Are you going mad with that tinnitus in your ears? Find out what causes tinnitus and whether you could have inherited it.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the term describing a person’s perception of a ringing, droning, or buzzing in the ear with no external noises present to explain this experience. The direct translation of the term tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will my everyday living be affected by tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be annoying and can interrupt intimate interactions. It’s usually an indication that you have damaged hearing or some root health condition and not a disease in and of itself. You may hear tinnitus in one ear or both ears and it can hinder your ability to focus.
Regardless of how you’re experiencing tinnitus, it is always bothersome. Sleep loss, anxiety, and even depression can also be triggered by tinnitus symptoms.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be persistent or temporary. Temporary varieties of tinnitus are usually caused by extended exposure to loud noises, such as a rock concert. There are a number of medical issues that tend to go hand-in-hand with tinnitus.
A few of the circumstances that may play host to tinnitus include:
- Injuries that affect nerves of the ear
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the sensitive hairs used to transport sound, causing random transmissions of sound to your brain
- Hearing loss associated with aging
- Meniere’s Disease
- Changes in the structure of the ear bone
- Anxiety or depression
- Numerous medications
- Infection of the inner ear
- Head or neck traumas
- Teeth grinding (bruxism) caused by a TMJ disorder
- Exposure to loud noise for prolonged periods of time
- Acoustic neuroma where a benign tumor forms on the cranial nerve going from the brain to the inner ear
- Accumulation of excessive earwax
Is it possible that my parents may have passed down the ringing in my ears?
Generally, tinnitus isn’t an inherited condition. However, your genes can play a part in this condition. You can, as an example, inherit a tendency for your ear bone to change. Irregular bone growth can cause these changes and can be passed down through family genes. A few of the other conditions that can result in ringing in the ear could be inherited from your parents, including:
- Certain diseases
- Being predisposed to depression or anxiety
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
The ringing in your ear isn’t directly inheritable, but you may have been genetically susceptible to the conditions that are breeding grounds for tinnitus.
If your family has a history of tinnitus, you should definitely come in for an assessment.