“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You could be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition that manifests sounds in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these kinds of remarks. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts millions of individuals.
Ringing, pulsing, whistling, or buzzing are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t disregard it. Something more significant may be the root cause of these sounds.
You need to take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
26% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus cope with symptoms continuously, based on some studies.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship issues are all possible consequences of this ever present ringing.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus sound and something as simple as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. The nonstop ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who simply asks you a question.
Constant ringing can become a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. Loud noise makes you more anxious and so 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. There are treatment options that can considerably reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Doctors may try numerous different medications to treat the same condition whether you have chronic pain or cancer. Some of these will have side effects so severe that you may want to ask about alternate options. If your tinnitus started or got significantly worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. These include some forms of:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Chemo
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Loop Diuretics
- Antibiotics
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is contributing to your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the flow of blood to your inner ear is compromised. High blood pressure that goes unmanaged is also dangerous for your total health. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, will worsen because of this.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Gym, Concert, or Work
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 levels of noise and that’s more than likely the cause of these noises. If you neglect this episodic tinnitus and don’t begin to safeguard your ears, it will likely become permanent over time. And hearing loss will probably accompany it.
If you love a noisy night out, take precautions such as:
- Wearing earplugs
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Giving your ears a regular break by stepping outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
Follow the rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs 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 dismiss facial paralysis regardless of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when you have nausea, paralysis, headaches, and you also have tinnitus, it’s possible that you may 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 might need to get tested for Menier’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will get worse if this condition is left untreated.
Hearing loss is frequently signaled by tinnitus. So if you’re experiencing it, you should get your hearing examined more frequently. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
