THOUSANDS of people in the UK are living with noises in their head which are not caused by an outside source.

They suffer from tinnitus which can sound like ringing, buzzing, whooshing, humming, hissing, throbbing, music or singing. Sufferers can hear them in one ear or both ears or in their head. For some, they come and go; for others, they are permanent.

Good Morning, Britain TV presenter Susanna Reid has recently been telling viewers and Twitter followers about the problem which, for her, takes the form of ringing in the ears.

Tinnitus is often started by a “trigger” of some kind. For Susanna, it was the traumatic labour and birth of her second son, Finn, now 13. She has suffered from the condition for about 10 years and has good and bad days. She described her tinnitus as “The noise you used to hear when TV programming finished at the end of the day.”

Her situation is not unusual. Linda Kelly is senior audiologist at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and a member of its tinnitus team. They see many distressed tinnitus sufferers who quite often fear they are suffering from a brain tumour or other illness.

“People come to us after being referred to the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic (ENT) by their GP,” explained Linda. “Every case is individual and we always check for underlying problems.”

GPs will check ears to ensure the tinnitus is not caused by something that can be treated, like an ear infection or a build-up of earwax.

The tinnitus team check hearing loss. “There are many problems in the ear that can cause difficulties,” added Linda Kelly. “There are thousands and thousands of hair cells, for example, which can become damaged.”

Deep breathing or yoga, counselling and a variety of noise distraction techniques may help. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) can change the way sufferers think about the tinnitus and reduce anxiety. Tinnitus Re-training Therapy uses sound therapy to re-train the brain to tune out and be less aware of tinnitus.

Bolton also has an excellent support group for tinnitus sufferers which meets every two months at Café Italia, on Moss Bank Way, near the Doffcocker roundabout, from 7pm to 9pm. The next meeting is in February. To find out more call the Audiology Department on 01204 390435.

It is not always clear what causes tinnitus but it may be linked to some form of hearing loss or to Meniere’s Disease – a disorder of the inner ear causing episodes when sufferers feel like they are spinning.

Conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders or multiple sclerosis may also be the trigger, or anxiety or depression. It can also be a side-effect of some medication.

Using earplugs in a noisy environment, not standing by the speakers in clubs or at festivals and safe levels of personal listening are all useful as preventatives.

Brian Holland, from Farnworth, began suffering from tinnitus around eight years ago. The 65 year-old office worker began with whooshing noises –“anywhere quiet – like lying in bed – was murder”, he stated.

So, Brian got a pillow with its own embedded speaker and downloaded relaxing water sounds which he plays on his iPod in an eight-hour loop. He also wears headphones in the day, supplied by the hospital, which amplify the outside sounds and distract from his tinnitus sounds.

“You do learn to manage tinnitus yourself,” he said. “The Support Group is very helpful and you learn about the various techniques that other people have, which is very useful.”

For more information contact the British Tinnitus Association on 0800 018 0527 or go to https://www.tinnitus.org.uk