“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “Why won’t that noise stop?”
If you find yourself saying things like this, you could be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing issue where you hear noises or experience a sound that other people don’t hear. This is more common than you might think. Tinnitus is a disorder that impacts millions of individuals.
Ringing, buzzing, pulsing, or whistling are the noises that most people describe.
Depending on the severity, ringing in the ears might seem harmless. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be ignored. Something more significant may be the root cause of these noises.
You need to take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
26% of individuals who have tinnitus experience symptoms continuously, based on some studies.
This aggravating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship issues, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus sound and something as simple as attempting to hear your friend tell you a recipe over the phone. You may snap at your grandchild, who asks a simple question, because the ringing makes you stressed.
Constant ringing can cause a vicious cycle. As your stress level goes up, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If tinnitus is leading to these types of life challenges, it’s time to deal with it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. There are treatment choices that can considerably reduce or eliminate the noise in your ears.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Starts After You Change Medications
Doctors might try various different medications to treat the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. Some of these will have side effects so significant that you may want to ask about alternate options. Consult with your doctor and find out what the side effects are if you started experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Some common medications may cause tinnitus. These include some forms of:
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Chemo
- Loop Diuretics
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Antibiotics
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This normally means 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 in danger with high blood pressure. Over time, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
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 start to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe noise levels and that’s most likely the cause of these noises. If you ignore this episodic tinnitus and don’t begin to protect your ears, it will most likely become permanent over time. And it’s frequently accompanied by hearing loss.
If you love a noisy night out, take precautions like:
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
- Wearing earplugs
- Giving your ears a periodic break by stepping outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
Adhere to the rules pertaining to earplugs and earmuffs if you work in a noisy setting. Your safety gear will only effectively protect you if you use it correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t ignore facial paralysis regardless of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when the tinnitus symptoms are come along with paralysis, headaches, and nausea, this might 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? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are taking place along with tinnitus, you may need to get screened for Menier’s disease. This causes a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So if you are experiencing it, you need to have your hearing examined more frequently. Contact us to make an appointment.