Tinnitus and Balance

Unfortunately deafened people sometimes have more than one problem. Dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus tend to go hand in hand with deafness.

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of buzzing, ringing or many other noises totally unrelated to any external noise that may be present. It is not always associated with hearing loss and can occur at any age, in one ear, both ears or generally in the head. Depending on the type and severity of the tinnitus, people may find difficulty in concentration or in getting to sleep and at times may understandably get rather irritable or tired of unwanted intrusive noises. That may be more so for people who are profoundly deaf because there is no other noise to distract their attention.

There is no easy answer to this problem but you should discuss it with your doctor or audiologist if it is causing you problems. Cochlear implants do sometimes give relief to tinnitus sufferers and some people obtain benefit from tinnitus maskers but self management techniques often bring most benefit. These involve mental approaches to help keep your attention away from the tinnitus and keep you relaxed. You will obviously not keep significant tinnitus out of mind all day long but it is worth the effort to try to keep your mind focused on something else because it can work for periods of time and the distraction will be very welcome. Some ENT departments run specialist tinnitus clinics and it may be worth asking for an appointment. Deafness Research UK and RNID have a more information on tinnitus. Contact details on Factsheet 1, Section a. For other information see Factsheet 7.

Balance

Since the body’s balance and hearing organs are close together, deafened people may also experience balance problems. The extent can vary from simply feeling light headed through to a significant risk of falling. Medication may sometimes be needed, specialist physiotherapy exercises are often beneficial but in many cases it will often become less of a problem over time as the brain senses and adapts to compensate for the changed circumstances.

Ménière's disease

Ménière's disease is a condition caused by an accumulation of fluid in the inner ear. This can cause hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo.

See Factsheet 1 , Section a, for contact details of the British Tinnitus Association, the RNID Tinnitus Helpline and the Ménière's Society. There are useful books listed in Factsheet 7.

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