“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that sound go away?”
You may be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing affliction that manifests sounds in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. You’re not by yourself. Millions of people have this disorder.
Ringing, pulsing, whistling, or buzzing are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Depending on the intensity, ringing in the ears may seem harmless. But there are definitely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Tinnitus symptoms can often be a sign of something more serious happening in your body.
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 people with tinnitus experience that ringing on a nearly continuous basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship troubles are all possible outcomes of this ever present ringing.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus sound and something as simple as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandson, who simply asks a question, because the ringing stresses you out.
A vicious cycle can be the result of this continuous ringing. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. And you get more stressed the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to address 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. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Doctors might try numerous different medications to treat the same ailment whether you have cancer or chronic pain. You might ask for a different option if you begin to experience significant side effects. Talk with your doctor and determine what the side effects are if you started experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. These include some forms of:
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Loop Diuretics
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
3. It’s Accompanied by Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This normally means that your tinnitus symptoms are being caused by high blood pressure. When you have hypertension, the blood circulation to your inner ear is compromised. Your overall health is also in danger with high blood pressure. Over time, it could cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Concert, Gym, 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 noise levels above safe levels. If you disregard this episodic tinnitus and don’t start to safeguard your ears, it will most likely become permanent over time. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you are going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to safeguard your hearing:
- At least once every hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Using earplugs
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
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
We hope you wouldn’t dismiss facial paralysis regardless of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when the tinnitus symptoms are accompanied by paralysis, headaches, and nausea, this may be a sign of a slow-growing benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.
6. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Do you experience hearing loss that seems to worsen, then get better, then worse again? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are happening along with tinnitus, you may need to get evaluated for Menier’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 if you are experiencing it, you should get your hearing examined more frequently. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
