“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “How can I make that sound go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you might have tinnitus, a common hearing problem that causes you to hear noises or experience a sound that other people don’t hear. This is more common than you may think. 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, buzzing, or whistling.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be neglected. Something more serious may be the root cause of these noises.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
26% of people who suffer from tinnitus cope with symptoms constantly, based on some studies.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship problems are all possible outcomes of this ever present ringing.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as basic as trying to hear your friend tell you a recipe over the phone. The nonstop ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a member of the family who asks you a question.
Constant ringing can become a vicious cycle. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more anxious and so on.
If your tinnitus is contributing to these types of life struggles, you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. There are treatment options that can considerably reduce or eliminate the noise in your ears.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Doctors might try various different medications to manage the same condition whether you have cancer or chronic pain. Some of these will have side effects so extreme that you might want to ask about alternatives. If your tinnitus began or got significantly worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. Here are a few examples:
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Chemo
- Antibiotics
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Loop Diuretics
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is creating your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the blood circulation to your inner ear is restricted. Your general health is also at risk with high blood pressure. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, will get worse because of this.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Gym, Concert, or Work
If you leave a noisy place such as a bar, concert, factory, or fitness class, and you begin to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of noise and that’s most likely the cause of these noises. If you neglect this occasional tinnitus and don’t start to safeguard your ears, it will most likely become constant over time. And it’s usually accompanied by hearing loss.
If you enjoy a loud night out, take precautions like:
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- At least once every hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Wearing earplugs
Adhere to the rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs if you work in a noisy setting. Your safety gear will only successfully 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 dismiss facial paralysis. 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. You Experience Fluctuating Hearing Loss With it
Are you experiencing hearing loss that comes and goes? Do you feel dizzy off and on? When accompanied by tinnitus, this indicates you need to be tested for Meniere’s disease. This produces a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So if you are experiencing it, you need to get your hearing examined more frequently. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.