Are you going crazy with that tinnitus in your ears? Find out what causes tinnitus and whether you may have inherited it.
Tinnitus, what exactly is it?
Tinnitus is the name referring to a person’s perception of a ringing, droning, or buzzing in the ear with no external stimulus present to explain this experience. The direct translation of the word tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will my day-to-day living be impacted by tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be aggravating and can interrupt intimate interactions. It’s not a disease in and of itself, but it’s a symptom of other conditions or conditions in your life like hearing loss or damage. Your concentration can be significantly interrupted when you start to hear tinnitus in one or both ears.
Regardless of how you’re experiencing tinnitus, it is always bothersome. influence your sleep and even cause anxiety and depression.
What are the causes of tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be enduring or it can come and go. Short term types of tinnitus are typically brought on by extended exposure to loud sounds, like a rock concert. Tinnitus has been documented to manifest with a few different medical issues.
A few of the circumstances that could play host to tinnitus include:
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the delicate hairs used to transport sound, causing arbitrary transmissions of sound to your brain
- Hearing impairment associated with aging
- Injuries to the neck or head
- Anxiety or depression
- Excessive earwax build-up
- Numerous medications
- Changes in the structure of the ear bone
- Extended exposure to loud sound
- Meniere’s Disease
- Bruxism, more commonly referred to as teeth grinding stemming from temporomandibular joint problems, or TMJ disorder
- Acoustic neuroma where a benign tumor forms on the cranial nerve going from the inner ear to the brain
- Injuries that impact nerves of the ear
- Infection of the inner ear
Could I have inherited this ringing in my ears from my parents?
Tinnitus isn’t directly inherited. But the symptoms can be influenced by your genes. For instance, ear bone changes that can lead to tinnitus can be passed down. These changes are caused by irregular bone growth that can be passed down through family lines. A few of the other conditions that can produce ringing in the ear may be passed down from your parents, including:
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
- Certain diseases
- Predisposition to anxiety or depression
You can’t directly inherit tinnitus, but there are conditions that become breeding grounds for tinnitus which you could have inherited.
If your family has a history of tinnitus, you should definitely come in for an assessment.
