or as if it were coming from inside the head.
Tinnitus can appear temporarily after being subjected to intense sound that has damaged cells in the auditory system, but in other cases it becomes chronic, occurring for several minutes at least twice a week. Tinnitus can have a very variable intensity and frequency of appearance, and in many cases they become so intense that it makes it difficult to hear what is really happening outside the body. For this reason, it is not strange that tinnitus, despite being just a symptom, favors the appearance of anxiety or depressive disorders, in addition to reducing the ability to concentrate.
There are two main types of tinnitus: objective and subjective.
Target tinnitus
This type of tinnitus can be heard not only by the person experiencing it, but also by specialists. use the appropriate examination instruments. It is caused by vascular alterations or muscle spasms that cause some parts of the inner ear to move abnormally.
Subjective tinnitus
It is the most common type of tinnitus and can only be heard by the person who experiences it firsthand. Although it is considered the most common form of tinnitus, its diagnosis is more complicated than in the case of objective tinnitus.
Causes of tinnitus
It is considered that subjective tinnitus can be caused by various alterations, many of which have to do with blocking the hair cells of the spiral organ of the cochleawhich are what transform air vibrations into nervous signals that travel through neurons.
When these cells, similar to microscopic hairs, remain in abnormal “contact,” they send a pattern of electrical signals in the direction of the brain that is intrusive and does not vary with the changes that occur outside. In this way, the signal coming from the auditory system becomes constant and chronic. For this reason, the treatment of cases of chronic tinnitus focuses on mitigating the indirect problems derived from experiencing this intrusive sound.
Symptom treatment through psychotherapy
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is one of the most common approaches to mitigating the harmful and disabling effects of chronic tinnitus. Through this form of therapy, patients are trained to learn to take advantage of the influence of certain actions and thoughts on the way tinnitus is experienced.
Thus, Patients learn not to obsess over questions about the possible negative evolution of tinnitusthey channel their attention away from the influence of this symptom, stop giving importance to unpleasant and unfounded beliefs and work on their self-esteem. If the tinnitus sound has been associated with a negative idea, work is also done to undo that connection between ideas or beliefs.
The idea is to stop tinnitus from being a stressor that disables the person.
In the same way, Psychologists can also help the person adopt habits so that the intrusive sound does not become the center of their attention.. Some of the options used are meditation and the use of ambient sounds that mask the constant tone or beats of tinnitus.
What to do if you experience tinnitus?
The first thing to do is go directly to the family doctorwho will arrange the necessary measures for hearing tests to be carried out and, if necessary, can help initiate psychotherapeutic treatment with a specialist.
Throughout this period, if tinnitus is causing problems sleeping, using recorded environmental sounds (of rain or crackling of a campfire, for example) can help mask the intrusive sound and help you fall asleep.
