Does a ringing, buzzing or whooshing sound in your ears make it hard to focus or relax? Those frustrating sounds that only you can hear – known as tinnitus – can affect everything from your sleep to your daily conversations, but you don’t have to let them control your life. The audiologists at Pioneer Hearing and Tinnitus help people find relief from these frustrating sounds every day, using proven methods tailored to each person’s unique experience.
We understand how tinnitus can impact your quality of life, making it difficult to enjoy quiet moments or concentrate on important tasks. Our team is here to help you discover ways to manage these sounds effectively, so you can get back to focusing on the things that matter most to you.
What is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the experience of hearing sounds when no external source is present – like ringing, buzzing, clicking or whooshing in your ears. These sounds can vary from person to person, ranging from subtle tones to more noticeable ones and they might come and go or remain steady throughout your day. For some people, tinnitus shows up as a high-pitched tone, while others might hear something that sounds more like ocean waves or humming. It can affect one or both ears, and the sounds might change in pitch or volume over time.
While pulsatile tinnitus sounds like a heartbeat or whooshing in rhythm with your pulse, non-pulsatile tinnitus includes the more common ringing or buzzing sounds that many people experience. Understanding how tinnitus is impacting your is the first step toward finding the right management approach for your specific situation.
What Causes Tinnitus?
Tinnitus can stem from a variety of sources, and it’s not always tied to loud noise exposure, though that’s a common cause. Sometimes, it’s linked to ear conditions, like earwax buildup or infections, that affect how sound is processed. Other times, stress, high blood pressure or certain medications can play a part in triggering the constant ringing. It can also develop alongside age-related hearing loss, as the ears become more sensitive to changes in sound perception.
What Treatments Are Available?
We offer several effective treatments to help you manage your tinnitus symptoms. Many of our patients find significant relief through modern hearing aids equipped with tinnitus-masking features that not only improve your hearing but can play soothing background sounds when you need them most. Sound machines provide another valuable option, creating peaceful ambient noise like rainfall or white noise that can make tinnitus less noticeable, especially during quiet moments or at bedtime.
For a more comprehensive approach, we recommend considering tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), which combines professional counseling with sound therapy to help your brain learn to tune out the unwanted noise. Using specialized devices that emit low-level sounds, along with our expert guidance, we’ll help reduce tinnitus’s impact on your daily life. We’ll work with you to find the right combination of treatments that best suits your specific needs and lifestyle.