Ringing in Ears

Ringing in Ears Causes

There can be many causes that may lead to ringing in the ears –also known as tinnitus –spanning from old age to an ear injury, to problems with the circulatory system. For many people, how to stop ringing in their ears is by treatment of the underlying cause or treatments that reduce or mask the noise, making the constant ringing in the ears less noticeable.

It is worth noting that the ringing noise in ears is not a disease or illness, but is a symptom generated within a person’s own hearing (auditory) pathways.  It can occur at any age, happen out of the blue, and sometimes there is a clear trigger- such as exposure to loud sounds.

Of the  percentage of the population who experience constant high pitched ringing in the ears  a much smaller percentage are aware of or perturbed by it. This can be due to people becoming accustomed to the noise or just simply not bothered by the sound. Although most people experience it in both ears (known as bilateral tinnitus), sometimes they experience ringing in one ear only which is known as unilateral tinnitus. It is also possible that people may experience a headache and ringing ears together. This is known as a vestibular migraine. When experiencing ringing in the ears and dizziness together, this can could be due to Meniere’s disease which is an inner-ear condition that can cause vertigo, a specific type of dizziness in which you feel as though you’re spinning and one-sided ringing in the ears. If you are noticing ringing in both ears, or one ear, and other symptoms such as dizziness, it is important to speak with either your GP or an Audiologist to have this checked.