Modern life is a fast-paced world that puts us up against many challenges. The stress caused by this velocity can wear you down if you don’t take time out of your day to effectively manage it. Stress can lead to unexpected obstacles, such as a poor night’s rest that can interfere with your ability to accomplish tasks at work. 

The Fallout of Stress

The human body receives a rush of energy or strength by releasing chemicals into the bloodstream in order to handle stress. This is a normal reaction from our bodies. It supports us through demanding moments, but excessive amounts of stress can deteriorate and weaken your body. Stress isn’t just emotionally tiring, it can lead to additional health problems by diminishing our immune system, cause anxiety attacks, diabetes, headaches, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal complications, migraines, and more.  
    
The Connection between Stress and Hearing Loss

The body’s response to stress leads to adrenaline being overproduced. This causes a restriction of blood flow to the ears, which is how it affects a person’s ability to hear. Delicate hair cells, or cilia, are found in the inner ear. They need constant blood flow in order to receive the proper amount of oxygen and nutrients. Each day when stress builds up, it may lead to a disruption of the blood flow to the rest of the body. Without steady circulation, these hair cells can become permanently damaged. Hearing loss can occur if an individual becomes overstressed to the point where blood no longer flows to the ears.   

Stress, Hypertension and Hearing Loss

Hypertension is high blood pressure that occurs alongside stress. There are serious consequences of these symptoms that can harm the health of your hearing. High blood pressure weakens blood vessels, which affects the rest of your body - including your ears. If there is damage to the blood vessels in your ears, your hearing can be impaired. Recurring episodes of stress that manifest in the form of hypertension normally cause hearing loss and tinnitus. Hearing loss symptoms that are caused by stress include feelings of fullness, blockage, pain or pressure in the ear(s). 

Tinnitus and Hearing Loss

Over the years studies have associated stress with tinnitus. It is both a cause and a symptom. Tinnitus is the perceived buzzing, hissing or ringing noise in your ears when there is no outside source of the sound. It is normally caused by excessive exposure to loud noises or even some medications. It can linger and then fade away, but it has a tendency to occur when a person is feeling stressed. A study found that 53% of patients who have tinnitus claimed that their symptoms began amid a stressful point of their lives, or became severe during a stressful period. It’s a continuous series of stress that induces tinnitus, which leads to more stress, and that stress leads to more episodes of tinnitus. 
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How You Can Relax  

If you experience hearing loss that was caused by stress, you first need to lower those levels of stress in order to thwart more damaging effects. 

Pause everything for a moment. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, rest your mind. You can stop for 20 minutes and simply close your eyes. 

Engage in regular exercises. Stress impacts your brain as well as your body. If your body feels great, your mind will too. Exercise and other physical activity create endorphins (chemicals in your brain that are essentially used as natural painkillers), and they improve sleep, which lowers stress levels. It only takes 20 minutes of exercise each day to increase your blood flow, which in turn will improve the health of your mind and body.    

Discuss ways to reduce stress with a friend or healthcare professional. Talking to someone who has experienced what you have, or has credible knowledge, can encourage you to get through it. 

Mediation. This can help your body and mind focus and relax. You can go out to a quiet place in nature, listen to calming music or a mediation podcast. 

Participate in your favorite activities. Take out time each day to do something that you enjoy. It can be as simple as listening to your favorite music or reading a book.  

If you, or a loved one, are experiencing hearing loss, and/or tinnitus, please contact us at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for a free consultation. We offer a variety of hearing aid solutions that can be customized for your particular needs. 

Please be aware that Pure Sound services will only be available by appointment and for essential visits at this time. Essential visits include all appointments that require new hearing aid fittings, repairs and re-fittings. If you need a hearing aid repair, we ask that you please wait in your car, while wearing your mask, and place your hearing aids in a clean zip lock bag.  One of our staff members will come to your car to get them. If you are having any issues with your hearing aids, or need supplies for your hearing aids, please call us before visiting one of our offices.  

