Why Your Ears Keep Ringing (And What You Can Do About It) [feedly]

Why Your Ears Keep Ringing (And What You Can Do About It)
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Some perceive it as a high-pitched, mosquito-like squeal; others, an incessant electrical buzzing. It can even sound like unintelligible voices or music. It's known as tinnitus, and it's a surprisingly common affliction, affecting some 50 million people in America alone. Here's why it happens, and how you can prevent it.

Tinnitus (Latin for "ringing") is a condition characterized by a perceived ringing, swishing, hissing, humming, roaring, beeping, sizzling, steady tones or tunes coming from one or both ears or from inside the head. It's surprisingly common, affecting 10 - 20 percent of Americans, only 1 - 2 percent severely enough that medical treatment is needed. Tinnitus is not a disease itself, but rather typically a symptom of an underlying condition.

These conditions can include ear infections, an obstruction of the ear canal (either wax or foreign objects like earwigs), age-related hearing loss, stress, nasal infections, abnormal growth of the ear bones, blood vessel disorders, a wide variety of neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis or Meniere's disease. None of which is particularly pleasant.

The most common cause, though, is prolonged exposure to excessive noice (above 70 dB; think vacuum cleaner and louder) without sufficient hearing protection. In fact, an estimated 90 percent of tinnitus sufferers also experience some degree of noise-induced hearing loss.

That's not to say the tinnitus causes hearing loss, or vice versa. It's just that the two often appear in concert because of how your ear is designed.