Tinnitus — The constant ringing in your ears

Day 156 / 365

Have you ever noticed that when you are in a place that’s silent, you hear a high pitched sound or ringing in your ears? This condition is known as tinnitus, and about 15–20% of people will have it to some extent.

Tinnitus in itself is not a disease, it’s a symptom of an underlying condition. One of the leading causes is hearing damage. This is why lots of musicians suffer from it, as they are exposed to loud noises for a large amount of time.

I have had a minor case of tinnitus myself. It started back in high school, and I think the reason was that I used to listen to songs on my headphones at the loudest volume possible. Fortunately, I caught it early and it didn’t develop into anything serious, just a mild annoyance at times.

What helps with tinnitus sometimes is to drain it out with other noise. So at night even the sound of the fan would most of the time get rid of the ringing for me. People also use apps that produce white noise, or recordings or rain or wind sounds.

While most of the time tinnitus isn’t anything to worry about, most people who have it would wish they could get rid of it somehow. So if you are like the 80% that doesn’t have it, just take some care of your ears by reducing your exposures to loud noises.

This post is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — Zazen Meditation