“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You might be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing affliction that manifests noises in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these kinds of remarks. This is more common than you might think. Millions of individuals have this disorder.
Ringing, pulsing, whistling, or buzzing are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Depending on the intensity, ringing in the ears may seem harmless. But there are definitely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Something more serious might be the root 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 individuals who have tinnitus cope with symptoms continuously, based on some studies.
This annoying, ever-present noise can lead to 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 battle between her voice and the noise that overshadows it. You may snap at your grandchild, who simply asks a question, because the ringing stresses you out.
Constant ringing can become a vicious cycle. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. And you get more stressed the louder the noise is and on and on.
If your tinnitus is leading to these kinds of life struggles, you shouldn’t neglect it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. There are treatment choices that can significantly reduce or eliminate the noise in your ears.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors might try numerous different medications to treat the same ailment. You might ask for an alternative if you begin to experience significant side effects. Talk with your doctor and find out what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Some common medications may cause tinnitus. These include some kinds of:
- Antibiotics
- 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)
- Loop Diuretics
- Chemo
3. It Comes With Headache, Blurred Vision, or Seizures
This normally indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being triggered by high blood pressure. The blood circulation in your inner ear is compromised when you suffer from hypertension. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your overall health. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, will worsen because of this.
4. You Always Seem to be Leaving Work, The Gym, or a Concert When You Hear it
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 noise levels 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 commonly accompanied by hearing loss.
If you enjoy a noisy night out, take precautions like:
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
- Wearing earplugs
- At least once an hour, step outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
If you work in a noisy place, adhere to work rules pertaining to earplugs and earmuffs. 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 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. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Do you have hearing loss that seems to get worse, then get better, then worse again? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this suggests you need to be tested for Meniere’s disease. This causes your ears to ears get a fluid imbalance. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So you should get your hearing tested if you’re experiencing it. Give us a call to make an appointment.