There are many tinnitus causes. Some are common and others are inevitable, as with hearing loss and the body’s natural aging process. Some are easily remedied. If tinnitus has become a constant and serious problem, you should have a thorough hearing and ear examination. Many health conditions can cause tinnitus to increase in severity. Sometimes, no causes of tinnitus is ever found. Below are some of the more common tinnitus causes.

Aging. Many people begin to lose their acute hearing as they age. This occurrence, the medical term being presbycusis, can result in tinnitus. Pesbycusis may start around age 60.

Sinus Infection/Colds. Infections of the sinuses or ears can produce temporary tinnitus. This would naturally clear up as the body heals.

Noise Exposure. Extended exposure to very loud noises can damage one’s inner ears. Heavy equipment, jack hammers, rock concerts, chain saws, airplane engines and other extremely loud sounds are one of the common tinnitus causes. Microscopic hair-like nerve endings in the inner ear can become damaged with the result being tinnitus. For this reason, one should wear protective gear when exposed to the loud noises for long periods of time.

Ear Blockage. Something as simple as an abundance of ear wax is a common cause of tinnitus. Ear wax is a natural and healthy coating but a buildup can impair hearing and produce ear ringing or tinnitus.

Bone Changes. A hereditary condition which causes the bones in the ear to harden and change can be one of the more common tinnitus causes. The medical term for this condition is ostoclerosis.

Medication. A high dosage of aspirin or antibiotics may cause tinnitus. A side effect of some prescription drugs can cause of tinnitus. Some cancer drugs have been known to cause this, and higher doses may increase the severity of tinnitus.

Meniere’s Syndrome. This is an inner ear condition which involves the ear fluids production, pressure and composition. It often results in hearing loss, dizziness, and tinnitus.

Health. A number of health conditions can cause or worsen tinnitus. In many cases, an exact cause is never found.
Injuries. Injuring the neck or head can cause neurological disorders that affect nerves that are involved in hearing. This would be a more prominent cause in the rarer cases of tinnitus in one ear only.

Atherosclerosis. Cholesterol can build up in your veins, arteries and blood vessels anywhere in your body. When it builds up in the inner, middle, or outer ear, the vessels become less flexible which can cause a stronger flow of blood to the area, with variations in the flow. This can be a cause of tinnitus.

High Blood Pressure. High blood pressure can cause more pressure in the inner ear and cause tinnitus. Diet and exercise, and taking your physician’s recommendations for lowering your blood pressure can reduce tinnitus.
Diet. Too much caffeine, sodium or alcohol can produce the same affects as high blood pressure, in increasing pressure in the inner ear, thus causing tinnitus. A lacking of some vitamins and minerals can be linked to increased tinnitus.

Stress and Depression. Occasionally, no physical reason can be pinpointed for tinnitus. Stress and depression have been linked to tinnitus. Stress reduction exercises can help eliminate stress and depression. This, in turn, has been shown to help with tinnitus.

The key point here is tinnitus has many causes. Some causes are in fact medical and require a medical solution. Some causes are self induced and can be cured with diet and other natural cures. It is important to educate yourself on each of the known causes and then consult a physician.

The constant ringing, buzzing, swooshing or other unique noises with no outside cause or source is what is referred to as tinnitus and more commonly called “ringing in the ear”. Although tinnitus does not cause hearing loss, many people with hearing loss do suffer from tinnitus.

Thus, tinnitus and hearing loss are very closely related. It is estimated that about 9 out of 10 sufferers of tinnitus also suffer from some hearing loss. A hearing test is a must to find the actual cause of the tinnitus and the extent, if any, of the hearing loss.

Tinnitus is a real condition, not just imagined, and can be quite disturbing and depressing to the sufferer.
Since tinnitus is often caused by damage to the microscopic nerve endings in the inner ear, it is no wonder that hearing loss often accompanies tinnitus. This same nerve damage inhibits the hearing apparatus of the ear from functioning properly.

Sufferers of both tinnitus and hearing loss, no matter how slight, should avoid being around loud noises such as airplane engines, heavy machinery, extremely loud music (rock concerts), or blaring IPods. If it is inevitable to be near such noises or if one’s occupation requires such, one must wear protective gear.

Tinnitus itself does not interfere with hearing. What it can do is interfere with ones attention level.

It also makes sense to say that tinnitus does appear to be more severe with hearing loss. There is now an absence of the outside noises which are no longer covering up the tinnitus.

In some cases, a hearing aid is the only solution to improving one’s hearing. Sometimes, the hearing aid will actually eliminate the tinnitus. In other situations, the tinnitus does continue or seem worse with the improved hearing, and the tinnitus sounding louder.

Tinnitus maskers are often tried if tinnitus persists for the hearing aid wearer. An audiologist can recommend a wearable masker for the sufferer of tinnitus which is often a combination of hearing aid and masker.

After evaluating the tinnitus by determining the frequency and loudness of one’s tinnitus and the amount of hearing loss, the specialist will know which masker is right for the patient.

The tinnitus masker is worn much like a hearing aid. Its job is not to amplify sound but to produce a steady sound that is more palatable to the person than the incessant noise one hears from his tinnitus. The brain will usually block out the sounds produced by the tinnitus and hear the more pleasant and natural sounds produced by the masker.

If you are a suffered of tinnitus and hearing loss, do see an ear and auditory specialist to determine the cause of your tinnitus and the extent (if any) of your hearing loss. Your tinnitus may not even be related to your hearing loss and can be resolved on it’s on.

If the tinnitus is both loud and persistent and hearing is also poor, the hearing aid may take care of both issues. If not, a combination hearing aid and masker can be prescribed.