Tinnitus (TIN-ih-tus) is the perception of constant ringing or buzzing within the ears. It’s a fairly common complaint as the complaint affects about one in five people. While not a disease itself, it’s a symptom of another condition. Some possible causes may be age related hearing loss, an injury of the ear, or circulatory problems.
While it can become annoying, tinnitus isn’t usually a sign that something seriously wrong with you. And though it is known to worsen with age, it can improve with treatment. If the underlying cause can be identified and treated, it sometimes helps. Other treatments reduce or mask the noise, and in the case of using hypnosis, the brain is taught to ignore the sound, allowing the affected individual to avoid being distracted by the noise.
Common Symptoms
Tinnitus involves the irritating sensation of hearing sound when no associated external sound is present. Often the noise of tinnitus is ever present but most noticeable during quite times. The symptoms of tinnitus include the following descriptions of phantom noises that seem to come from within the ears:
Ringing, Buzzing, Roaring (ocean), Clicking, Electric ‘Zap’ and Hissing
Variations in pitch of the phantom noise are reported to be from a low roar to a high squeal. You may hear it in one or both ears. There are instances of the sound being so loud that it interferes with your ability to concentrate or hear actual sound. Tinnitus may be present all the time, or it may be intermittent.
Two Forms Of Phantom Noise
Subjective tinnitus is the kind that only you can hear. It’s the most common type of tinnitus. It can be caused by ear problems in your outer, middle or inner ear. It also can be caused by problems with the hearing (auditory) nerves or the part of your brain that interprets nerve signals as sound (auditory pathways). Subjective tinnitus responds well to hypnosis treatment.
Objective tinnitus is the kind that your doctor can hear when he or she does an examination. This is a rare type and possible causes include a blood vessel problem, a middle ear bone condition or muscle contractions.
How Effective Is Hypnosis?
If your tinnitus is bothering you, simple self-hypnosis techniques have been proven to bring relief. As a matter of fact, hypnosis has been used as an effective treatment for this ailment for decades. Today, prerecorded audio sessions are available for downloading so you can treat the problem yourself at home, on your own time.
When To See A Doctor
There are a few people who don’t respond to hypnosis therapy for tinnitus. If that is the case, you should see a doctor if your tinnitus is affecting your ability to perform tasks or if it’s affecting your quality of life. The Mayo Clinic Recommends that you should make an appointment to see your doctor if:
You develop tinnitus after an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold, and your tinnitus doesn’t improve within a week.
Also, see your doctor as soon as you can if:
• You have tinnitus that occurs suddenly or without an apparent cause.
• You have hearing loss or dizziness with the tinnitus.
For more information about the causes of Tinnitus read this article by The Mayo Clinic.
To find out more about using self-hypnosis to reduce phantom noise in your your ears, read about Hypnosis Downloads.
