By Barry Keate
Barry Keate, has lived with tinnitus over 40 years and has published 150+ research articles on numerous aspects of tinnitus. He is an expert on the condition and a well-known advocate for those with tinnitus.
(freepik/Freepik)
Individuals who experience tinnitus or panic attacks know that the symptoms associated with both issues can be frustrating. Those who experience both understand that the symptoms of both can often be related and sometimes magnify one another. The link between tinnitus and anxiety, a common cause of panic attacks, can be better understood when we look at the root causes and symptoms of both issues. Because they are often intertwined, mutually beneficial treatments may be available.
What Is a Panic Attack?
Panic attacks are sudden surges of extreme fear that can cause a person to feel as though they are in danger. They can be a part of larger anxiety and mental health conditions or rooted in the stresses of daily life. Panic attacks often make a person feel like they are having a heart attack or going to die, in part because symptoms associated with this issue include a racing heart, chest pain, and trembling or shaking.
It’s important to know that panic attacks happen to almost everyone at some point in their lives. They can be triggered by an emotional event or when facing a significant fear or phobia. But they can also pop up out of the blue. While they typically only last a few minutes, they can cause someone to feel anxious or out of sorts for much longer.
While people often use the phrases interchangeably, it is essential to note that panic attacks and anxiety attacks are not the same thing. Anxiety attacks are typically much less intense and last a great deal longer. They can have similar symptoms, such as a rapid heartbeat or shortness of breath, but can also cause irritability, disrupted sleep, and muscle tightness. These experiences are often more gradual in nature and can last for days, weeks, or even months on end.
What Is Tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the perception of ringing, buzzing, hissing, roaring, or tapping in the ears, but without any identifiable external source of the sounds. It can be caused by exposure to loud noises and only last a few hours. For some, symptoms are more lasting and extreme. It is often connected to nerve damage in the inner ear, which is why many people who have worked in industries filled with percussive or loud sounds develop tinnitus from loud noise.
People who live with tinnitus can experience the symptoms constantly or near-constantly or intermittently for shorter periods of time. At present, there is no cure for tinnitus, but tinnitus relief supplements and other remedies may help relieve symptoms in some people.
The Link Between Panic Attacks and Tinnitus
Panic attacks and tinnitus are connected by the biology, physiology, and psychology of the body. When the body experiences high-stress levels, such as during a panic attack, it can respond by amplifying the ringing symptoms of tinnitus. There are quite a few reasons for this connection.
First, when experiencing a panic attack, an individual can become hyperaware of their body and all of the sensations it is experiencing. For those with tinnitus, that can make it seem as though their tinnitus symptoms have worsened as they are more acutely aware of the sound they perceive in their ears. Once the sound becomes the object of attention, it can be more difficult to “think past” or allow the sound to be drowned out by focusing on something else.
Second, higher levels of stress hormones, increased heart rate, muscle tension, and other physiological responses to stress can be associated with worsened tinnitus symptoms. Aggressive symptoms of anxiety, including changes in blood flow and tense muscles (yes, there are muscles in the ears), can cause damage and irregularities in the inner ear. The sensitivity of the inner ear can mean that these changes may impact tinnitus symptoms.
Finally, the brain processes tinnitus and anxiety symptoms in the same part of the brain: the limbic system. The symptoms of both issues are relayed to the brain through the same neuropathways. This shared pathway in the brain may be the cause of this link because processing confusion can occur with both anxiety and tinnitus in the brain.
To further complicate the problem, the relationship between panic attacks and tinnitus can often be cyclical. The stress and frustration of constant tinnitus symptoms, combined with the common symptom of lack of sleep, can cause an individual with tinnitus to experience panic attacks. Also, changes to blood flow, hormone levels, and focus during a panic attack can cause tinnitus symptoms to worsen and become more noticeable. This relationship can be frustrating. It is important to note that not everyone with tinnitus will have panic attacks, and not everyone who experiences anxiety or panic attacks will get tinnitus.
Addressing and Treating the Link
While neither tinnitus nor anxiety have a known cure at this time, both are treatable in different ways. Individuals can incorporate vitamins for tinnitus relief into their diet, which can also help treat anxiety and panic attacks, and adopting certain life habits can do the same.
Ginkgo biloba has been linked to lessening symptoms in some individuals with tinnitus. The ancient Chinese herb is also known to improve brain function and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Taking a supplement that includes high-potency Ginkgo biloba may be a way to address both issues at the same time and relieve tinnitus and anxiety symptoms.
Both tinnitus and panic attacks can be complex issues, and both require care and compassion for the individual experiencing symptoms. Thankfully, researchers are devoting a great deal of time, energy, and funding to both auditory disorders like tinnitus as well as mental health issues in hopes of a future where cures are available for both. In the meantime, prioritizing mental well-being and finding a tinnitus treatment that helps individuals manage their symptoms is essential.
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