Tinnitus is mostly seen and treated as a circulatory disorder in the inner ear. Researchers have, however, found other factors influencing the treatment of tinnitus.

In a continuing study at the medical school in Hanover, Germany, the researchers discovered the degree to which the patient’s general well-being plays a role in connection with tinnitus.

While some people examined in the study hardly noticed their tinnitus others suffered a lot from the continuous ringing or buzzing in their ears. The latter often end up in a vicious circle of sleep disorders, and some even suffer from depression.

It turned out that those who found their tinnitus most distressing and threatening had a history of suffering from stress, from other physical ailments and/or were strongly performance oriented. Some of these patients believe that their tinnitus is a symptom of some terrible disease. People of calmer disposition and a general sense of well-being suffer far fewer psychological effects from the continuous buzzing or ringing in the ears.