“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “Make that noise stop!”
You could 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 types of remarks. You’re not alone. Tinnitus is a disorder that impacts millions of people.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a pulsing noise, a dial tone, whistling, or buzzing.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are definitely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Something more significant 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
Some studies indicate that 26% of people with tinnitus cope with that ringing on a nearly continuous basis.
This frustrating, ever-present noise can bring about all kinds of relationship issues, 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 overshadows it. The constant ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a member of the family who simply asks you a question.
Constant ringing can cause a vicious cycle. As your stress level goes up, the ringing gets louder. And you get more stressed the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these types of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it affects your quality of life. There are treatment options that can considerably reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Manifests After You Change Medications
Doctors may try various different medications to manage the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. You might ask for an alternative solution if you begin to experience significant side effects. If your tinnitus began or got seriously worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Some common medications may cause tinnitus. Here are a few examples:
- Loop Diuretics
- Antibiotics
- 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.
3. It Comes With Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This normally indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being triggered by high blood pressure. The blood flow in your inner ear is compromised when you have hypertension. Your overall health is also at risk with high blood pressure. As time passes, it may 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 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 most likely the cause of these noises. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more often you ignore them and neglect using ear protection. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you enjoy a noisy night out, take precautions such as:
- At least once an hour, step outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Using earplugs
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
If you work in a loud place, adhere to work rules regarding earmuffs and earplugs. Your safety gear will only successfully 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 paralysis, nausea, 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 experience hearing loss that seems to get worse, then get better, then worse again? Are you sometimes dizzy? If these symptoms are happening along with tinnitus, you might need to get evaluated for Menier’s disease. This causes a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling caused by lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Tinnitus is often a sign of hearing loss. So you should have your hearing examined if you’re experiencing it. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.