“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise 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 others don’t hear. You’re not by yourself. Millions of individuals have this disorder.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a dial tone, pulsing noise, whistling, or buzzing.
Ringing in the ears might seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be disregarded. Something more serious might be the underlying cause of these sounds.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
26% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus experience symptoms constantly, based on some studies.
This frustrating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship problems, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as simple as trying to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandchild, who asks a simple question, because the ringing stresses you out.
Continuous ringing can cause a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level goes up. And you get more anxious the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is leading 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 decreased 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 might try several different medications to treat the same ailment. You may ask for a different option if you start to experience severe side effects. Contact your doctor and determine what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. These include some forms of:
- Antibiotics
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Loop Diuretics
- 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’s Accompanied by Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This often means that your tinnitus symptoms are being triggered by high blood pressure. When you have hypertension, the flow of blood to your inner ear is compromised. Your general health is also in danger with high blood pressure. Over time, it could cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Always Seem to be Leaving Work, The Gym, or a Concert When You Hear it
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a noisy place such as a concert, aerobics class, factory, or bar, then the place you just left had noise levels above safe levels. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become irreversible the more often you ignore them and skip using ear protection. And it’s frequently accompanied by hearing loss.
If you love a loud night out, take precautions like:
- Giving your ears a periodic break by stepping outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
- Using earplugs
- Not standing too close to the speakers
Adhere to the rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs if you work in a loud setting. Your safety gear will only successfully protect you if you use it correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t disregard 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
Do you experience 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 a fluid imbalance in your ears. If left untreated, it frequently gets worse and might increase your risks of significant falls due to lack of balance.
Tinnitus is often a sign of hearing loss. So if you’re experiencing it, you need to have your hearing checked more frequently. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.