What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is a physiological condition characterized by constant ringing and buzzing in the ears which is actually no present at all. According to a survey, 10% population of the world is suffering from Tinnitus. 15 million people are suffering from Tinnitus and seek medical attention every year in the U.S alone. Sometimes an underlying hearing problem can also cause Tinnitus. People living in noisy environments are more vulnerable to Tinnitus than other people. A patient suffering from a head injury may also experience Tinnitus. According to some medical researches, Tinnitus can be considered as a Genetic disease. Viral and Bacterial infection is another major cause of Tinnitus. The chances of development of Tinnitus are more in the overaged people than young ones.

Tinnitus looks not very much dangerous but it can become the root of many severe diseases and physiological conditions. When a person continuously hears buzzing and ringing sounds, he/she may develop a permanent frustration which is very challenging to adjust. Other major signs and symptoms of Tinnitus are as follows,

•  Anxiety

•  Depression

•  Loss of Concentration and focus

•  Headache

•  Frustrating behavior

•  Insomnia

Tinnitus is highly annoying because it is very difficult to ignore it. It gets more annoying when a person suffering from it try to sleep or calm down.

CBD for Tinnitus: will it help?

CBD (Cannabidiol) is the chemical extract of the hemp plant and mostly available in the form of CBD Oil. CBD is completely non-toxic and non-psychoactive. People are using CBD for treating many psychological conditions for decades. Our today's topic is about the use of CBD for Tinnitus. There is very little information is available about the medicinal use of CBD in Tinnitus. According to some independent recent research studies, CBD might be very effective in the alleviation of many symptoms of Tinnitus such as insomnia, Headache, loss of concentration, Anxiety, and Depression. The exact mechanism behind this symptom's alleviation is not completely understood but some research studies have proposed the following mechanism in this regard.

CBD relieves Anxiety and Depression by interacting with the Serotonergic system:

CBD might help in Tinnitus by interacting with the body's Serotonergic System. Anxiety and Depression are two main symptoms of Tinnitus and by reducing them, the intensity of Tinnitus can be reduced. Tinnitus is already a very distressing condition and can be exacerbated by depression.

Serotonergic System is a complex neurological network. It is responsible for the regulation of many functions such as Learning, stress, anxiety, and depression. CBD interacts with this system and bring changes in it to reduce anxiety and depression.

There is another mechanism by which CBD can alleviate Anxiety and Depression. In this mechanism, CBD interacts with the body's Endocannabinoid System. The Endocannabinoid system is present throughout the body and regulates many important functions such as Pain reception, inflammation production, memory, and emotion. Endocannabinoid System regulates these functions through its receptors. There are two main categories of Endocannabinoid receptors. CB1 receptors and CB2 receptors. Among these two categories, CB1 receptors responsible for the regulation of anxiety and depression.

CBD molecules bind with CB1 receptors and enhance their signaling to decrease levels of anxiety. CBD may also promote the production of Serotonin which is known as a "happy chemical".

According to a research study on rats (2016), CBD could be used to alleviate general anxiety in rats. Apart from this research study, there are several research studies available supporting the fact that CBD can relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression.

 CBD can relieve Insomnia:

As we have discussed earlier, Insomnia is another major symptom of Tinnitus. Insomnia is a disorder in which patients feel it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. Sometimes, Tinnitus causes anxiety and depression in which people find difficulty in falling asleep and may develop Insomnia. In the earlier section, we have discussed that CBD can relieve anxiety and depression. The alleviation of anxiety is directly related to the relief of Insomnia. If a person is not suffered from anxiety, he/she can automatically fall asleep easily. This fact is supported by a research study published last year. In this research study, 70 patients suffering from anxiety and insomnia problems were administered with CBD (150 mg) for a month. The results were really surprising. 65% of patients have reported an improvement in their sleep. The majority of the patients started feeling happy and comfortable. The research was a big breakthrough for the scientists researching on medicinal uses of CBD. Tough it is not enough, but this research study has opened the door of research about CBD abilities to treat Tinnitus.

CBD might be very effective in painkilling by binding with CB2 receptors of the Endocannabinoid System. Through this mechanism, CBD may relieve headaches caused by Tinnitus. Headache is another major symptom of Tinnitus.

Conclusion:

From the above discussion, we can conclude that CBD has the ability to treat Tinnitus signs and symptoms especially anxiety, depression, and insomnia. CBD does so by interacting with the body's Endocannabinoid System and Serotonergic System. We have discussed some research studies published in this regard. But still, there is not enough information about the medicinal use of CBD. The research about CBD's potential to treat Tinnitus is still ongoing. For this reason, it is our advice that you should consult with your doctor before using CBD. Still, if you want to start it now, you should start with a low dose first. It will be very helpful to understand the side effects and advantages of CBD on your body.

Thanks for reading this article!