What is Acute Tinnitus?

Hearing problems come in all shapes and sizes, each of which can be equally damaging to our quality of life. The moment your ears start playing up, you might find yourself unable to hear your boss, or accidentally ignoring your best friends. 

While such issues tend to fall under the umbrella term of hearing loss, our ear health and its deterioration can be as varied as health anywhere else in the body. Far from just losing hearing over time many patients find that they experience sudden or gradual acute tinnitus. 

This issue could be temporary, or it could be ongoing and incredibly distracting in even basic daily tasks. What’s more, it’s typically treatable, or at least manageable with the help of the right audiologist. Before you can get to the bottom of things, though, you’ll want to delve a little deeper into what acute tinnitus is, and what you can do if you fall foul.

What is acute tinnitus?

The term tinnitus refers to a range of noises that come from inside the ear rather than external sources. While we traditionally relate this condition with a continual ringing sound, tinnitus can become apparent through various noises, including whistling, crackling or humming. Across America alone, an astounding 44 million people experience this at some stage. 

Acute tinnitus occurs when this has been going on for as many as three months. While the issue has yet to become chronic at this stage, acute tinnitus needs addressing to make sure that this usually short-term condition doesn’t lead to long-term issues. Audiologists also often warn that tinnitus is a sign of other underlying problems, so an acute case most definitely requires action.

What causes acute tinnitus?

Experts struggle to put their finger on specific tinnitus causes because, honestly, this condition can happen for all manner of reasons. As such, an audiologist should treat acute tinnitus on a case-by-case basis. Some, but not all cases of acute tinnitus are caused by: 

• Exposure to loud noise
• Existing or imminent hearing loss
• Excess earwax
• Ear infections
• Perforated eardrums
• Conditions including otosclerosis and Meniere’s Disease
• Reaction to medications
• Aging

Treatments for acute tinnitus

Luckily, audiologists have now developed a wide range of cutting-edge treatments that can either eliminate or reduce cases of acute tinnitus before they reach a chronic stage. The moment you contact a professional, they’ll book an initial consultation with you during which they should gain a rounded idea of your ear health and hearing as it stands. They’ll do this through a combination of physical inspection, medical history, and your answers to the questions they ask during the appointment. 

On the back of the knowledge they glean at this stage, your audiologist will work with you to develop the best possible tailor-made treatment package moving forward. Most often, suggested treatment plans here will include standard options such as –

Earwax removal

Excess earwax production or impaction can cause acute tinnitus in itself, so removal of excess earwax can be all it takes to overcome the issue. An audiologist will either syringe your ears using hot water or prescribe ear drops to loosen and ultimately clear blockages and tinnitus alike.

Tinnitus retraining therapy

Especially effective in stress-induced cases, tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) involves learning to cope with tinnitus on both a conscious and subconscious level, thus reducing symptoms or eliminating them altogether. During treatment, a range of therapeutic steps will be taken to divert or distract attention from tinnitus, ultimately allowing for complete habituation over the sound.

Hearing aids with masking features

If tinnitus is a result of hearing loss, audiologists may use hearing aids with tinnitus-specific masking features. These will play tones over the top of tinnitus to cover the noises with the eventual goal of helping users to ignore or overcome tinnitus symptoms. All while addressing that root hearing loss!

Sound machines

Sound machines can also be used to mask tinnitus sounds and help patients train their minds away from the issue. These can be used either in the home or as part of a broader retraining effort alongside professionals.

Kick tinnitus to the curb with Rocky Mountain Hearing & Balance

The Rocky Mountain Hearing & Balance team has extensive experience helping individuals overcome cases of acute and even chronic tinnitus. If inner-ear noises are stopping you from sleeping or settling the way you would like, then don’t hesitate to contact our team at (801) 685-3456 today. We guarantee that we have the treatments you need for a tinnitus-free life in no time!