“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you may be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing issue where you hear noises or perceive a sound that other people can’t hear. You’re not alone. Millions of individuals have this disorder.
Ringing, buzzing, pulsing, or whistling are the noises that most people describe.
Depending on the intensity, ringing in the ears might seem harmless. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Something more significant might be the underlying cause of these noises.
You need to take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
26% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus experience symptoms constantly, according to some studies.
This irritating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship problems, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
Something as simple as listening to your daughter share a recipe over the phone becomes a struggle between her voice and the noise that overpowers it. The constant ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who asks you a question.
A vicious cycle can be the result of this continuous ringing. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. And you get more anxious the louder the noise is and on and on.
If your tinnitus is leading to these kinds of life challenges, you shouldn’t neglect it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. The noise can be decreased or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Manifests After You Switch Medications
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors may try several different medications to treat the same condition. You may ask for an alternative solution if you begin to experience severe side effects. If your tinnitus started or got seriously worse after you started a new drug, look at that list of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. Here are a few examples:
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
- Loop Diuretics
3. It’s Accompanied by Headache, Blurred Vision, or Seizures
This may be a sign that high blood pressure is triggering your tinnitus. The blood flow in your inner ear is restricted when you have hypertension. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your general health. As time passes, 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 like a factory, bar, concert, or fitness class, and you start to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of noise and that’s most likely the cause of these noises. If you neglect this episodic tinnitus and don’t begin to protect your ears, it will likely become permanent over time. And hearing loss will probably accompany it.
If you enjoy a loud night out, take precautions like:
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- At least once every hour, step outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Using earplugs
If you work in a noisy place, follow work rules regarding earmuffs and earplugs. Your safety gear will only effectively protect you if you use it correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
Whether you have ringing in your ears or not, you should never disregard facial paralysis. 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
Do you experience hearing loss that seems to get worse, then get better, then worse again? Do you feel dizzy off and on? When accompanied by tinnitus, this means you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This produces a fluid imbalance in your ears. If left without treatment, it frequently gets worse and may increase your risks of serious falls due to lack of balance.
Hearing loss is frequently signaled by tinnitus. So if you are experiencing it, you should have your hearing examined more frequently. Contact us to set up an appointment.