What is tinnitus(ring in the ears)

Condition analysis:
Tinnitus corresponds to the buzzing or hissing sounds heard in one or two ears, or in the head, in the absence of any sound source in the surrounding environment.

The sounds heard can be various natures: low tone pure sounds (buzzing), high-pitched (hissing), continuous or pulsatile, etc.... However, the sounds perceived by the subject are mostly complex and can be similar, for example, to the sound of a bell, hissing, a steam noise, an engine, a grating, a cicada/cricket sound.

The tinnitus is not strictly speaking an auditory hallucination (AH). It can be distinguished from AH by the rudimentary contents of the noises heard (pure sounds or more or less wide-band frequency noises devoid of sense or direction) and by the fact that the patient is aware that they originate from his/her own body.

It results from the production of an abnormal neural signal at a particular level of the auditory pathways which, after being processed by such pathways, is interpreted as a noise when it reaches the auditory cortex.

Given that there is no external source of noise, the sound received is an auditory hallucination created by a reorganization at the level of the cerebral cortex following the loss of auditory acuteness in the frequency of the tinnitus. That is why people who suffer from tinnitus avoid speaking about it too much for fear of being taken for hallucinating persons!

The persons who suffer from it hear a ghost noise produced by the part of the brain which is not stimulated by the usual noises at frequencies which one does not hear any more, given the loss of auditory acuteness in the zone corresponding to the frequencies of the tinnitus.

Instructions:
Limit Sodium Intake
Consumption of lesser amount of sodium may help improve the condition of tinnitus especially in the individuals suffering from Meniere’s disease which is characterized by the retention of extreme amounts of fluid in the ear leading to dizziness, hearing loss, and a filled feeling in the ear. People with such a  condition should opt for a low-sodium variety of salt and generally control their daily dietary sodium intake. In case you experience a feeling of fullness in the ear associated with tinnitus, medical professionals generally recommend consuming adequate calcium and potassium rich diet.