Tinnitus

  

Tinnitus is an auditory phantom perception. It is a feeling of ringing, buzzing or humming in the ear/s or the head. Tinnitus may be subjective, meaning it might be heard only to the individual, or it can be objective, in which case it can be heard by others as well.

Sometimes it can be normal to hear tinnitus

In 1953, two scientists placed 80 university students with normal hearing & no tinnitus in a sound proof booth. After 5 minutes, they were asked if they heard any sounds while they were in the test room. The students assumed they were undergoing a hearing test, but in reality they were exposed to absolute silence for 5 minutes.

93% of them reported that they heard buzzing or pulsating sounds; very similar to those experienced by tinnitus sufferers. This simple experiment proves that almost everyone can detect the electrical activity in the hearing pathway. Different people perceive it differently. About 85% people who hear tinnitus don’t find it intrusive or anxiety provoking. 

Why is tinnitus so distressing ?

The brain is always scanning if a sound is of significance or not. Someone calling our name alerts us even if it is whispered. This is so because the brain has learnt to give more importance to the sound of one’s name. Such conditioned reflex has been noted to be stronger with negative experiences. The mere sound of a dental drill may cause anxiety while waiting at the dentist’s office, more so if one has had a previous painful dental procedure. Sound of screeching tyres often causes a sense of alarm in anticipation of an impending road traffic accident. .

Even weak patterns of certain sounds can be detected by the sub- conscious filters & evoke an emotional reaction. This has been shaped during evolution, when the ability to elicit strong emotional response in the face of danger was essential for human survival. Cavemen who could hear a crawling snake & ran away in fear had a better chance at survival than those who didn’t. Even today the limbic system is constantly scanning for sounds that may signify danger to enhance our chances of survival.

Tinnitus is one of the sounds that has the potential to elicit a strong emotional response. Prima facie this is because the brain considers tinnitus to be a threat, often because of various false notions surrounding it. Some may wrongly feel it to be sign of a permanent hearing loss, or that it indicates the possibility of a tumour in the brain. A lot of patients who visit our practice have been incorrectly led to believe that tinnitus cannot be cured, or it may continue to increase in volume.

At times these fears are enhanced by inconsiderate professional advise. The body reacts to tinnitus as it would to danger. There is an increase in heart rate, while all activities associated with pleasure are suppressed. For a few, the emotional cortex starts releasing stress hormones in response to even low levels of tinnitus which leads to feelings of anger, anxiety & frustration. Some tinnitus suffers develop a two way pathway, where in not only does tinnitus lead to an increase in negative emotions, but a bad mood for any reason whatsoever may in turn make tinnitus worse. This forms a vicious cycle which adds to the feeling of distress.