Are you experiencing ringing in your ears that’s driving you crazy? Discover whether your tinnitus is inherited or what the cause might be.
Tinnitus, what exactly is it?
A ringing, buzzing, or droning in the ears with no outside cause of the sound is a condition called tinnitus. The direct translation of the word tinnitus is”ringing like a bell”.”
How will tinnitus impact my everyday living?
Tinnitus can disrupt personal connections in numerous aggravating ways. It isn’t a disease in and of itself, but it’s a symptom of other conditions or circumstances in your life including hearing loss or injury. Your ability to stay focused can be significantly disrupted when you begin to hear tinnitus in one or both ears.
Regardless of the way in which you’re experiencing tinnitus, it’s always bothersome. impact your sleep and even cause anxiety and depression.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus can be long lasting or it can come and go. Short term types of tinnitus are typically triggered by extended exposure to loud sounds, such as a rock concert. Tinnitus has been documented to manifest with several different medical conditions.
Here are several situations that generally go along with tinnitus:
- Injuries that affect nerves of the ear
- Anxiety or depression
- Several medications
- Inner ear cell damage and irritation of the delicate hairs used to conduct sound, causing random transmissions of sound to your brain
- Teeth grinding (bruxism) triggered by a TMJ disorder
- Meniere’s Disease
- A benign tumor, called acoustic neuroma, forms on cranial nerve
- Injuries to the neck or head
- Inner ear infections
- Buildup of excessive earwax
- Changes in the composition of the ear bone
- Hearing loss related to aging
- Extended exposure to loud sound
Is it possible that my parents may have passed down the ringing in my ears?
Generally, tinnitus isn’t a hereditary condition. However, your genes can play a role in this condition. You can, as an example, inherit a tendency for your ear bone to change. These changes are caused by irregular bone growth that can be passed down through family lines. Here are a few other conditions you might have inherited that can trigger tinnitus:
- Specific diseases
- Being prone to inner ear infections or wax build-up
- Predisposition to anxiety or depression
You can’t directly inherit tinnitus, but there are disorders that become breeding grounds for tinnitus which you may have inherited.
If your family has a history of tinnitus, you should certainly come in for an assessment.
