“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you could have tinnitus, a common hearing condition where you hear noises or perceive a sound that others don’t hear. This is more common than you may think. Millions of individuals have this disorder.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a dial tone, pulsing noise, buzzing, or whistling.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be ignored. Tinnitus symptoms can often be a sign of something more significant taking place in your body.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
Some studies reveal that 26% of people with tinnitus experience that ringing on a nearly continuous basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship troubles are all possible repercussions of this ever present ringing.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as basic as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandchild, who asks a simple question, because the ringing stresses you out.
Constant ringing can become a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. And you get more anxious the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is causing these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to deal with it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. 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 might try numerous different medications to manage the same condition. Some of these will have side effects so severe that you might want to ask about alternate options. If your tinnitus began or got significantly worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. Here are a few examples:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Loop Diuretics
- Antibiotics
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Chemo
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is causing your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the flow of blood to your inner ear is compromised. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your overall health. As time passes, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a noisy setting such as a concert, aerobics class, factory, or bar, then the place you were just in had unsafe levels of noise. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more frequently you ignore them and neglect using ear protection. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud sound, use the following to safeguard your hearing:
- Wearing earplugs
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
- Giving your ears a regular break by stepping into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once every hour
Adhere to the rules pertaining to earplugs and earmuffs if you work in a noisy environment. Your safety gear will only effectively protect you if you use it correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t disregard 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 untreated, it often 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’re experiencing it, you should have your hearing examined more frequently. Call us to set up an appointment.