It’s Tinnitus Awareness Week!

TAW

This week, from Monday 8th February to Sunday 14th February is Tinnitus Awareness Week (TAW) so, I thought it would be a good idea to write a blog about it. Bear with me as I don’t suffer from Tinnitus myself, so I’ve had to ask friends and research a bit more into the subject.

Tinnitus is often described as ‘ringing in the ears’ where you might hear sounds like whistling, humming, grinding, buzzing or hissing etc.

According to the British Tinnitus Association (BTA) about ‘10% of the population’ have mild tinnitus. It’s more common than you think.

Tinnitus can develop gradually or suddenly, it can come and go. It affects people in many different ways and it can occur at any age, although it is more common in people over the age of 65.

My work colleague’s husband has tinnitus and she’s helped me come up with the following tips:

See your doctor: they may be able to treat it if it’s temporary
Relax: it’s sometimes brought on by stress
There is sound therapy available
Avoid loud noise situations i.e. parties as it takes a long time for the tinnitus to die down

For more information visit: British Tinnitus Association or NHS Choices: Tinnitus

There are many things going on during the week, as it is the 10th Anniversary of TAW. The BTA have two campaigns going on:

‘Plug em’ – the new tinnitus prevention campaign; encouraging young people to wear earplugs at concerts, festivals and gigs.
‘Tea for Tinnitus’ – a new aim for people to get together to talk about tinnitus over a cup of tea!

If you can get involved it would be great. Share your experiences over social media with the following #hashtags!