Dealing With Tinnitus: An Expert Offers Guidance

Whooshing, ringing, pulsing – hearing these noises could be a sign that you have tinnitus. With tinnitus, the noise isn't coming from an outside source. Instead, it's inside your head.

Bradley Kesser, MD, a UVA Health ear and hearing specialist, walks us through some of the frustrations of dealing with this condition and how to manage tinnitus.

A Common Hearing Condition

"Not a week goes by when I don’t see someone in my clinic complaining of a strange and constant phantom sound in one of their ears, or in both ears," says Kesser. "The noise is loud, distracting, and scary – and it doesn’t go away."

"As a neurotologist – that’s an ear specialist – I have seen approximately 2,500 tinnitus patients during my 20-year career," says Kesser. "That might sound like a lot, but it shouldn’t be a surprise; up to 15% of the U.S. population experiences tinnitus. That’s more than 50 million Americans."

Roughly 20 million of those have burdensome, chronic tinnitus. Another 2 million struggle with extreme and debilitating tinnitus. The condition seems to strike middle-aged people the most. But Kesser has seen younger patients and even teenagers with tinnitus."

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is usually described as a ringing sound in one or both ears. Ringing isn't the only sound you might hear. Other types of noises people describe include:

• Roaring
• Pulsing
• Blowing
• Rumbling
• Clicking
• Buzzing
• Hissing
• Combinations of these sounds

Hear a Pulse or Clicking? Seek Care

"People who hear their pulse in one or both ears – this is called pulsatile or pulse-synchronous tinnitus – should seek medical attention," notes Kesser.

"The cause of pulsatile tinnitus, often described as a whooshing sound coinciding with the pulse, may be due to an abnormality in one of the blood vessels near the ear. Often, these abnormalities are treatable and the pulsatile tinnitus can be reduced or even eliminated."