Are you going mad with that tinnitus in your ears? Discover whether your tinnitus is inherited or what the cause might be.
Tinnitus, what exactly is it?
A ringing, buzzing, or droning in the ears with no external cause of the noise is a condition called tinnitus. The direct translation of the word tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will my daily living be impacted by tinnitus?
Tinnitus can disrupt personal connections in several annoying ways. It’s usually a sign that you have damaged hearing or some root health condition and not a disease in and of itself. Your ability to stay focused can be significantly interrupted when you start to hear tinnitus in one or both ears.
Tinnitus is always disruptive regardless of how it’s manifesting. Sleep loss, anxiety, and even depression can also be triggered by tinnitus symptoms.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be constant or temporary. Short term types of tinnitus are normally triggered by prolonged exposure to loud noises, such as a rock concert. Tinnitus has been known to co-occur with a few different medical conditions.
A few of the circumstances that may play host to tinnitus include:
- Teeth grinding (bruxism) related to a TMJ disorder
- Sustained exposure to loud sound
- Acoustic neuroma where a benign tumor grows on the cranial nerve running from the brain to the inner ear
- Meniere’s Disease
- Several medications
- The ear bone has changed
- Depression or anxiety
- Hearing impairment related to aging
- Inner ear infections
- Injuries that affect nerves of the ear
- Accumulation of excessive earwax
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the delicate hairs used to transport sound, causing random transmissions of sound to your brain
- Head or neck injuries
Could I have inherited this tinnitus from my parents?
In general, tinnitus isn’t an inherited condition. However, your genetics can play a part in this symptom. For instance, ear bone changes that can result in tinnitus can be passed down. These changes are related to irregular bone growth that can be passed down through family lines. Here are a few other conditions you might have inherited that can trigger tinnitus:
- Predisposition to anxiety or depression
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
- Specific diseases
You can’t directly inherit tinnitus, but there are disorders that become breeding grounds for tinnitus which you might have inherited.
If you have a history of tinnitus in your family, it’s really in your best interest to make an appointment with us so we can assess your hearing.