Tinnitus is the perceived sound of buzzing, clicking, hissing, ringing, etc. with no outside source of the noise. Over 45 million Americans suffer from this condition, and 90 percent have some range of hearing loss. 

When it comes to tinnitus, sometimes the symptoms are tolerable and other days they are unbearable. The pitch and volume levels can change from day to day. It is not precisely known as to why the symptoms last long on some days, and don’t last long on other days. 

Common Causes of Tinnitus

A shift in a person’s hearing is a prevailing cause of tinnitus. The cause of these shifts may be:

• Aging
• Build up of earwax
• Changes in the bones of your ears
• Trauma from noise

Other Possible Causes of Hearing Loss:

• Atherosclerosis (A disease caused by plaque build up in your arteries, causing them to become hard and narrow.)
• Acoustic neuroma  
• Head trauma
• High blood pressure
• Issues with the carotid artery or jugular vein
• Meniere’s disease
• TMJ issues
• Tumor growing in the head or neck

In some cases there are no clear causes for tinnitus. The root cause can be treated, or it could be a sign of a serious condition related to high blood pressure or heart disease. Tinnitus may also be the side effect of a medication that you take.

Triggers for Tinnitus:

• Sometimes hearing a loud noise or repetitions of loud noises like concert music, fireworks, or a loud blast can provoke symptoms of tinnitus. The best recommendation to avoid experiencing tinnitus is to wear ear protection if you plan to be exposed to loud noises. You can enjoy listening to live music at a concert without harming your hearing by wearing earplugs.     

 

• You could also stand, or sit, as far away as you can from the sound source (speakers). When you go to see a fireworks display or live performance, don’t sit in the front row. When using hearing protection, also refrain from standing or sitting close to the sound source.        

 

• Powerful noises can come from your own home. Mowing the lawn, using power tools, wearing headphones with music played and dangerous volume levels, or standing by your washing machine while doing a load of laundry can cause noise-induced hearing loss.  Wear hearing protection when engaging in any of these tasks.  

 

• Intense sounds that you come in contact with while at work can also induce tinnitus. If you work with loud machines or in construction you should wear protection for your ears. Your employer should provide hearing protection, as long as you make them aware of your concerns. If you do work in a noisy environment, take a break once in a while and give your ears a rest from all of the sounds. 

 

• Shifts in air pressure can cause your ears to “pop”. Symptoms of tinnitus can worsen due to noises from the plane’s engine and from shifts in air pressure. It would be wise to bring a pair of ear plugs while you travel and some gum to chew in order to neutralize the air pressure.     

Medications that may Affect Your Hearing:

Some medications are classified as ototoxic. This means that they are toxic to the ears, particularly on the ear’s nerves. Common drugs are:

• Antibiotics
• Diuretics
• Over-the-counter pain relievers

If you notice symptoms of tinnitus contact us at Pure Sound Hearing Aids for a free hearing test and consultation. There is no cure for tinnitus, but treatment options are available to ease the symptoms.   

Researchers of tinnitus have been trying to find out why there are so many individuals who experience a ringing sensation in their ears with no surrounding causes, in addition to the methods of how to stop it. There have been new advances in genomics, cognitive psychology, and MRI technology.

Here are some of the latest facts, understandings, and developments:

Fundamental Facts About Tinnitus

• Those who suffer from tinnitus tend to hear a high-frequency ringing sound, in addition to their loss of hearing. When your ear has less sensitivity and transmits less information to the brain, it is believed that the brain tries to replace the missing sounds, which lead to people experiencing tinnitus.​

 

• "Tinnitus" is derived from the Latin word tinnītus, which means "a jingling" or "ringing". Not all who have tinnitus have described it as a ringing. There was a survey conducted on 5,000 people who have tinnitus, and the respondents characterized the noises as beeping, buzzing, cicada noises, clicking, hissing, humming, music, roaring, sizzling, singing, strumming, voices, whining, whistling, and whooshing.

