‘Like leaving a loud nightclub’: How to manage tinnitus

Eight years ago, Sharon Westin was under enormous strain at work when she came down with a nasty chest infection. It was during this time that she began to notice a ringing in her ears; she likened the constant buzz to how it feels after leaving a loud nightclub. A week later, when the ringing hadn’t subsided, she saw her GP, who told her she had tinnitus.

After a visit to an ear, nose and throat specialist confirmed the diagnosis, Westin struggled to come to terms with her new condition. Tinnitus is defined as “any sound heard internally, which is not present externally”, says audiologist Myriam Westcott. Around 15-20 per cent of people constantly experience it. “A higher proportion will be aware of tinnitus that’s intermittent,” she adds.

Westin, now 46, has continued to experience tinnitus in the form of a “shh” sound. “I have it 24/7,” she says. “And on top of that, I get odd high-pitched sounds.” She also sometimes feels a “little off balance” and struggles to hear in crowded environments. Occasionally, it only affects one ear, but usually it’s both. The symptoms are more intense when she’s under stress.

So why do people experience tinnitus? Westcott explains that it’s a neurological phenomenon that most commonly occurs as a result of hearing loss. If you develop tinnitus, she advises seeing an audiologist and having a hearing assessment.

Most people who have tinnitus as a result of hearing loss have no idea their hearing is impaired. Westcott says that’s because hearing loss is “notoriously insidious and difficult to self-diagnose”. She says a significant proportion of her patients are unaware of their hearing impairment until they seek help for their tinnitus.

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She adds there is no treatment for tinnitus, but there are strategies that can help manage it. An understanding of it can be hugely beneficial.

Rather than viewing it as something horrible you have to endure, Westcott says it’s helpful to realise that it’s “a naturally occurring phenomenon”.

She explains that in very silent circumstances – such as when you’re in a soundproof booth having a hearing assessment – “everyone will hear something”. This is because the brain has an innate tendency to try to “fill in” silence. Our bodies also have “a natural internal sound”. However, people with tinnitus experience a ramped-up version of those sounds on an everyday basis, and that can be distressing. It’s therefore essential to rule out any potential medical causes for tinnitus, such as hearing loss.