All articles tagged with #tinnitus
The piece highlights six subtle signs of age-related hearing loss—such as trouble following conversations in noisy settings and persistent tinnitus—and offers practical steps: get a professional hearing test, protect your ears from loud noise, consider hearing aids, and use strategies to stay engaged in social activities.
A study comparing acute and chronic tinnitus found brain networks shift over time—from heightened salience activity in early tinnitus to a more stable pattern in long-term cases—indicating neuroplastic adaptation and suggesting treatment approaches may need to be tailored to tinnitus duration.
New analyses link metabolic syndrome and its components—diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia—to higher risk of hearing loss and tinnitus. A 2023 meta-analysis reported an odds ratio of 4.22 for prevalent hearing loss with metabolic syndrome; diabetes duration and poor glycemic control, plus hypertension, also correlate with loss. Potential mechanisms include microvascular changes in the inner ear and ototoxic effects from several diabetes/vascular drugs, including loop diuretics and some statins; insulin analogues may play a role, though mechanisms vary. There’s no single explanation, and major glucose-control trials didn’t study hearing outcomes. Clinicians should screen for hearing regularly (every 1–2 years), discuss tinnitus, and coordinate with audiologists; earlier hearing aids can improve quality of life and reduce brain adaptation to degraded signals.
A German study of 28 listeners found The Hum is unlikely to be caused by external low-frequency noise sources. Most participants did not have exceptional low-frequency hearing, and otoacoustic emissions could not account for the sound. The leading explanation is low-frequency tinnitus or heightened sensitivity to low-frequency hearing in some individuals, with more research needed to fully understand how the auditory system processes low-frequency sound and infrasound.
A Washington Post Well+Being essay recounts Alison Hodgins’s experience with sudden unilateral hearing loss at age 32. She details Aug. 11, 2024 in Vancouver after a sauna, cold plunge, and sunset yoga, arguing that recognizing the condition as an emergency and seeking prompt treatment could have improved her outcome. The one-ear loss is permanent, and she now lives with tinnitus linked to a widely misdiagnosed condition.
A new study suggests the global “Hum” may often be a form of low-frequency tinnitus rather than an external sound, based on 28 volunteers. Tests showed typical low‑frequency hearing and normal otoacoustic emissions, indicating the noise is likely subjective and internal for at least some people. While not all cases are explained, reframing The Hum as tinnitus could steer toward existing and new coping strategies, though there is currently no cure for tinnitus.
The global hum is a persistent low-frequency noise reported by thousands since the 1970s, with notable cases from Bristol to Taos; the Worldwide Hum Project crowdsources reports but no single cause has been identified. Theories range from external sources like microseismic activity and pipelines to perceptual factors such as low-frequency tinnitus or atypical auditory processing. A 2026 NTNU study leans toward subjective tinnitus as a plausible explanation, though researchers believe multiple causes likely exist. For now, experts advise relaxation and reducing focus on the sound rather than seeking a definitive cure.
A woman with persistent ringing in her ears initially blames stress, but medical evaluation soon reveals a more serious underlying condition, highlighting the importance of seeking professional medical assessment rather than attributing new ear symptoms to stress.
The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) denounces a congressional proposal that could cut disability benefits for up to 1.5 million veterans and reduce future payments by as much as $57 billion over 10 years, notably by eliminating compensation for sleep apnea and tinnitus for new and reassessed claims. DAV says the cuts are budget-driven and rely on PAYGO rules, and urges Congress to protect earned benefits and pursue bipartisan solutions. The package also includes DAV priorities like the Major Richard Star Act, expanded survivor benefits, caregiver support, and prosthetic improvements; the bill text notes these provisions in Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (Section 108, page 59).
A new mouse study links serotonin to tinnitus by triggering a dedicated brain circuit that connects to the auditory system; increasing serotonin worsens tinnitus-like behaviors, while silencing that circuit reduces them, suggesting future treatments could separate mood benefits from tinnitus side effects caused by serotonin-boosting drugs like SSRIs.
New mouse research identifies a specific serotonin-driven circuit from the dorsal raphe nucleus to the auditory system that, when elevated, induces tinnitus-like behavior; turning off this circuit reduces symptoms, providing a potential path to precision drugs that keep antidepressant benefits without worsening tinnitus. The findings help explain why some people on SSRIs experience tinnitus and emphasize the need for clinicians to balance mood relief with ear-related side effects rather than stopping medication abruptly.
A mouse study shows serotonin signaling in a brain pathway to the auditory system can induce tinnitus-like effects, and silencing this circuit reduces those symptoms, suggesting serotonin-targeted treatments might be refined to avoid worsening tinnitus and guiding future human studies.
Oxford researchers propose a link between tinnitus and sleep, suggesting the large brain waves of deep non-REM sleep can suppress tinnitus-related activity; ferret studies show tinnitus and sleep disruption occur together and that sleep dampens hyperactivity, indicating sleep could be a therapeutic target to interrupt the cycle of phantom ringing.
Tinnitus is a brain-ear miscommunication often linked to hair-cell damage and age-related hearing loss. The article explains the causes, emphasizes prevention (protect ears from loud noise with proper earplugs), and describes treatments like hearing aids and Tinnitus Retraining Therapy to improve quality of life, noting there is no cure but management can help, and suggests getting a hearing test if you notice ringing.
Scientists have discovered a link between tinnitus and sleep, suggesting that the condition may impact sleep quality or be influenced by sleep patterns.