Have you ever noticed ringing, buzzing, or hissing after a concert or game? It usually fades within hours, but for some, tinnitus never stops. Persistent tinnitus can disrupt focus, sleep, and overall well-being, leading to emotional and physical strain. While 75% of Americans experience it at some point, only about 2% suffer from severe, chronic cases—but effective management options are available.
You’re in luck! Hearing + Balance Clinics’ Loganville-based audiology clinic provides tinnitus assessment and tinnitus management solutions to help you get control over the ringing in your ears.
Tinnitus, often described as a persistent ringing, buzzing, or whistling sound in the ears, affects millions of people worldwide and can significantly impact quality of life. This condition, while not a disease itself, is typically a symptom of an underlying issue within the auditory system or brain. For many sufferers, the constant presence of these phantom sounds can be both distressing and disruptive to daily activities, making it crucial to understand its nature and potential management strategies.
While tinnitus is commonly associated with aging, it can affect people of all ages and backgrounds, from young adults exposed to loud music to veterans who have experienced combat-related noise exposure. The condition can range from mild and occasional to severe and constant, with some individuals experiencing such intense symptoms that it interferes with their ability to concentrate, sleep, or engage in social interactions. Understanding tinnitus is the first step toward finding effective ways to manage its impact on daily life.
You hear persistent ringing, buzzing, or whistling sounds that others can't hear.
Your tinnitus is affecting your ability to concentrate or sleep, impacting your quality of life.
The phantom sounds you hear change in volume or intensity, sometimes becoming more noticeable during quiet moments.
You feel anxious or stressed about the constant sounds you're experiencing, and it's affecting your mood.
You've noticed your tinnitus getting worse over time, or it appeared suddenly after exposure to loud noise.
Tinnitus is a common condition that affects millions of people, often presenting as persistent or intermittent sounds in the ears without an external source. Understanding its causes and symptoms can help identify potential triggers and guide effective management strategies.
Tinnitus commonly develops from exposure to loud noises, head trauma, physical ear damage, and medical conditions like vestibular disorders and hearing loss.
Various medications, dietary choices, chronic stress levels, and ear canal blockages (especially from excessive earwax) can trigger or worsen tinnitus symptoms.
Tinnitus manifests as diverse sounds including ringing, buzzing, whooshing, or cricket-like noises. These can be continuous or pulsating, varying in intensity.
Tinnitus may affect one or both ears independently, with some people experiencing different sounds or intensities in each ear. The pattern and duration can vary significantly between individuals.
Our initial evaluation includes a detailed analysis of your tinnitus symptoms, hearing health, medical history, and lifestyle factors. We conduct specialized tests to measure the characteristics of your tinnitus, including pitch, loudness, and its impact on your daily life. This thorough assessment helps us understand how tinnitus affects your specific situation and enables us to develop a personalized management plan tailored to your needs.
We provide extensive education about tinnitus, helping you understand its causes, triggers, and management options. During these sessions, we debunk common myths and explain the science behind proven treatment approaches. Our audiologists work with you to set realistic expectations and goals, emphasizing that while there may not be a cure, there are effective ways to manage tinnitus and reduce its impact on your quality of life.
Based on your assessment results, we create a customized treatment plan that may include various proven technologies and techniques. This might incorporate hearing aids with tinnitus masking features, sound therapy devices like The Sound Pillow® Sleep System, or The Listening Program® SLEEP. We carefully select the most appropriate combination of treatments based on your specific symptoms, lifestyle needs, and preferences.
For many patients, we implement Tinnitus Retraining Therapy (TRT), a systematic approach to tinnitus habituation. This process involves generating specific broadband sounds to help redirect your attention away from tinnitus, combined with structured counseling sessions. We guide you through the three therapeutic steps of TRT, helping your brain learn to process tinnitus sounds differently, similar to how we naturally tune out background noises like rain on a roof.
We provide continuous support through regular follow-up appointments to monitor your progress and adjust your treatment plan as needed. During these sessions, we teach stress management techniques, relaxation exercises, and practical coping strategies. We also provide guidance on lifestyle modifications that can help minimize tinnitus impact, including sleep hygiene improvements and stress reduction techniques. Our team remains available to address any concerns and make necessary adjustments to ensure the ongoing effectiveness of your tinnitus management program.
Yes. That’s why you hear ringing, whooshing, or buzzing in your ears for several hours after discharging a firearm without wearing protection, attending a concert, major sporting event, or after an explosion.
Although they don’t cause tinnitus, stress and anxiety increase your awareness of it, making it difficult to relax or get a good night's sleep.
Yes. Among the various ototoxic medications that can contribute to tinnitus are three groups of medications:
Because there is no specifically identified cause for tinnitus, there is also no cure.
Yes. Tinnitus is known to go hand in hand with hearing loss in about 90% of cases.
Yes and no. The wearing of earbuds or headphones for extended periods of time are not the primary cause of the damage they do. The real cause is the volume level of whatever sounds are being transmitted through them.
Diet and nutrition can help with stress triggers, but there is not enough proof to determine if they have a direct link to tinnitus symptoms.
A major issue associated with chronic tinnitus is how it makes it difficult to concentrate, relax, and get a good night's sleep.
Yes. These coping techniques, typically part of TRT (tinnitus retraining therapy) contribute a great deal to the management of your tinnitus symptoms.
Yes. The primary decision to prescribe hearing aids is not to correct tinnitus, but improved hearing through the use of hearing aids tends to decrease the intensity of tinnitus, and many of the latest models include the capacity to be programmed with tinnitus masking to help manage symptoms.
Instead of being taken in by the newest “tinnitus curing” gadget, formula, or remedy, you can get real relief backed by research to manage your condition. Our tinnitus specialists at Hearing + Balance Clinics in Lavonia, Watkinsville, and Loganville use proven technologies and techniques to produce measurable results.
Scheduling a tinnitus evaluation is easy. Simply complete and submit the adjacent form, and then a member of our team will call you back to answer your questions and concerns and/or help schedule a tinnitus evaluation.
Very nice and helpful staff. Always take time to let me ask questions. First time at the Watkinsville office but most of the same staff. I have been with them for several years now and very pleased.
