Tinnitus is a persistent sound or noise that appears to occur without a corresponding noise from the environment. It is most commonly referred to as a ‘ringing in the eaf’ but the sounds may be different for different people. As many as 12.2 million people in the United States alone experience tinnitus severe enough to warrant medical attention, and as many as 50 million Americans have experienced tinnitus at some point in their lives.

Many things can cause tinnitus and the condition is certainly more common as you age. But anxiety and stress have been strongly linked to the development of temporary and permanent tinnitus, and the two have a complex relationship that science is still trying to understand.

Tinnitus = Anxiety?

It is very important to see a doctor if your life is hampered by tinnitus. It is a complicated condition and while it is rarely dangerous, it still warrants medical attention.If you have anxiety and notice that you have started to experience more severe tinnitus, chances are anxiety is the culprit.

Causes of Tinnitus

Many different issues can cause tinnitus, and doctors have a variety of different theories as to why tinnitus occurs. As of yet, the exact cause of most forms of tinnitus is not entirely clear. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, so many different factors may lead to tinnitus.

The most common cause of tinnitus is hearing loss due to loud noise exposure even a loud bang can cause temporary tinnitus. According to a research paper at the Willis Medical Network, tinnitus is caused by a host of issues, including:

• Otologic: Noise induced hearing loss, presbycusis, otosclerosis, otitis, impacted cerumen, sudden deafness, Meniere's disease, and other causes of hearing loss.
• Neurologic: Head injury, whiplash, multiple sclerosis, vestibular schwannoma (commonly called an acoustic neuroma), and other cerebellopontine-angle tumors.
• Infectious: Otitis media and sequelae of Lyme disease, meningitis, syphilis, and other infectious or inflammatory processes that affect hearing (ear infections).
• Medications: Salicylates, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, aminoglycoside antibiotics, loop diuretics, and chemotherapy agents (e.g., platins and vincristine).

But the authors are very quick to point out that in MANY cases, no underlying cause is found. In fact, while some of the above list may be frightening, the reality is that the vast majority of those are not only rare, but fraught with other symptoms that make tinnitus one of the least of your concerns.

Because tinnitus is so common and the mechanism behind this condition is not entirely obvious, the link between anxiety and tinnitus is less clear as well.