New Year’s Resolution: Tackle Tinnitus

It’s frequent, annoying, and not a figment of your imagination. That buzzing, ringing, or humming in your or your loved one’s ear is real and doesn’t have to be a pain. Here’s the nudge you need to take on tinnitus in 2023.  

Start 2023 Off Right by Telling the Ringing to Take a Hike

Have you heard a bothersome buzzing, ringing, whooshing, or hissing that seems to hang around or come and go in your head or ears? You might have thought it was just your imagination. Or maybe it’s clear that it’s real, and you feel stuck with it. Millions of people around the world experience tinnitus — as a chronic issue, it might impact 8% to 25% of the global population — but only a fraction of those affected take action. And for some, the problem can be debilitating, interfering with everyday activities. If you’ve been putting off getting help, here are three reasons to seek relief in the new year.  

1. Tinnitus Can Be Successfully Managed

Tinnitus can be addressed in ways that lessen its impact on your life. Effective treatment, which often depends on the underlying cause, can range from earwax removal, hearing technology, or sound devices, to medication adjustments, lifestyle changes, or interventions such as tinnitus rehabilitation or cognitive behavioral therapy. Relief also could come in the form of habituation, in which the brain adapts to tinnitus such that symptoms don’t negatively affect your life. Sound therapy can be a big help in that approach. In some situations, surgery recommended to correct an underlying issue — an acoustic neuroma or benign tumor along a hearing nerve, for example — may help resolve tinnitus symptoms.  

2.  It May Point to a Serious Underlying Issue

Tinnitus is more of a symptom than a condition. It can have a number of causes, including:

• Earwax blockage
• Some medications, such as antibiotics
• Ear infections
• Head injury
• Dental problems
• Barotrauma
• Excess noise exposure
• Blood vessel disorders

It also can go hand in hand with problems such as hearing loss or stress. A comprehensive evaluation can help you understand any underlying issues, work with the provider on a treatment plan, and follow up with any potential referral to a specialist if needed to address a medical matter contributing to the tinnitus.  

3. You Deserve Good Health

In the bustle of life, it’s not uncommon to put health needs last. And though health-related goals often occupy one or more of the top spots in New Year’s resolutions, only 9% of resolvers follow through on their intentions. So how can you take that first step toward more control over the sounds you hear? Visualize what freedom from tinnitus symptoms looks like in your life — at home, work, and play — and use that motivation to take action now. You deserve good health.

You don’t have to live with unwanted noises in your head or ears. Make 2023 the year you triumph over tinnitus. Relief can come in many options, but it starts with a professional evaluation. So don’t wait. Contact our caring team for more information today!