Are you going mad with that tinnitus in your ears? Find out what causes tinnitus and whether you might have inherited it.
Tinnitus, what exactly is it?
Tinnitus is the name referring to a person’s perception of a ringing, droning, or buzzing in the ear with no external noises present to explain this sensation. The direct translation of the term tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will tinnitus affect my everyday living?
Tinnitus can disrupt personal connections in several frustrating ways. It’s not a disease in and of itself, but it’s a symptom of other ailments or conditions in your life like hearing loss or injury. You may hear tinnitus in one ear or both ears and it can impede your ability to concentrate.
Tinnitus is always troublesome regardless of how it’s manifesting. Sleep loss, anxiety, and even depression can also be triggered by tinnitus symptoms.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be constant or temporary. Lengthy exposure to loud sound, such as a rock concert, is normally the cause of temporary tinnitus. Tinnitus has been documented to co-occur with a few different medical conditions.
Here are a few situations that generally go along with tinnitus:
- Acoustic neuroma where a benign tumor forms on the cranial nerve going from the inner ear to the brain
- Changes in the composition of the ear bone
- Hearing impairment associated with aging
- Meniere’s Disease
- Excessive earwax build-up
- Head or neck traumas
- Bruxism, generally referred to as teeth grinding stemming from temporomandibular joint issues, or TMJ disorder
- Inner ear infections
- Injuries that affect nerves of the ear
- Various medications
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the fragile hairs used to transport sound, causing random transmissions of sound to your brain
- Exposure to loud sound for prolonged periods of time
- Anxiety or depression
Is it possible that my parents could have passed down the ringing in my ears?
In general, tinnitus isn’t an inherited condition. However, your genetics can play a role in this symptom. You can, as an example, inherit a tendency for your ear bone to change. Abnormal bone growth can cause these changes and can be handed down through family genes. Some of the other conditions that can result in ringing in the ear could be passed down from your parents, including:
- Being predisposed to depression or anxiety
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
- Specific diseases
The ringing in your ear is not directly inheritable, but you might have been genetically predisposed to the disorders that are breeding grounds for tinnitus.
If you have a history of tinnitus in your family, it’s really in your best interest to make an appointment with us so we can assess your hearing.