Tinnitus, often described as “ringing in the ears,” affects about 10% of adults in America. Some people are not bothered by their tinnitus, while others say it diminishes their quality of life. In rare cases, it can be debilitating. The most helpful treatments currently available for tinnitus tend to be sound therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and meditation.
However, a recent study by Dr. Hamid R. Djalilian and colleagues investigated whether there may be a link between migraine and hearing issues. This link has not previously been studied, so the research is very new, but it shows promise so far that migraine medication may be helpful in some cases of tinnitus and certain types of hearing loss.
Study Methods and Results
Their research utilized the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database, and was published in the journal Otology & Neurology. They looked at data from 1999 and 2004 for anonymous patients aged 18–65, who subjectively reported experiencing hearing loss and/or tinnitus.
The cohort included 12,962 patients. Of them, 21% experienced migraine, 18% reported hearing loss, and 20% had tinnitus. After adjusting for age, gender, race, body mass index, and neck pain, they found that migraine was a strong predictor of tinnitus and subjective hearing loss. Patients with tinnitus were over twice as likely to have migraine as patients without it, and patients with subjective hearing loss were about 20% more likely to have migraine.
Implications of the Study
Dr. Djalilian noted that lack of awareness of this connection, currently, may be influencing care of patients who experience migraine in addition to tinnitus and/or hearing loss.
He also says that there may be people experiencing tinnitus and/or hearing loss without migraine, who might still benefit from migraine treatment and prevention. The processes in the brain that produce migraine do not always event in migraine headaches, but might still be responsible for tinnitus and hearing loss.
A conclusive determination about the possibility of using migraine treatment to address tinnitus and hearing loss may still be a way off. Much more research is needed, including large-scale randomized controlled trials. Dr. Djalilian also noted a need for research into how exactly migraine and tinnitus/hearing loss are related in the brain. While the study he led looked at data, now that a link has been established it is clear that there is a need for more direct work on understanding the link.
Do You Have Tinnitus?
If you have tinnitus that bothers you, you should see your doctor. Causes of tinnitus can be hard to identify, but a visit to the doctor is the first step. Beyond migraine, some cases of tinnitus have been linked to TMJ disorders and other mechanical causes in the head and neck. Treating these may alleviate tinnitus.
Tinnitus is also linked strongly to diagnosed sensorineural hearing loss (common subtypes include age-related hearing loss and noise-induced hearing loss). It is postulated that damaged hair cells inside the cochlea, which are responsible for picking up incoming sound, may continue to “leak” signals even after they stop functioning normally. In these cases, treating tinnitus with hearing aids can greatly reduce the stress that tinnitus can cause, as the incoming environmental sound can effectively “mask,” or cover up, the sound of tinnitus.
Some hearing aids also include a tinnitus-masking function. By identifying the nature of your tinnitus, your hearing care specialist can program your hearing aids to produce a sound that is unobtrusive but reduces your immediate experience of tinnitus.
Other Ways to Mask Tinnitus
If your tinnitus is not accompanied by hearing loss, introducing sound into your environment can help alleviate it. Most people report having the most issues with tinnitus at bedtime, when silence can allow tinnitus to become the dominant sound they experience. It can help to run a box fan in the window, or take advantage of apps that produce masking sounds. Compact discs are also available with a wide range of more pleasant sounds that can help you drown out your tinnitus.