Environmental factors are influences you experience from the world around you. Prolonged exposure to loud noises is the most common cause of tinnitus. Repeated exposure to loud noises, such as amplified music, gunshots, aircrafts, and heavy construction, damage the tiny hairs in the cochlea that send electrical impulses to the auditory nerve if sound waves are detected. When these hairs are bent or broken, they send electrical impulses to the auditory nerve even though no sound waves are detected. The brain then interprets them as sound, which we know as tinnitus.  Individuals who have the greatest job-related risk of developing tinnitus include carpenters, street-repair workers, pilots, musicians, and landscapers. Individuals who work with loud equipment or who are repeatedly around loud music have increased risk of developing tinnitus. A single exposure to a sudden and extremely loud noise can also cause tinnitus. For instance, tinnitus is one of the more common disabilities among individuals who have served in the armed forces and were exposed to bomb blasts. There are several different health-related causes for tinnitus, including aging, poor lifestyle habits, and changing hormones.  The natural aging process can affect the development of tinnitus. This aging process causes a deterioration in the cochlea, which can be aggravated by exposure to loud noises in the environment over time. Barotrauma to the middle or inner ear, which may also cause hearing loss or vertigo. Fluid or infection in your middle ear can cause temporary tinnitus. Smoking or drinking caffeinated or alcoholic beverages can trigger tinnitus. In addition, stress and fatigue, if not properly managed, can pile up and lead to the development of tinnitus. Although no direct causation has been found, anecdotal evidence suggests that changes in hormone levels for women can and have triggered tinnitus. These changes occur in pregnancy, menopause, and while using hormone replacement therapy. Blockages in the ear canal can change the way that sound reaches the sound-sensitive cells in the cochlea and therefore trigger tinnitus. These blockages can be the result of ear wax, ear infections, sinus infections, and mastoiditis (an infection of the mastoid bone behind the ear). These health conditions change the ability of sound to travel through the middle and inner ear, which triggers tinnitus.  Meniere’s disease can trigger tinnitus or muffled hearing. This is a disorder that has no known cause but affects the inner ear and triggers severe dizziness, ringing in the ears, hearing loss and a feeling of fullness in the ear. It often affects just one ear and may trigger an attack separated by long periods of time or trigger attacks after only several days. It can develop at any age but is more likely to occur in individuals between 40 and 60 years old.  Otosclerosis is a hereditary disorder that results in an overgrowth of the bones in the middle ear, leading to deafness. This condition makes it difficult for sound to travel to the inner ear. White, middle-aged women are at the greatest risk for developing otosclerosis.  More rarely, tinnitus can be caused by a benign tumor on the auditory nerve, the nerve which allows sound to be transmitted to the brain and interpreted. This tumor is called an acoustic neuroma and develops on the cranial nerve that runs from your brain to your inner ear, often causing tinnitus on only one side. These tumors are rarely cancerous, but can grow to be quite large — it's best to seek treatment when they are still small. Diseases of the circulatory system, such as high blood pressure, malformation of the capillaries, diabetes, heart disease, anemia, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease also affect the circulation to other parts of the body, including the supply of oxygen to the cells in the middle and inner ear. Loss of oxygen and blood supply can damage these cells and increase the potential risk of developing tinnitus.  Individuals affected by temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) have a higher risk of developing tinnitus. There are some different theories as to why TMJ affects tinnitus. The chewing muscles are very near to those muscles in the middle ear and can affect hearing. There could be a direct connection between the ligaments that attach to the jaw and one of the bones in the middle ear. Alternately, the nerve supply from TMJ has some connection with the part of the brain that is involved in hearing.  Trauma to the head or neck can also affect the inner ear or the nerves that affect hearing or brain function that is linked to hearing. These injuries generally cause tinnitus only in one ear.  Brain tumors can affect the area of the brain that interprets sound. In these cases you may have tinnitus in one or both ears. Medications are another factor which can trigger tinnitus. Certain medications can cause medication-induced ototoxicity, or “ear poisoning.” If you are taking any medications, look on the package insert or ask your pharmacist to find out if tinnitus is listed as a side effect. Often there are other medications in the same family of drugs that your doctor can prescribe for you that can treat your condition without causing tinnitus to develop.  There are over 200 different drugs which list tinnitus as a side effect, including aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, pepto-bismol, PPIs, certain antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications, sedatives, antidepressants, and quinine medications. Cancer medications and diuretics also make the list of medications related to tinnitus. Antibiotics frequently associated with tinnitus include vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, gentamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, and tobramycin. If you're dealing with tinnitus, talk to your doctor about possibly coming off your medications under their supervision. Generally the higher the dose of medication used, the worse the symptoms become. Most of the time when the medication is discontinued, the tinnitus also resolves. Even with all these associated conditions and triggers, some people can develop tinnitus for no known reason. Most of the time it isn’t serious, but if it doesn’t resolve it can trigger fatigue, depression, anxiety, and problems with memory.
تعرف على العوامل البيئية المحيطة المتسببة في احتمالية الإصابة. قيِّم نمط حياتك وحدِّد الأسباب الصحية التي يمكن أن تسبب الإصابة. راجع الأمر مع نفسك فيما إذا كنت تعرضت من قبل لإحدى مشكلات الأذن. حدِّد ما إذا كنت قد عانيت من قبل أي حالات طبية لها علاقة بطنين الأذن. تحقق من أدويتك الخاصة. عليك أن تعرف بأنه من الممكن ألا يكون هناك سبب لحدوث طنين الأذن.