“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You may be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing disorder that manifests sounds in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of remarks. This is more common than you may think. Millions of people have this condition.
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 there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Something more serious might be the root cause of these sounds.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
Some research suggests that 26% of tinnitus sufferers cope with that ringing on an almost constant basis.
This irritating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship troubles, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus sound and something as simple as attempting 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 family member who asks you a question.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this constant 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 kinds of life struggles, you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. There are treatment choices that can considerably reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Manifests After You Change Medications
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors may try several different medications to treat the same ailment. You may ask for an alternative solution if you start to experience significant side effects. Talk with your doctor and determine 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 forms of:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
- Loop Diuretics
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This often indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being caused by high blood pressure. When you have hypertension, the blood circulation to your inner ear is compromised. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your total health. Age related hearing loss, over time, will worsen because of this.
4. You Always Seem to be Leaving Work, The Gym, or a Concert When You Hear it
If you leave a noisy place like a bar, concert, factory, or fitness class, and you start to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of noise and that’s most likely the cause of these noises. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more often you ignore them and neglect using ear protection. And hearing loss will probably accompany it.
If you love a noisy night out, take precautions like:
- Giving your ears a regular break by stepping into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once an hour
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Using earplugs
Follow the rules pertaining to 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
We hope you wouldn’t disregard 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 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 leads to a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will get worse if this condition is left untreated.
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.