Ringing in Your Ears Might Be a Sign of Hearing Loss – DVIDS

James Valentine, a retired tech sergeant who spent 22 years in the Air Force, has a constant ringing in his ears. He says it sounds like “crickets going crazy on a quiet summer night.”

Valentine is one of many service members and veterans who suffer from tinnitus, a symptom of hearing loss that causes people to hear a constant noise – typically described as a ringing or buzzing – even in the quietest settings.

Valentine served as an aircraft and fuel system mechanic. He believes his hearing loss and tinnitus are linked to his work environment that included constant exposure to loud jet engine noise and jet propellant.

In addition to loud noises, some research suggests that exposure to jet fuel fumesU.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website article on the Exposure to jet fuel, not just noise, contributes to hearing problems may also cause damage and lead to hearing loss.

The tinnitus affects the clarity of everything he hears, like music or voices on the telephone, he said. To block the tinnitus, he uses a fan as white noise when he sleeps and has an exhaust fan near him at work.

Diagnosing Tinnitus

More veterans make benefits claims for tinnitus and hearing loss at the Department of Veterans Affairs than any other disability or impairment. As of 2020, more than 2.3 million veterans received compensation for tinnitus U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website on Tinnitus.

Tinnitus is usually connected to hearing loss. It can also affect your concentration, reaction time and short-term memory. It can be associated with anxiety, depression and sleep disorders. Some people turn to substance abuse to try to block the sounds.

Tinnitus is most often caused by repeated exposure to loud noises, like explosives or aircraft engines. It’s also linked to traumatic brain injury.

Tinnitus is actually a symptom of hearing loss. Yet some people experience the symptoms of tinnitus before noticing any loss of hearing. It is often not detected until service members get hearing tests as they approach separation, explained Air Force Lt. Col. (Dr.) Samuel Spear, branch chief, Hearing Center of Excellence (HCE)Hearing Center of Excellence website, which is part of the Defense Health Agency’s Research and Engineering Directorate.

Tinnitus may be under reported among the active duty military. Not all services require annual hearing tests, and service members may not report symptoms of tinnitus or hearing loss because they think it could affect their readiness status, Spear said. That’s a misperception – there are no readiness standards related to tinnitus at this time.

Spear encourages service members to talk to a health care provider if they have symptoms of tinnitus or hearing loss.

“We want people to feel free …….

Source: https://www.dvidshub.net/news/416325/ringing-your-ears-might-sign-hearing-loss