Your senses – including your auditory system – rely on a network of nerves that receive information and send electrical signals that your brain can interpret within nanoseconds. This process is incredibly complex and if even a few of these nerves become damaged, they can mis-fire, sending wrong signals or none at all.
How do nerve cells and the auditory system intersect?
For some people with neuropathy, which is defined as disease or dysfunction of one or more peripheral nerves often times resulting in pain, numbness or weakness; severe tinnitus can be a result of one of these potential mis-fired signals. Although tinnitus related symptoms cannot necessarily be expected if chronic neuropathic pain is present, damages to the auditory system are possible, leading to tinnitus sound development.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is defined as the perception of sound when there is no external source generating this perceived sound. You may hear a phantom sound like a buzzing, chirping, clicking, or ringing in one or both ears. Most people experience this phenomenon at least once in their lifetime, but for about 20% of the population, persistent, bothersome tinnitus impacts their day to day life. For tinnitus patients with severe symptoms, the constant sound can impact their ability to sleep, concentrate, or socialize, and can even lead to anxiety and depression.
Causes Of Tinnitus
The key to managing bothersome tinnitus is understanding the root cause. Tinnitus patients typically fall within one of several camps, depending on the tinnitus sound they experience, the condition that can trigger tinnitus, and even nervous system health. Tinnitus can be caused by:
- Hearing loss. As many as 90% of tinnitus patients also experience some degree of hearing loss.
- Loud noise exposure. The inner ear hair cells are very fragile and can be damaged by exposure to loud or high-pitched sounds. With consistent exposure, chronic tinnitus can result
- Injury. Head injuries ranging from concussions to traumatic brain injuries can cause changes in your brain’s ability to interpret sound, leading to both neuropathic pain and chronic tinnitus.
- Neuropathy. One reason people experience tinnitus is because their auditory nerve is affected in some way. Nerves can signal pain, but tinnitus on its own isn’t painful. Tinnitus can be related to other conditions that do cause pain, however, like neuropathic pain or neuropathy.
- Other causes like earwax blockages, certain medications, migraines, and allergies can also trigger tinnitus. Chronic pain linked to neuropathy can also be linked to ringing ears, and effective treatments will depend on which of the issues above are at the root of tinnitus.
"Treble Health helped me reduce my tinnitus by about 80%, and now I can live my life again!"
"Treble Health helped me reduce my tinnitus by about 80%, and now I can live my life again!"
– Steve D.
Book a free consultation to learn which Treble Health solution is right for you. Join Steve and thousands more who have found lasting tinnitus relief.
What Is Neuropathy?
Neuropathy is a general medical term that refers to nerve damage, which can have a wide-reaching impact on your health and well-being.
Your brain receives and interprets signals from billions of nerves that branch throughout the entire body. These nerves pick up on external stimuli – touch, sight, smell, taste, and hearing – and send an electrical impulse to the brain. Almost immediately, your brain interprets this stimulus and without even thinking about it, you experience your surroundings. Nerve damage, or neuropathy, impacts your brain’s ability to correctly interpret sensory signals.
Every nerve has a specific function, but they can be bundled into three main classifications:
- Sensory nerves that detect temperature, pain, vibration, or touches to your skin.
- Motor nerves that control your muscle movement
- Autonomic nerves that control your unconscious bodily functions like blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, bladder function, and more.
Types Of Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy is the result of damage to the nerves located outside the brain and spinal cord. This condition can cause physical weakness, numbness and pain, especially in the hands and feet. Other bodily functions like digestion and circulation may also be affected. This is perhaps most frequently seen in patients with diabetes, and as we know, diabetes increases a person’s risk for hearing loss and tinnitus, especially when left untreated.
Neuropathy that impacts the brain and spinal cord is called central neuropathy. This is generally caused by a stroke, brain tumor, or serious injury to the nervous system.
What Causes Neuropathy?
Nerve damage can have many different causes. Some of the most common sources of nerve damage include the following:
- Autoimmune diseases. Diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis attack your own body’s tissues, including nerves. Evidence suggests that Meniere’s Disease is an autoimmune disorder. Meniere’s disease affects the inner ear and vestibulocochlear nerve function, resulting in hearing loss, balance dysfunction and tinnitus.
- Bacterial infections. There are quite a few bacterial or viral infections that are known to cause nerve damage.
- Tumors, both cancerous and noncancerous. Tumors can put pressure on nerves and ultimately damage them. Acoustic Neuroma/ Vestibular Schwannoma are a type of non-cancerous tumor which can grow around the hearing and balance nerve and result in damage to the hearing and balance function in the individual.
