Coping Mechanisms For Tinnitus, That Constant Ringing In Your Ears

By: Cari Nierenberg, Live Science Contributor Published: 07/25/2016 10:53 AM EDT on LiveScience About one in 10 American adults has a persistent ringing or roaring in the ears or head, a condition called chronic tinnitus, a new study suggests. The study also found that the rates of tinnitus are higher among Americans who are regularly exposed to noisy environments, either at work or during their free time. The findings were published today (July 21) in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. The analysis showed that approximately 10 percent of people in the U.S. ages 18 and older had experienced ringing or the sensation of noise — such as roaring, buzzing, beating, whooshing or whistling — in their ears or head in the past 12 months. But the study’s estimated prevalence of tinnitus may be on the low side because “other similar studies have reported even higher rates of tinnitus,” said lead author Dr. Harrison Lin, an ear, nose and throat specialist at the University of California, Irvine. Those studies have found that 8 to 25.3 percent of people in the U.S. have tinnitus. [5 Surprising Facts About Pain] An episode of tinnitus can not only be annoying but also wreak havoc on a person’s quality of life by interfering with thought processing, emotions, hearing, sleep and concentration, the researchers said. To estimate the number of people affected by tinnitus, the researchers analyzed data collected as part of the 2007 I...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news