“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “Why won’t that noise stop?”
You might be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing condition that manifests sounds in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these kinds of remarks. This is more common than you might think. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts millions of people.
Ringing, buzzing, pulsing, or whistling are the noises that most people describe.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently be a sign of something more serious happening in your body.
You need to take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
Some research indicates that 26% of tinnitus sufferers experience that ringing on a nearly constant basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship problems are all possible repercussions of this ever present ringing.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus noise and something as basic as attempting to hear your friend tell you a recipe over the phone. The constant ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who asks you a question.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this continuous ringing. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. Loud noise makes you more anxious and so on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these types of life challenges, it’s time to deal with it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Manifests After You Change Medications
Whether you have chronic back pain or cancer, doctors may try several different medications to treat the same condition. Some of these will have side effects so significant that you may want to ask about alternate options. If your tinnitus started or got significantly worse after you started a new drug, check that list of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. These include some kinds of:
- Loop Diuretics
- Chemo
- 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)
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This often indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being caused by high blood pressure. When you have hypertension, the blood flow to your inner ear is compromised. Your overall health is also in danger with high blood pressure. Over time, it could cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Gym, Concert, or Work
If you leave a noisy place such as 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. If you ignore this occasional tinnitus and don’t start to safeguard your ears, it will likely become constant over time. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to protect your hearing:
- Giving your ears a regular break by going outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
- Using earplugs
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
If you work in a loud environment, adhere to work rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs. They’re designed to protect you, but they only work if you wear protective gear 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 the tinnitus symptoms are accompanied by headaches, paralysis, and nausea, this may be a sign of a slow-growing benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.
6. You Experience Fluctuating Hearing Loss With it
Are you experiencing hearing loss that comes and goes? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are happening along with tinnitus, you might need to get evaluated for Menier’s disease. This causes your ears to ears get a fluid imbalance. Your risk of falling caused by lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So you should have your hearing examined if you’re experiencing it. Give us a call to make an appointment.