What causes tinnitus

Ears are the tools we use to listen to the world and are very important organs of the body. In medicine, the ear is usually divided into three parts: inner, middle and outer parts, and is mainly composed of organs such as the cochlea and eardrum. However, it is not only the external world that makes our ears hear sounds. When our psychology is abnormal, we may also experience auditory hallucinations or tinnitus. So what causes tinnitus?

Causes of tinnitus

Cause of noise: People have a common experience that if they suddenly hear the sound of firecrackers, there will be a long echo in the ear, which will take half a day to subside. This is because the external noise temporarily damages the auditory nerve. Those who work in a noisy environment for a long time are victims of noise. Long-term noise stimulation often causes damage to the inner ear nerves. Noise-induced tinnitus is mainly manifested as a disorder of the spontaneous activity of auditory nerve fibers.

Causes of ototoxic drugs: Drugs that cause tinnitus are divided into two categories. One type of drugs only causes tinnitus without causing hearing loss. The reason is that this type of drug affects the metabolic process of biogenic amines related to neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, causing "convulsion" side effects of the auditory central neurons.

Causes of external ear and middle ear diseases: Foreign objects in the external ear (earwax) touching the eardrum can cause tinnitus; vascular malformations and lesions in the middle ear may also cause tinnitus. Most of this type of tinnitus can be cured through examination and treatment by an otolaryngologist.

Age reasons: The incidence of tinnitus in people over 60 years old is as high as 30%. The main reason is the degeneration of the auditory nervous system as people age.

Sclerosis: a disease in which the dense lamellar bone of the bony labyrinth is focally replaced by new spongy bone that is rich in cells and blood vessels (mainly treated by surgery)

Vascular malformation or blood rheology reasons: Due to such vascular or blood reasons, the blood flow to the skull and cochlea is irregular, or the vascular murmurs produced by abnormal blood vessels in the neck and cranial cavity are transmitted to the ears and cause tinnitus.

Causes of systemic diseases: such as anemia, hypertension, diabetes, hypothyroidism, hypoglycemia, autoimmune diseases and vasospastic diseases, etc. may be accompanied by tinnitus.

There is also tinnitus for which the cause is still unknown, accounting for about 40% of people with tinnitus.

The dangers of tinnitus

Affects sleep. Tinnitus is especially severe in the dead of night, making it difficult to fall asleep. Even if I fall asleep, it is very shallow. Some people complain that they may be woken up by tinnitus when they are not in deep sleep (tinnitus can wake the owner up just like external sounds). Because the tinnitus continues even after waking up in the middle of the night, it makes people irritable and unable to sleep.

Affect work. Because I can't hear clearly what others say, especially what leaders and teachers say, and I endure the tremendous pain brought by tinnitus, but I am often not understood by others, so my work efficiency decreases and I gradually lose interest in work and study.

Affects emotions. Long-term and severe tinnitus can cause people to experience emotional changes such as upset, worry, anxiety, and depression. Some people would rather lose their hearing than have tinnitus, which can reach an unbearable level.

Causes neurasthenia. Tinnitus is also clearly related to social environment and psychological factors. Tinnitus may also occur when a person is depressed or anxious. People with neurasthenia often experience tinnitus, which has an irregular pitch and is mostly bilateral, accompanied by symptoms such as headache, dizziness, insomnia, and nightmares.

Psychological pressure. Severe and persistent tinnitus often makes patients feel that something catastrophic is about to happen, causing them to feel extremely fearful and under great psychological pressure.

Precautions

1. Don’t eat too much spicy food. For example, scallions, onions, mustard, leeks, artemisia, garlic, etc. all have a dissipative effect. Long-term consumption can damage the liver and kidney essence and blood. When the external damp heat occurs, the heat will be excessive and the condition will be aggravated, which will intensify the tinnitus. Therefore, whether the tinnitus is caused by external or internal injuries, spicy foods should be avoided.

2. Do not eat too much fishy and smelly food, such as hairtail, yellow croaker, eel, black fish, mandarin fish, eel, white crab, shrimp, etc. These foods can promote dampness and heat, block the clear orifices, and cause tinnitus.

3. Do not eat too much high-fat foods such as fatty meat, fried foods, mutton soup, etc. Excessive intake often leads to increased blood lipids, which can lead to arteriosclerosis over time, thickening of blood vessel walls, narrowing of the lumen, and obstruction of blood circulation in the inner ear, further aggravating the condition.

4. Try to drink less alcohol. Alcohol can accelerate blood circulation and dilate blood vessels. In the case of lymphatic reflux obstruction, accelerated blood flow can aggravate the edema of the membranous labyrinth, making vertigo difficult to cure. In addition, drinking can speed up the heartbeat, cause congestion of the gastric mucosa, and aggravate vomiting, which is not conducive to the improvement of systemic symptoms.