What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the perception of noise in one ear, both ears or in the head. The noise comes from inside the body rather than an outside source.
Tinnitus is often worse at quiet times because there is less noise to distract from it. Pulsatile tinnitus is when the noise beats in time with a person’s pulse, and is usually caused by a specific condition like high blood pressure.
Tinnitus is a symptom rather than a condition in itself, and can be temporary or long-term.
How common is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a common condition. A 2007 study discovered that one in seven people in the UK have experienced tinnitus, although only one in 100 people suffer from long-term tinnitus.
What are the symptoms of Tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be different noises for different people, including low frequency noise like humming or murmuring, musical hallucinations, and pulsatile tinnitus.
If other people can also hear the noise, it is unlikely that tinnitus is the cause.
If you can only hear the noise when you are in one place, it may be coming from an external source, whereas if you can hear it all the time, you may have tinnitus. Stress or a recent illness may be related to your symptoms.
How is Tinnitus treated?
If tinnitus is caused by an underlying condition, this will be treated first. There is no specific cure for tinnitus, so treatment is aimed at managing the symptoms. This may include sound therapy, counselling, cognitive behavioural therapy, tinnitus retaining therapy, and self-help.
If you have not received treatment or advice, or suffered any symptoms in the past five years choose a moratorium product.