While there may be a number of underlying conditions and health problems that can cause tinnitus, anxiety is not one of them. Many people have misconceptions about the relationship between anxiety and tinnitus. It has been well established that anxiety and feelings of stress can have a real physical impact on the body in a variety of ways. Although anxiety may not be able to cause tinnitus, it can make its symptoms more noticeable for those who suffer from it.
For many people tinnitus is a day to day struggle and it is made all the worse by the anxiety and stress that is associated with it. Those who have severe tinnitus can find it exceptionally difficult to concentrate at work and also going to sleep at night when it is very quiet. This anxiety can in turn make the phantom noises perceived by the person more noticeable, though not actually louder. Any increase in the intensity of the tinnitus is purely psychological.
The Connection between Anxiety and Tinnitus
Even though there is a real correlation between anxiety and tinnitus, it is purely emotional/psychological. When someone with tinnitus becomes very stressed or has a high anxiety level, the noises they perceive can become more noticeable and the problem worse.
The noise that someone with tinnitus has does not actually become louder or more intense, though it can seem that way if the person has anxiety problems. There are a number of ways to go about treating this anxiety so the tinnitus does not get out of control.
Medications to Treat Anxiety/Tinnitus
There are numerous medications which have proven successful at treating anxiety and stress, such as Zoloft. This medication has gone through many studies and it has been determined to be very effective at treating anxiety. Many people who have tinnitus also develop bad anxiety, so they sometimes turn to medications such as SSRIs and antidepressants like Zoloft which can help with managing these problems.
Although anxiety medications are not prescribed for tinnitus because they do not actually do anything for it, they are recommended for those who experience a significant level of anxiety, sometimes due to the ringing or buzzing which they perceive because of an underlying condition. These medications should be viewed as a crutch to lean on in times of stress or anxiety rather than a cure or treatment for tinnitus itself.