- Injuries that damage or sever nerves. Severe injuries can lead to neuropathy.
- Alcohol abuse, exposure to heavy metals, and vitamin deficiency. Although unrelated to one another, each of these can ultimately contribute to nerve damage.
- Certain medications (especially those used to treat cancer). Although many of these medications contribute to general health and wellness, they can contribute to nerve damage as well.
- Diabetes. Diabetes is the most common cause of neuropathy. Over time, blood sugar levels damage tiny blood vessels throughout your body, which in turn damages nerves.
Symptoms Of Neuropathy
Your perception of neuropathic pain depends on the nerve or nerves that are affected. Symptoms may lessen or even go away over time, but in some cases, the damage is permanent. The most noticeable symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are:
- Numbness, prickling, or tingling, most often in hands or feet. You may notice these sensations in other parts of your body, as well.
- Sharp pains or a burning sensation without an obvious external cause.
- Pain during activities that shouldn’t cause pain, like the sensation of clothing touching the skin or other light touches.
- Dulled sensation, like you’re wearing gloves or socks when you’re not.
- Problems with coordination. Gross motor skills like walking, standing, or grasping objects may be more difficult if your nerves are misinterpreting stimuli.
If neuropathy impacts nerves that are related to your hearing ability, it can lead to hearing loss and perceived tinnitus.
What Is Auditory Neuropathy?
As mentioned, your hearing ability relies on a vast network of nerves that pick up and interpret stimuli. If the nerve cells in your auditory system are damaged and your hearing ability is impacted, you may experience a rare condition called auditory neuropathy (also called neural or nerve deafness).
Auditory neuropathy falls under the category of hearing loss, but it is more complicated than that. Since there are many different ways people can perceive this type of nerve damage, it is generally described as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.
Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder is caused by disruption of the nerve impulses that travel from the inner ear to the brain. Normally, inner hair cells translate sound vibrations into electrical signals and nerve impulses that signal the brain to interpret sound. With auditory neuropathy, the auditory nerve is able to detect sound, but is unable to correctly transmit the signal to your brain for interpretation.
Symptoms Of Auditory Neuropathy
People with auditory neuropathy may appear to have normal hearing, or they could experience hearing loss that ranges from mild to severe. Because the auditory nerve’s ability to transmit signals is affected, people with auditory neuropathy have trouble understanding speech, regardless of their degree of hearing loss. Both ears are usually affected.
The symptoms of auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder typically include:
- Difficulty understanding speech, even with apparently normal hearing abilities. People with auditory neuropathy may describe this as being able to hear, but not understand.
- Worsened speech perception in noisy environments.
- Sounds fade in and out or seem distorted.
- Inconsistent responses to sound.
What Causes Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder?
Your nervous system plays an important role in your ear function. Researchers point to several different causes, including damage to inner hair cells, which are specialized cells that transmit sound signals to the brain. The connection between these inner hair cells and the auditory nerve may be damaged, as well.
How Is Auditory Neuropathy Related To Severe Tinnitus?
Tinnitus does not cause auditory neuropathy, but it can arise as a secondary symptom due to the nerve damage in your ears. Research shows that about half of people with auditory neuropathy experience chronic tinnitus.
You might assume that neuropathy would “turn off” the auditory nerve, but the damage confuses your brain’s signals and can cause abnormal firing of neurons in response to hearing loss. If you have damage to your ear, tinnitus and phantom sounds may accompany hearing changes.
Treatment Options For Auditory Neuropathy And Tinnitus
The causes of auditory neuropathy are not well understood. Theories range from genetic predisposition to birth injuries. Because researchers are still learning about auditory neuropathy, there is no known cure.
While there is no known cure for auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder, there are treatments that may be effective in improving the ability to understand speech. These include:
- Hearing aids and cochlear implants, especially among children.
- Assistive listening devices like remote microphones. These devices help a listener interpret sounds more effectively, especially in a noisy environment.
- Sign language. Other people manage auditory neuropathy by learning sign language to communicate with others.
Working with an audiologist, speech therapist, or another doctor who specializes in hearing disorders can help you manage auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.
There are several effective ways of treating tinnitus, including sound therapy, hearing aids, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), and making positive lifestyle changes.
The audiologists at Treble Health have years of experience working with tinnitus, and helping tinnitus patients identify the most effective treatments to treat ringing ears. If you’ve been looking for ways to manage your tinnitus, we encourage you to schedule a complimentary telehealth consultation. During this consultation with our audiological team, you can expect to receive a dedicated 20 minutes of answering your questions, addressing your unique situation and symptoms, and developing a management plan for your own symptoms. Reach out today to start your journey towards tinnitus relief.
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