Tinnitus and Alcohol

Tinnitus and alcohol – there are lots of conflicting types of advice when it comes to tinnitus and alcohol. But have you experienced a ringing ear or ringing sounds in your ear while drinking? Here is an interesting study.

Studies…

One hundred tinnitus sufferers have provided reports and answered questionnaires that can help assess the connection between tinnitus and alcohol. The results have shown that 22% of those who have submitted themselves for this study believe that alcohol can really affect tinnitus and 62% of them believe that alcohol has nothing to do with tinnitus. On the other hand, 16% of these people reported that alcohol can actually improve tinnitus conditions.

Mildly affect?

Based on this study, it was believed that tinnitus and alcohol consumption do have a relation. Consuming alcohol can mildly affect tinnitus at the time of consumption, but this effect can be both positive and negative. Some people believe that alcohol can help relieve tinnitus, as alcohol act as a sedative. However, there is no proof of that yet.

Underlying medical condition…

To determine yourself if tinnitus and alcohol is related to one another, you can come up with your own experiment. Take note that tinnitus can be due to various factors and it can also be a symptom of an underlying medical condition. But doing a little experiment will not do you any harm and it can even help you determine if alcohol really has something to do with your tinnitus problem. You can start your experiment by determining your tinnitus condition first. Are you hearing the sounds every day? Take note that if you are experiencing tinnitus occasionally, then there might be something that you are doing that is triggering tinnitus.

Conduct an experiment…

However, if you are hearing ringing, buzzing or hissing sounds on a daily basis, then it can be a lot easier for you to conduct an experiment. You should start by not consuming alcohol for at least 3 days straight. Observe your tinnitus condition. This way, you can easily determine if your tinnitus and alcohol consumption has a relation. If the ringing or hissing sounds disappeared after 3 days of not consuming alcohol, then it might be because of your alcohol consumption. After 3 days of not hearing anything, try consuming alcohol again. If again you started hearing ringing or buzzing sounds, then it is definite that your tinnitus condition is due to alcohol consumption.

No relation at all?

But, as mentioned above, it is also possible that tinnitus and alcohol has no relation at all. Your tinnitus condition might be due to an underlying medical condition and alcohol is just worsening your condition. It is also possible that you are actually suffering from tinnitus and you are just unaware of it because it is not that severe and you are just noticing it when consuming alcohol because the condition is worsened.

Alcohol consumption…

To determine if your tinnitus and alcohol consumption are related, it would be best to consult your physician or a specialist. Take note that determining what is actually causing your tinnitus problem can rule out the idea that your tinnitus condition is due to alcohol consumption. Also, even if your tinnitus problem is not due to alcohol intake, it would still be best to control your alcohol consumption. The reason behind this is that, the underlying medical condition that is causing your tinnitus can be due to excessive alcohol consumption.