“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that sound go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you could be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition where you hear noises or experience a sound that other people can’t hear. This is more common than you may think. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts millions of individuals.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a pulsing noise, a dial tone, buzzing, or whistling.
Ringing in the ears might seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Something more significant might be the underlying cause of these sounds.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
Some research indicates that 26% of tinnitus sufferers cope with that ringing on an almost constant basis.
This irritating, ever-present noise can lead to all kinds of relationship troubles, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
Something as simple as listening to your daughter share a recipe on the phone becomes a battle between her voice and the noise that overshadows it. You may snap at your grandson, who simply asks a question, because the ringing makes you stressed.
Continuous ringing can become a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level goes up. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If your tinnitus is leading to these kinds of life challenges, you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s real, and it affects your quality of life. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment choices.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Begins After You Change Medications
Doctors might try various different medications to manage the same ailment whether you have cancer or chronic pain. Some of these will have side effects so significant that you may want to ask about alternate options. If your tinnitus began or got significantly worse after you started a new drug, look at that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. These include some forms of:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Chemo
- Loop Diuretics
- Antibiotics
3. It Comes With Headache, Blurred Vision, or Seizures
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is causing your tinnitus. The blood flow in your inner ear is compromised when you suffer from hypertension. High blood pressure that goes unmanaged is also dangerous for your overall health. Over time, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Always Seem to be Leaving Work, The Gym, or a Concert When You Hear it
If you leave a noisy place such as a bar, concert, factory, or fitness class, and you start to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe noise levels and that’s more than likely the cause of these noises. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become irreversible the more often you disregard them and skip using ear protection. And it’s usually accompanied by hearing loss.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud sound, use the following to safeguard your hearing:
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
- Giving your ears a periodic break by stepping into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once an hour
- Using earplugs
If you work in a noisy environment, follow work rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs. Your safety gear will only successfully protect you if you use it correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t ignore facial paralysis regardless of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when you have paralysis, nausea, headaches, and you also have tinnitus, it’s possible that you might have an acoustic neuroma (a slow growing benign brain tumor).
6. You Experience Fluctuating Hearing Loss With it
Are you experiencing hearing loss that comes and goes? Are you sometimes dizzy? If these symptoms are occurring along with tinnitus, you may need to get screened for Menier’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. If left without treatment, it frequently gets worse and may increase your risks of significant falls caused by lack of balance.
Hearing loss is frequently signaled by tinnitus. So you should get your hearing examined if you’re experiencing it. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
