There are some medical conditions that can be the cause of tinnitus symptoms, and if this is the case it’s crucial to seek medical attention. Tinnitus can sometimes be caused by bad blood circulation, which could be due to high or low blood pressure. If cholesterol builds up in the arteries it can cause atherosclerosis, which is another potential cause. Your levels of cholesterol must be lowered if this is the case. The symptoms of tinnitus can also be brought about by additional illnesses, like diabetes or thyroid problems. The only positive thing about these particular causes is that they can be treated, which means your tinnitus will be controlled or even totally eliminated. When there appears to be no simple cause it can be a lot harder to treat, but there are some medications that can reduce the symptoms.

Not everyone has tinnitus symptoms in both ears. There is a condition called “unilateral tinnitus” wherein the symptoms only affect one ear. You will find that this is more common in the left ear than the right ear. Unilateral tinnitus has the same causes as bilateral tinnitus. Ear wax buildup in one of your ears can easily cause tinnitus symptoms. Ear infections have been known to trigger tinnitus symptoms. As in the case of other conditions, such as yeast infection, the use of antibiotics to treat the ear infection could potentially make the tinnitus symptoms worse. Sometimes the side effects of certain prescription medications can include tinnitus symptoms. Read the documentation that comes with your prescriptions or have a chat with your pharmacist.

Pulsatile tinnitus is the name given to tinnitus when it has a beat that goes in time with the rhythm of your heartbeat or pulse. If you experience this type of tinnitus, you should visit your doctor, as it can have some serous causes, such as hypertension. Most of the time people will pulsatile tinnitus will need ultrasound done to discover the root of the problem. There are a wide range of causes for this type of tinnitus, ranging from tumors to ear infections. The good news regarding this type of tinnitus is that, since it’s usually rooted in an objective condition, the cause can usually be identified.

At times doctors may be a little bit stumped by the condition, even though the sufferer is very obvious to the symptoms. Ultimately, the only way to really approach the issue is to try and reduce the symptoms as much as possible, unless there is a specific disorder behind it. Hopefully people are more familiar with the symptoms of tinnitus now, so people won’t have to endure hearing strange sounds in their ears.

You may have heard that drinking a little alcohol reduces tinnitus symptoms in some people. Perhaps you were under the impression that drinking a little alcohol could worsen your tinnitus symptoms. Surprisingly, both those reports are correct.

A 1995 study at the Welsh Hearing Institute found that 22% of the participants reported increased tinnitus from drinking alcohol, while 16% reported reduced symptoms. The majority (62%) reported no change in their ringing ears from moderate drinking. So what should we make of these results?

Actually, this tells us a lot. First, it tells us that for most of us, moderate alcohol consumption is unlikely to affect our tinnitus one way or the other. But if it does, the effect could be good or bad. While I haven’t seen any definitive research into why the results came out this way, I can speculate based on what I know about tinnitus in general. The people who benefited from a little alcohol were probably the most stressed out people in the study. That’s because a small amount of alcohol can reduce your stress levels. And reduced stress can reduce tinnitus symptoms.

It is less clear why modest consumption of alcohol would increase tinnitus effects. But at least on possibility does present itself. It is the fact that alcohol actually acts as a stimulant for some people. Stimulants frequently increase tinnitus symptoms.

Heavy drinking, on the other hand, will almost surely increase tinnitus. The dehydration, headaches, and overall physiological damage caused by heavy drinking are almost guaranteed to worsen tinnitus.

Is Alcohol Good Or Bad For Your Tinnitus?

It isn’t that hard to find out whether alcohol affects your tinnitus and if so whether the effect is good or bad. But before we go into that, I have to be absolutely clear on this: In no way am I suggesting that you start drinking as a way to treat your tinnitus! The goal here is simply to help you find out whether or not the way you drink now in any way contributes to your hearing issues.

To find out how your current drinking patterns affect your tinnitus, you simply need to take some notes. For the next couple of weeks, pay attention to the level of your tinnitus before and after you drink, and record whether it increases or decreases.

This next step is a little harder, but can be very rewarding. Stop drinking for say 2-3 weeks. Completely. Over this period, make notes about the general level of your tinnitus to see whether it improves when you avoid alcohol. These two simple experiments should tell you all you need to know about how alcohol affects your tinnitus.

If you want to learn more about how what you put into your body affects your tinnitus, and about a holistic plan that addresses all the issues on the way to a tinnitus cure, click here.