“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you may have tinnitus, a common hearing problem where you hear noises or experience a sound that other people can’t hear. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a disorder that impacts millions of people.
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 may seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are definitely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Something more significant might 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
Some research indicates that 26% of people with tinnitus cope with that ringing on a nearly continuous 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. 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 your tinnitus is contributing to these types of life challenges, you shouldn’t neglect it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. There are treatment options that can significantly reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Starts After You Switch Medications
Doctors may try numerous different medications to manage the same ailment whether you have cancer or chronic pain. You might ask for an alternative if you begin to experience severe side effects. Contact your doctor and find out what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. These include some kinds of:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Antibiotics
- 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. Blurred Vision, Seizures, And Headache Come With Tinnitus Noises
This often indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being caused by high blood pressure. When you have hypertension, the flow of blood to your inner ear is restricted. Your overall 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 noise levels and that’s more than likely the cause of these noises. If you ignore this episodic tinnitus and don’t start to protect your ears, it will most likely become constant over time. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you love a loud night out, take precautions like:
- Giving your ears a periodic break by going outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once an hour
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
- Using earplugs
If you work in a loud place, adhere to work rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs. 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 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? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this means you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. If left without treatment, it often gets worse and may increase your risks of serious falls due to lack of balance.
Tinnitus is often a sign of hearing loss. So you should get your hearing tested if you’re experiencing it. Give us a call to set up an appointment.