“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 might have tinnitus, a common hearing issue that causes you to hear noises or experience a sound that other people don’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 severity, ringing in the ears may seem harmless. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Something more serious might be the root cause of these noises.
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, according to some studies.
This annoying, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship problems, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus sound and something as basic as trying to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandson, who asks a simple question, because the ringing makes you stressed.
A vicious cycle can be the result of this constant ringing. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If tinnitus is leading to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Doctors may try numerous different medications to treat the same condition whether you have cancer or chronic pain. Some of these will have side effects so extreme that you may want to ask about alternatives. If your tinnitus started or got seriously worse after you started a new medication, look at that list of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. These include some forms of:
- Antibiotics
- Loop Diuretics
- Chemo
- 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.
3. It Comes With Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is creating your tinnitus. The blood circulation in your inner ear is compromised when you have hypertension. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your general health. Age related hearing loss, over time, will get worse because of this.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Gym, Concert, or Work
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 more than likely the cause of these noises. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more frequently you ignore them and skip using ear protection. And it’s frequently accompanied by hearing loss.
If you enjoy a noisy night out, take precautions such as:
- At least once every hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Wearing earplugs
If you work in a loud place, adhere to work rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs. Your safety gear will only effectively protect you if you use it correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t ignore facial paralysis irrespective 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. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Are you experiencing hearing loss that comes and goes? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are occurring along with tinnitus, you may need to get evaluated for Menier’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Hearing loss is frequently signaled by tinnitus. So you should have your hearing examined if you’re experiencing it. Call us to set up an appointment.