Just like a ringing bell used for a warning, continuous ringing in your ears is the signal to pay attention to your ears. Ringing in your ears, or tinnitus is the sensation of hearing ringing, hissing, whistling or other sounds. It is not a disease rather it is a symptom of an underlying condition such as ear infection or hearing loss which happens due to continuous exposure to the loud music or noise. About 90 per cent of people with tinnitus have some level of noise-induced hearing loss.

Tinnitus can be present in different ways in your ears, around 56 million people in India and 7 per cent of the world population is affected by the Tinnitus. Tinnitus is considered one of the major ailments in the upcoming years and demands for immediate treatment.

Causes: There are a variety of conditions and illness that can cause tinnitus:

• Exposure to loud music by earphones or hearing loss.
• Frequent air travel.
• The buildup or loss of wax in your ears or a benign tumor of a nerve can be the cause.
• Tinnitus is cited as a side effect of several antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, sedatives etc.
• Medical conditions such as sinusitis, irregular blood pressure, diabetes and others.
• Treatment: There are cures for Tinnitus, an increasing number of treatment options are available with the help of relief devices which can be used to regain your quality of life. A Tinnitus patient needs to go through several treatments as one treatment may not work, it starts with uncovering what may be causing it. Effective treatment includes the use of therapies and sound-generating devices.
• Sign up for Neuromodulation Therapy: With the use of latest technology called as Neuromodulation Therapeutic devices such as Tinnitusrelief, patients get instant relief as this innovative therapy takes up 20 minutes two to three times a day. Neuromodulation Therapy has a success rate of 90 to 95 per cent. Within a few days of treatment, patients can observe the improvement in headache, dizziness, hyperacusis, heaviness, etc. Sounds start to decrease and improve patient’s listening.
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A therapist with experience treating tinnitus patients uses a combination of cognitive-behavioural therapies to control your physical and mental symptoms.
• Masking: Masking therapy is as an effective treatment modality for tinnitus. Professionals offer masking devices to reduce tinnitus perception and produce residual inhibition.

All these mentioned medicated therapies and devices are given to patients according to their age and type of tinnitus they pose. Symptoms of tinnitus will go away with time if we take care of our diet, stress level, and noise exposure. Start protecting your hearing with the noisy world. Noise is the root cause of tinnitus and also it makes it worse.

The writer is Dr Soniya Gupta,Co-Founder (Audiologist and Speech Therapist)Drspectra, New Delhi