“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You might be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. This is more common than you might think. Millions of people have this condition.
Ringing, buzzing, pulsing, or whistling are the noises that most people describe.
Depending on the severity, ringing in the ears may seem harmless. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be ignored. Something more significant may 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
26% of people who have tinnitus experience symptoms continuously, according to some studies.
This irritating, ever-present noise can lead to all kinds of relationship problems, 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 overpowers it. The nonstop ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who simply asks you a question.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this continuous ringing. The ringing gets louder as your stress level goes up. And you get more stressed the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is leading to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to deal with it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. There are treatment options that can significantly reduce or eliminate the noise in your ears.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Doctors might try numerous different medications to treat the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. You may ask for a different option if you start to experience significant side effects. If your tinnitus started 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 kinds of:
- Loop Diuretics
- 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.
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This may be a sign that high blood pressure is contributing to your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the blood circulation to your inner ear is compromised. Your overall health is also at risk with high blood pressure. Age related hearing loss, over time, will worsen because of this.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a loud 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 irreversible the more frequently you disregard them and neglect using ear protection. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you love a loud night out, take precautions such as:
- At least once an hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
- Wearing earplugs
If you work in a loud environment, adhere to work rules regarding earmuffs and earplugs. They’re designed to protect you, but they only work if you wear protective gear correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
Whether you have ringing in your ears or not, you should never dismiss facial paralysis. But when the tinnitus symptoms are accompanied by headaches, paralysis, and nausea, this might be a sign of a slow-growing benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.
6. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Do you have hearing loss that seems to worsen, then get better, then worse again? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are occurring along with tinnitus, you might need to get evaluated for Menier’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. If left without treatment, it frequently gets worse and might increase your risks of significant falls due to lack of balance.
Hearing loss is frequently signaled by tinnitus. So you should get your hearing tested if you’re experiencing it. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
