Tag: tinnitus

Campaign to silence tinnitus for good during Tinnitus Week

“I haven’t heard silence for 8 years” – Jamie Laing  

TV personality, podcaster and entrepreneur, Jamie Laing, has been living with tinnitus since 2016. For Tinnitus Week (5-11 February) Jamie has joined forces with RNID, the charity supporting people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, to share his story and help RNID raise funds for research to silence tinnitus for good. 

Jamie talks about the moment he first experienced the condition, describing it as a sudden and overwhelming sensation. Eight years on, he details the impact of tinnitus on his daily life, highlighting its disruptive nature and the difficulty of finding relief from the persistent ringing in his ears. 

Jamie shares his story here 

Tinnitus is the name for hearing noises that are not caused by an outside source. It’s common – around 1 in 7 adults have tinnitus all the time or regularly. The condition sounds different for different people.

Many people describe their tinnitus as a ringing sound, but tinnitus can also be heard as other sounds, such as buzzing, whooshing, clicking, humming, and hissing, to name a few, or even be a combination of sounds.  

Jamie Laing said: “I haven’t heard silence for 8 years. The very first time I ever heard tinnitus, I woke up one morning and I got out of bed, and I could hear this ringing noise.

“And I was looking around, thinking where the hell is this noise coming from? Then it suddenly dawned on me that it was inside my own head. For anyone who’s ever experienced tinnitus that is a really scary moment.  

“I would spend a lot of time in nightclubs, but I never wore anything to protect my ears. I should have done and everyone should be protecting their ears. My tinnitus sounds like a dog whistle, with a whooshing noise surrounding it as well.  

“So it takes me a lot to cry and I was shooting a television show called Hunted, and in it my tinnitus was so bad. People were asking me questions and I couldn’t hear what they were saying because the ringing was so overbearing. It was so loud, and I was like, this is the moment. This is the moment where tinnitus is going to take over.  

“The amazing thing is RNID is doing some incredible work, and through this amazing campaign they are raising money which will go directly towards tinnitus research to silence tinnitus for good.” 

Franki Oliver, Audiology Manager at RNID, said: “Tinnitus is in fact much more common than many people realise. Around 1 in 7 adults have tinnitus; that’s over 7 million adults in the UK!

“There is support out there with a range of professional tinnitus management options as well as self-management techniques available that can be helpful. 

“Thank you to Jamie Laing for sharing his story and raising awareness of tinnitus and how RNID can support people living with the condition.” 

Download your free tinnitus guide at rnid.org.uk/tinnitus  

Tinnitus Facts: 

·        Tinnitus is in fact more common than many people realise. Around 1 in 7 adults have tinnitus. That’s over 7 million adults in the UK. 

·        Tinnitus sounds different for different people. Many people describe their tinnitus as a ringing sound, but some people hear other sounds such as buzzing, whooshing, clicking, hissing, or even a combination of sounds. 

·        Tinnitus is known to be more common in people with hearing loss. However, people without hearing loss can also have tinnitus.   

·        Tinnitus can be caused by loud noise exposure, but this is not the only cause. Tinnitus can be caused by certain ear conditions and other medical conditions. and other medical conditions. Sometimes there is no clear cause. 

Letters: Tinnitus Week

Dear Sir/ Madam,

This week is Tinnitus Week (6-12 February 2023), and latest research suggests that 1 in 7 adults have tinnitus.

Everyone’s tinnitus is different, but it’s usually described as a ringing, hissing, buzzing, roaring or humming sound. There may be one or more sounds and the noise may be there all the time or come and go. 

The causes of tinnitus can be linked to different things, including hearing loss, exposure to loud noise, certain medications, ear or head injuries, some ear conditions and emotional stress. Sometimes, there’s no recognisable link at all. Many people get tinnitus for a short time – for example, after being exposed to loud music, or when they have congestion because of a cold. But for some people, it doesn’t go away, and it can have a significant impact on their daily life.

The good news is, RNID is here to help. Our free Tinnitus Guide contains information on ways to manage tinnitus, from professional support to self-help options. It also includes information on useful apps and technology, how to support a loved one with tinnitus, and what to do if tinnitus is affecting your sleep.

RNID is committed to funding research to silence tinnitus, and our guide contains the latest information on our work to identify the causes of tinnitus and develop strategies to treat it. You can find all this and more by downloading our free tinnitus guide at rnid.org.uk/tinnitus

Yours sincerely,

Crystal Rolfe, Director of Health at RNID

Royal National Institute for Deaf People

People with tinnitus urged to protect their mental health as coronavirus takes its toll

With 57,000+ people in Edinburgh thought to experience tinnitus, a leading charity has urged anyone experiencing heightened or new symptoms as a result of the stress and anxiety of the coronavirus situation to seek online or virtual support to protect their mental health.

The call comes from the British Tinnitus Association charity (BTA) which, earlier this year, revealed the huge mental health impact that tinnitus can have on some individuals – with one in seven people with the condition having had suicidal thoughts at some point.

Studies have found that stress often makes tinnitus worse and, for many people, loneliness can also be a factor. With mental health charities reporting an increase in anxiety, the UK lockdown causing a natural increase in social isolation and common support services such as GPs less available in locally and across the country, the BTA says that now is a challenging time for people with tinnitus, as it is for many others too.

They are urging individuals who are struggling with tinnitus and people who are experiencing symptoms for the first time to seek support and for health services to signpost appropriately so that people know how to access free support.

While there is no cure for tinnitus – and 110,000 people recently signed a petition calling for more funding to be made available for research to find one – there are several strategies that can be helpful in learning to manage the condition.

David Stockdale, Chief Executive of the British Tinnitus Association, said: “There is naturally a huge amount of news and online discussion about coronavirus right now and we know that this is presenting our society with a significant mental health challenge.

“For people with tinnitus, the increased stress of this can worsen their condition which, in turn, increases anxiety further – creating a vicious cycle.

“With coronavirus also forcing a huge reduction in the level of support available through our community health infrastructure, it’s so important that we work together across the voluntary, independent and professional sector to signpost people to appropriate support.”

To improve support for people with tinnitus at this challenging time, the BTA is introducing new online resources to support those missing out on appointments, available via www.tinnitus.org.uk.

It will also continue to offer its free helpline service on 0800 018 0527, web chat on its website and further support through email at helpline@tinnitus.org.uk.

For more information on managing tinnitus at this difficult time, see the British Tinnitus Association’s article: Covid-19 guidance for people with tinnitus.