Are you going crazy with that tinnitus in your ears? Discover whether your tinnitus is inherited or what the cause may be.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the name describing a person’s perception of a ringing, droning, or buzzing in the ear with no external stimulus present to explain this sensation. The direct translation of the term tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will tinnitus impact my day to day living?
Tinnitus can disrupt personal connections in many annoying ways. It isn’t a disease in and of itself, but it’s a symptom of other ailments or conditions in your life like hearing loss or damage. Your concentration can be seriously interrupted when you start to hear tinnitus in one or both ears.
Tinnitus is always disruptive regardless of how it’s manifesting. impact your sleep and even cause anxiety and depression.
What are the causes of tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be long lasting or it can come and go. Temporary types of tinnitus are typically brought on by extended exposure to loud sounds, such as a rock concert. There are a number of medical issues that tend to go hand-in-hand with tinnitus.
A few of the conditions that might play host to tinnitus include:
- Exposure to loud sound for sustained periods of time
- The ear bone has changed
- Inner ear infections
- Excessive earwax build-up
- Hearing impairment related to aging
- Depression or anxiety
- Bruxism, generally known as teeth grinding caused by temporomandibular joint issues, or TMJ disorder
- Head or neck traumas
- Meniere’s Disease
- Numerous medications
- Injuries that affect nerves of the ear
- A benign tumor, called acoustic neuroma, forms on cranial nerve
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the delicate hairs used to conduct sound, causing random transmissions of sound to your brain
Could I have inherited this ringing in my ears from my parents?
Tinnitus isn’t directly hereditary. But the symptoms can be influenced by your genetics. You can, for instance, inherit a tendency for your ear bone to change. These changes are caused by abnormal bone growth that can be handed down through family lines. A few of the other conditions that can result in ringing in the ear may be inherited from your parents, including:
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
- Specific diseases
- Being predisposed to depression or anxiety
You can’t directly inherit tinnitus, but there are disorders that become breeding grounds for tinnitus which you could have inherited.
If you have a history of tinnitus in your family, it’s really in your best interest to schedule an appointment with us so we can evaluate your hearing.