Doctor, doctor: there’s a buzzing noise in my ear

About a third of us get annoying noises in our ears from time to time. But is it tinnitus?

Many people misunderstand tinnitus and think that if you have the condition you are destined to be trapped with unbearable noise in your ears for ever. That’s not the case.

One in three adults gets mild or transient tinnitus, which doesn’t affect their quality of life. In fact, almost everyone gets noise in their ears or head at times, especially if they have been listening to loud music or have had a cold. Experiments consistently show that if you place healthy people in a completely silent room, 80 per cent of them will perceive a buzzing, hissing or sizzling sound.

But what we call real tinnitus — the condition that interests audiologists and doctors — is a sensation of internal sound that affects sleep or concentration, or makes you feel agitated or irritable. It is noise that will not go away, and which cannot be blocked out. This type of tinnitus affects 5 per cent of the population — still a sizeable group.

If you have this problem it is important to seek a clinical opinion as soon as possible. There may be a simple physical cause, such as ear wax or fluid in the middle ear. If there isn’t — and the cause of most cases of tinnitus is still not fully understood — then there are still many approaches that will make the sensation easier to live with.

About 80 per cent of the people I see are helped to become “habituated” to tinnitus, so that the condition is less intrusive. Information, sound therapy (playing low-level environmental noise or using hearing aids), relaxation therapy and, for some, psychotherapy can help to reduce tinnitus awareness — just as people who live near a busy road or railway line end up not being troubled by the constant sound.

If you want to reduce your chances of getting tinnitus, protect your ears from loud noise: take care when doing DIY; try not to have your MP3 player turned up too high, especially in a car or train; and wear ear protection when you’re going to a club or gig. I advise people to take a ten-minute break from the music every hour in situations where the volume is high.

Dr David Baguley is Director of Audiology at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

British Tinnitus Association (tinnitus.org.uk; helpline 0800 0180527)

Dr David Baguley, The Times 24-10-2009

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