Possible complications of untreated tinnitus
While tinnitus does not usually cause physical complications, it can definitely affect a sufferer’s quality of life. If you have tinnitus and are unable to get relief from it, you could also experience stress, fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, memory problems, depression, irritability, anxiety, and insomnia. Sometimes these complications become severe enough that they must be treated separately in order to provide an improvement in quality of life issues.
One complication of tinnitus that causes a significant number of complaints is insomnia. People with tinnitus may have trouble falling asleep, or they may wake up repeatedly during the night. This problem can result in irritability, depression, anxiety, stress, and depression. Other complications from chronic insomnia caused by tinnitus include headaches, a feeling of chronic sleepiness, and even accidents due to decreased daytime alertness.
Sometimes people with tinnitus may have to be treated directly for their insomnia. This treatment may include sleep analysis at a sleep clinic, the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, therapy with special lights, and sometimes the use of drugs. Some of the drugs used to treat insomnia in people with tinnitus include zaleplon, eszopiclone, and zolpidem.
When depression is the result of tinnitus, it may require drug or behavioral therapy too. Symptoms of depression include restlessness, lack of energy, changes in appetite, difficulty concentrating, withdrawal from social contact, as well as feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. When these symptoms last longer than a couple of weeks, it is important to visit a physician to be screened for depression and rule out any other possible health problems.
Depression due to tinnitus can be treated with exercise, dietary changes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the use of antidepressant drugs in some cases. If the tinnitus itself is discovered to be due to an identifiable physical cause that can be addressed, dealing with this may take care of the depression as well.
One complication of tinnitus that causes a significant number of complaints is insomnia. People with tinnitus may have trouble falling asleep, or they may wake up repeatedly during the night. This problem can result in irritability, depression, anxiety, stress, and depression. Other complications from chronic insomnia caused by tinnitus include headaches, a feeling of chronic sleepiness, and even accidents due to decreased daytime alertness.
Sometimes people with tinnitus may have to be treated directly for their insomnia. This treatment may include sleep analysis at a sleep clinic, the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, therapy with special lights, and sometimes the use of drugs. Some of the drugs used to treat insomnia in people with tinnitus include zaleplon, eszopiclone, and zolpidem.
When depression is the result of tinnitus, it may require drug or behavioral therapy too. Symptoms of depression include restlessness, lack of energy, changes in appetite, difficulty concentrating, withdrawal from social contact, as well as feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. When these symptoms last longer than a couple of weeks, it is important to visit a physician to be screened for depression and rule out any other possible health problems.
Depression due to tinnitus can be treated with exercise, dietary changes, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the use of antidepressant drugs in some cases. If the tinnitus itself is discovered to be due to an identifiable physical cause that can be addressed, dealing with this may take care of the depression as well.
Treating tinnitus and its complications is becoming more successful all the time. Scientists in many fields are studying ways to treat the disorder, including nerve stimulation therapy, the fitting of special hearing aids, and the uses of innovative types of sound therapy to retrain the ears and brain.
