Does Tinnitus Affect A Hearing Test?

If you have found yourself experiencing hearing loss lately then it may not be down to any of the most common factors. These can include age and listening to loud music in your lifetime. It may be down to an annoying ringing in your ears known as tinnitus. If you think you may have tinnitus, then it is essential you take a trip to your local hearing instrument specialist who can take a look inside your ears. If you want to find out more about how to deal with tinnitus and what you can do to help, take a look at the article below.

What Is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus can affect one or both of your ears and can sound like a constant or occasional ringing in your ears. This is the classic noise people experiencing tinnitus can hear. However, it is not solely ringing that tinnitus can sound like. It can be anything from hissing like a snake to buzzing like a bee.

Only you can hear this, so if you are asking other people around what that noise is and they can’t hear it then it may be time to make that appointment with your hearing instrument specialist (HIS). It may not always be the same pitch that you hear either, depending on your surroundings it can be high or low pitched. Tinnitus is more common in older adults and can affect around 20% of those experiencing hearing complications.

How It Can Impact Hearing Loss?

Tinnitus is not the sole cause of hearing loss, however, the two are linked and commonly experienced together. It is thought that up to a whopping 90% of people experiencing tinnitus also experience some level of hearing loss. Research has found that tinnitus is caused by damage to the inner ear and reduced nerve activity. The signals that reach the central nervous system then create a sound even though your ears are not picking anything up.

Tinnitus is commonly caused by damage to the tiny hairs inside the ears. These hairs help with the flow of sound, if they are damaged, so is your hearing. Constant loud noises are the most common cause of this, leading to hearing loss and tinnitus. Tinnitus is very rarely caused by age; it mainly happens due to overexposure to loud sounds.

Other Causes of Hearing Loss

If you enjoyed listening to music and going to concerts when you were young, then you may experience tinnitus and hearing loss due to the constant loud noises in your life. Similarly, if you worked in a loud, noisy environment, this is also true for you. It is always recommended to wear some form of ear protection such as earplugs or ear defenders if you know you are going to be somewhere loud.

Age is another factor that can cause you to experience hearing loss. Over time your ears get tired and may need some assistance to hear again. If your family have noticed you have the television volume up higher than usual or you seem to shout when you speak then it may be time for a hearing test.

What About Hearing Tests

Indeed, tinnitus can affect your hearing test and subsequently the results of this. It can make it harder for you to pick up the sounds and pitches that are used within the hearing test itself. However, don’t worry as the HIS conducting these hearing tests are used to having patients with tinnitus.

It is important that you inform you’re HIS that you are experiencing tinnitus before your hearing test. They may ask you some questions to ascertain how severe your tinnitus is, such as when you started experiencing these issues or if it gets worse in certain surroundings.

You can also prepare yourself and your ears for your hearing test the day and night before. Make sure you get a good level of sleep before your test and reduce your intake of alcohol and nicotine. The most important thing you can do that will help with the hearing test is relax, if you are stressed then your tinnitus can worsen.

Treatment for Tinnitus

There is no cure for tinnitus, however, symptoms can be managed far better through the use of hearing instruments such as hearing aids. Speak to your hearing instrument specialist who can give you some advice on how to treat your tinnitus.

We hope this helps you understand tinnitus a little bit better. If you need more help and information, or an appointment to discuss your symptoms don’t hesitate to call Armand’s Hearing Center. Our friendly staff will always be happy to help you, you can give us a call at Bradenton: (941) 357-2054 or Sun City: (813) 990-0335.