Tinnitus

This year, my Anatomy and Physiology class has really taught me to appreciate the human body. The complexity and detail of the body is quite intriguing. The ears are perhaps the most intricate design of the body, and therefore it is no surprise that they are quite delicate. For a final project in this class, we were to present on an ear complication known as Tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a continuous noise within the ears that has been described in many ways; ringing, whining, buzzing, hissing, humming, whistling, clicking, or even beeping. Sometimes, it can be experienced temporarily when an individual is alone in a very quiet room. There are many causes of Tinnitus. Hearing loss due to aging, medications that are damaging to auditory tissues, ear infections, and wax build-up are a few contributing factors. The most common cause, however, is exposure to loud noises.

Teenagers are the most at risk for Tinnitus, because of the ways teens usually listen to music. For example, the average rock concert outputs volume between 110 and 120 decibels. Continuous exposure to only 85 decibels can be damaging to the auditory hair cells of the inner ear. Many organizations are attempting to promote the use of hearing protection in order to reduce the incidences of tinnitus. Hearing protection devices, such as ear plugs and ear muffs, can reduce sounds by nearly 30 decibels!

The use of personal music players, such as iPods, is also concerning. The ear bud headphones direct the sounds further into your ears, making it more damaging. Remember this when adjusting the listening volume. A general rule for safe headphone use is; music should not be loud enough to block external noise and should not so loud that it can be heard by others. As harmless as music use appears to be, we must always acknowledge the potential damaging effects it can have on our ears.

This picture is a humourous depiction of Tinnitus.

Source: http://www.vitakorea.com/wmk/mall.php?cat=001009002&query=view&no=252