Tinnitus is a ringing or buzzing noise in the ears that cannot be heard from the outside. If you hear a whooshing, pulsing or thumping sound in your ears outside of strenuous exercise, you may have a rare form of tinnitus. Pulsatile tinnitus presents in approximately 10% of tinnitus patients and is often described as occurring in rhythm with the patient’s heartbeat.
What Are the Common Causes of Pulsatile Tinnitus?
While tinnitus is often caused by an underlying condition like hearing loss, loud noise exposure or physical trauma to the ear, the ringing has no external or internal physical source. Pulsatile tinnitus is a little different because it most likely has a physical source inside the body.
Most physical sources of pulsatile tinnitus are attributed to either vascular or nonvascular causes. Vascular causes include any condition that changes the way blood flows through the ears, including but not limited to high blood pressure and atherosclerosis (thickening of the blood in the arteries).
Examples of nonvascular conditions that can cause pulsatile tinnitus include but are not limited to otosclerosis and Paget disease.
How Can Pulsatile Tinnitus Affect Your Life?
Tinnitus can cause stress, anxiety, frustration, sleeplessness and irritability. Amplified or constant pulsing in the ears can impact your enjoyment of everyday activities like walks at La Orillia Trailhead or coffee dates with friends.
What Can You Do?
You don’t need to let pulsatile tinnitus have a negative impact on your life. Taking steps to manage your symptoms can make a world of difference in their effect on you. A couple of tools for pulsatile tinnitus management include:
- Treat the underlying condition. If the underlying condition causing your tinnitus is treatable or manageable, doing so may be the most direct path to reducing your tinnitus symptoms. Speak with your provider about possible treatment options and causes to determine the best course forward.
- Use a noise machine. Noise machines help reduce the impact of tinnitus while you sleep. By playing white or pink noise, the devices distract the brain from the internal ringing.
- Wear hearing aids. Hearing aids work similarly to noise machines to help manage your tinnitus. The small devices help distract your brain from internal ringing during the daytime by amplifying external sounds or playing white noise.
To learn more about managing your pulsatile tinnitus, contact Rancho Santa Fe Audiology today to make an appointment with one of our specialists.