 

• One third of adults who are over the age of 55 and live in North America have had tinnitus. Approximately 10-15 percent are bothered by it, to the point where they would get examined by a professional.

 

• About 12 percent of men and 14 percent of women are affected by tinnitus. This is the most common illness among elderly people. There are rare instances when young people are affected by tinnitus. The exception to this include those who are serving, or who have been in the armed forces and developed issues with their hearing due to being exposed to very powerful sounds. It has been reported that all soldiers who were in the vicinity of an explosion in Iraq and Afghanistan, have been affected by tinnitus.

 

• Besides noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), tinnitus may also simultaneously arise with anxiety, depression, ear infections, ear wax, heart disease, Ménière's  Disease, stress, head injuries and musculoskeletal issues in the head and neck.

 

• A very rare type of tinnitus can be heard through a stethoscope. This is known as pulsatile tinnitus. It is caused by the sounds of an individual's own pulse, muscle movements and blood flow. 

 

• If one of your parents or a relative suffered from tinnitus in both ears, there is a chance that you may have that problem too. Bilateral tinnitus has a tendency to be hereditary, particularly in men.

 

• Some who have tinnitus, may be able to alter how intense their tinnitus symptoms are simply by turning their head, shifting their eyes back and forth, clenching their jaw, etc.  

​​Research on MRIs

MRIs have been very helpful in researching tinnitus. New information, and suggestions show that there may be answers to how tinnitus is caused, and the possibility of treatment. 

• The brains of individuals who have tinnitus look different in MRI scans than those who do not have tinnitus. It's been discovered that the brain of those with tinnitus have significantly smaller subcallosal areas. This is one of the areas of the brain that is associated with the limbic system (the fight-or-flight part of your brain). Researchers have concluded that activity in the subcallosal part of the brain might aid in suppressing tinnitus, therefore weakened limbic areas might lead to chronic tinnitus. 

 

• Depression has bee associated with tinnitus. The amygdala, known as the emotional hub in the brain, has been shown to have a more distinct look in those who suffer from tinnitus. The amygdala were shown to be smaller and less active. Two other brain structures connected to emotions - the parahippocampus and the insula - were studied. They were fuller and much more alert in the brains of individuals who suffered from tinnitus.           

Patients who have tinnitus had the component of their brain that is identified with emotions restructured. It was discovered that these individuals process emotions differently than those who have normal hearing abilities.                   
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• Analysts on brain MRIs from the University of Illinois have discovered that the brains of patients with tinnitus experience a feeling of being on high alert when the condition acts out. These studies confirm that tinnitus is present in patients, and demonstrate how meditation and rest can be beneficial.

Methods to Treat Tinnitus
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• Routine treatments for depression, such as, better nutrition, exercise, speaking to a therapist and going through cognitive behavioral therapy, have been shown to diminish tinnitus symptoms in the majority of patients. Advanced treatments, such as magnetic therapy (this delivers magnetic pulses to the brain), have also been shown to lessen symptoms of tinnitus.

 

• Refrain from taking antidepressants, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which have actually been shown to make tinnitus symptoms worse. Serotonin tend to provoke the ear ringing.

 

• Relax and practice attentive meditation on a daily basis to lessen or alleviate tinnitus.

 

• There are no supplements, or FDA approved drugs that are known to relieve tinnitus.

 

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of counseling that encourages you to form new routines and practices that have been confirmed to be helpful for those who have tinnitus. 

 

• Sound therapy has been shown to alleviate or reduce tinnitus symptoms in some patients. Analysts from UC Irvine have successfully used a continuous, low-pitched, pulsing sound for tinnitus patients. It can only alleviate the symptoms as it is playing. When you turn it off, the ringing sound returns. There is a need for tailor-made stimulation. Instead of masking the noise, there is a balance in the stimulation.        ​

Our digital media assistant, Vi, is working on an article about tips to improve your sleep if you have tinnitus. 

Contact us at Pure Sound Hearing Aids, if you need hearing aids to help relieve your tinnitus symptoms.