3. Cigarette Smoking
Other than exposure to loud noises, there aren’t many environmental factors that cause tinnitus – except cigarette smoking. Links to smoking cigarettes and tinnitus has been found. There are actually two reasons why cigarette smoke can cause ringing, roaring, and whistling sounds that are associated with tinnitus. Firstly, cigarettes damage the flow of blood throughout the body, including to the sensitive nerve cells in the ears that control your ability to hear.
When these nerve cells are damaged, ringing can result, and that ringing can be severe and persistent. Secondly, the nicotine in cigarettes acts as a stimulant, which can make any slight ringing that you may experience in your ears sound even louder; in other words, if you are already suffering from mild tinnitus, smoking cigarettes can make it worse. So, not only can cigarettes cause this hearing condition, but it can also complicate it.
