Do you have ringing in your ears that’s driving you crazy? Learn whether your tinnitus is inherited or what the cause might be.
Tinnitus, what exactly is it?
Tinnitus is the term describing a person’s perception of a ringing, droning, or buzzing in the ear with no external stimulus present to explain this experience. The direct translation of the word tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will tinnitus affect my daily living?
Tinnitus can be frustrating and can disrupt intimate connections. It isn’t a disease in and of itself, but it’s a symptom of other conditions or conditions in your life like hearing loss or injury. You may hear tinnitus in one ear or both ears and it can impede your ability to concentrate.
Tinnitus is always disruptive regardless of how it’s manifesting. impact your sleep and even cause anxiety and depression.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be long lasting or it can come and go. Temporary varieties of tinnitus are usually caused by prolonged exposure to loud noises, such as a rock concert. Tinnitus has been known to manifest with a few different medical issues.
Here are a few conditions that typically go along with tinnitus:
- The ear bone has changed
- Inner ear infections
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the fragile hairs used to transport sound, causing arbitrary transmissions of sound to your brain
- Several medications
- Bruxism, more commonly referred to as teeth grinding stemming from temporomandibular joint problems, or TMJ disorder
- Trauma to the neck or head
- Excessive earwax build-up
- Acoustic neuroma where a benign tumor forms on the cranial nerve running from the inner ear to the brain
- Meniere’s Disease
- Injuries that affect nerves of the ear
- Exposure to loud sound for extended time periods
- Age-related hearing loss
- Anxiety or depression
Is it possible that my parents may have passed down the ringing in my ears?
Tinnitus isn’t directly hereditary. However, your genes can play a part in this symptom. For example, ear bone changes that can result in tinnitus can be inherited. These changes are caused by irregular bone growth that can be passed down through family lines. Some of the other conditions that can produce ringing in the ear may be passed down from your parents, including:
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
- Specific diseases
- Being predisposed to depression or anxiety
You can’t directly inherit tinnitus, but there are conditions that become breeding grounds for tinnitus which you could 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 evaluate your hearing.