Tinnitus or tinnitus: symptoms, causes and treatment

Sight, smell, hearing... our senses have been designed by evolution as ways of knowing more and better everything that surrounds us.

However, complications can sometimes appear that cause some components of our senses to turn against us, causing us discomfort instead of informing us about what is happening to our around. The phenomenon known as tinnitus, or tinnitus, is an example of this.

What is tinnitus?

A tinnitus or tinnitus is an alteration of our perception that causes us to hear a beep or buzz (although it can be described in many alternative ways) that it is not produced by something that occurs outside of our body. This intrusive sound can be more or less constant or come in the form of waves or "beats", and can be felt in only one ear, in both ears or as if it came from inside the head.

Tinnitus may appear transiently after being subjected to a loud sound that has damaged cells of the auditory system, but in other cases it becomes chronic, occurring for several minutes at least twice a week. Tinnitus can have a very variable intensity and frequency of appearance, and in many cases cases become so intense that it makes it difficult to hear what is actually happening outside the organism. For this reason, it is not surprising that tinnitus, despite being just a symptom, favors the appearance of

anxiety disorders or depressive, in addition to reducing the capacity of concentration.

Types of tinnitus

There are two main types of tinnitus: objective and subjective.

Objective tinnitus

This kind of tinnitus can be heard not only by the person who experiences it, but also by specialists using the appropriate examination instruments. It is caused by vascular alterations or by muscle spasms that cause some parts of the inner ear to move abnormally.

Subjective tinnitus

It is the most common type of tinnitus and can only be heard by the person who experiences it first hand.. Although it is considered to be the most common form of tinnitus, its diagnosis is more complicated than in the case of objective tinnitus.

Causes of tinnitus

It is considered that subjective tinnitus can be caused by various conditions, many of which have to do with blocking the hair cells of the spiral organ of the cochlea, which are those that transform air vibrations into nerve signals that travel through neurons.

When these cells, similar to microscopic hairs, remain exerting an abnormal "contact", they send a pattern of electrical signals to the brain that are intrusive and do not vary with changes in the brain Exterior. In this way, the signal from the auditory system becomes constant and chronic. For this reason, the treatment of chronic tinnitus cases focuses on mitigating the indirect problems derived from the experimentation of this intrusive sound.

Symptom treatment through psychotherapy

The Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy it is one of the most common approaches to mitigating the damaging and disabling effects of chronic tinnitus. Through this form of therapy, patients are trained to learn to take advantage of the influence of certain actions and thoughts on the way in which tinnitus is experienced.

In this way, patients learn not to obsess over questions about the possible negative course of tinnitus, channel their attention away from the influence of this symptom, stop giving importance to unpleasant and baseless beliefs and they work their self-esteem. In case the sound of tinnitus has been associated with a negative idea, work is also done to undo that connection between ideas or beliefs.

The idea is to stop tinnitus from being a disabling stressor.

In the same way, psychologists can also help the person adopt habits so that intrusive sound does not become the center of their attention. Some of the options used are meditation and the use of ambient sounds that mask the constant tone or beats of tinnitus.

What to do if you experience tinnitus?

The first thing to do is go directly to the GP, which will arrange the necessary measures for hearing tests to be carried out and, if necessary, can help to initiate psychotherapeutic treatment with a specialist.

Throughout this period, if the tinnitus causes problems sleeping, the use of recorded ambient sounds (of rain or crackling from a bonfire, for example) can help mask intrusive sound and help you fall asleep.