“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 condition that manifests noises in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a condition that affects 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 intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be disregarded. Something more significant may 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 have tinnitus experience symptoms continuously, according to some studies.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship problems are all possible consequences of this ever present ringing.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus noise and something as simple as attempting 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.
A vicious cycle can be the result of this continuous ringing. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. Loud noise makes you more nervous 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. There are treatment choices that can considerably reduce or eliminate the noise in your ears.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Starts After You Switch Medications
Whether you have chronic back pain or cancer, doctors might try several different medications to treat the same condition. Some of these will have side effects so significant that you might want to ask about alternate options. 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 kinds of:
- Loop Diuretics
- 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)
- Chemo
3. Blurred Vision, Seizures, And Headache Come With Tinnitus Noises
This may be a sign that high blood pressure is creating your tinnitus. The blood circulation in your inner ear is restricted when you suffer from hypertension. Your general health is also at risk with high blood pressure. Over time, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Gym, Concert, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a loud setting like a factory, concert, aerobics class, or bar, then the place you were just in had unsafe levels of noise. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more frequently you disregard them and skip using ear protection. And it’s commonly accompanied by hearing loss.
If you enjoy a noisy night out, take precautions like:
- Giving your ears a periodic break by going into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once an hour
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
- Wearing earplugs
If you work in a loud place, adhere to work rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs. They’re made to protect you, but they only work if you use protective gear correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t ignore facial paralysis irrespective of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when the tinnitus symptoms are come along with paralysis, headaches, and nausea, this might be a sign of a slow-growing benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.
6. You Experience Fluctuating Hearing Loss With it
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 means you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This causes a fluid imbalance in your ears. If left untreated, it often gets worse and may increase your risks of serious falls due to lack of balance.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So you should get your hearing examined if you’re experiencing it. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.