What Causes Tinnitus?

Ringing or other phantom noises in your ears is called tinnitus by doctors. It is an annoying symptom of certain underlying medical conditions. The causes of tinnitus include certain personal habits and disorders of the nerves and bones in your ears, according to the Mayo Clinic and the National Library of Medicine.

Older Age

• After you reach age 60, you may experience natural hearing loss, causing symptoms such as tinnitus.

Loud Noise

• If you are exposed to loud noises such as construction machinery, power tools or concert music, you may develop tinnitus that may be permanent.

Headphones

• Playing music through your headphones, even at moderate volumes, can cause tinnitus especially if you use headphones for a long period of time every day.

Earwax

• If you have an excessive amount of earwax, or your earwax becomes impacted from using cotton swabs or earplugs, you may experience tinnitus.

Bone Disease

• Disease of the bones of your middle ear is called otosclerosis and may result in tinnitus as well as hearing loss.

Head Injuries

• If your tinnitus is only in one ear, it may be the result of a head injury that damaged your auditory nerve.

Neuroma

• Tinnitus that is accompanied by difficulties with balance and coordination may result from an acoustic neuroma, which is a tumor on the nerve that services your ear.