“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
If you find yourself saying things like this, you may be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing issue that causes you to hear noises or experience a sound that other people can’t hear. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a condition that affects millions of individuals.
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. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently be a sign of something more serious taking place in your body.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
26% of people who have tinnitus cope with symptoms continuously, according to some studies.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship troubles are all possible consequences of this ever present ringing.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus noise and something as basic as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandchild, who simply asks a question, because the ringing makes you stressed.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this constant ringing. As your stress level goes up, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more anxious and so on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it affects your quality of life. The noise can be decreased or eliminated with available treatment choices.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Manifests After You Switch Medications
Doctors may try various different medications to treat the same condition whether you have cancer or chronic pain. You might ask for a different option if you start to experience significant side effects. If your tinnitus began or got seriously worse after you started a new drug, look at that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. These include some kinds of:
- Loop Diuretics
- 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)
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 flow to your inner ear is restricted. Your overall health is also in danger with high blood pressure. Over time, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a loud place like a factory, concert, aerobics class, or bar, then the place you were just in had unsafe levels of noise. If you neglect 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 are going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to protect your hearing:
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Using earplugs
- Giving your ears a regular break by going outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once an hour
If you work in a loud environment, follow work rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs. They’re designed to protect you, but they only work if you wear 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 you have nausea, paralysis, headaches, and you also have tinnitus, it’s possible that you might have an acoustic neuroma (a slow growing benign brain tumor).
6. You Experience Fluctuating Hearing Loss With it
Do you experience hearing loss that seems to worsen, then get better, then worse again? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this means you need to be evaluated for Meniere’s disease. This leads to 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 you should have your hearing examined if you’re experiencing it. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.