“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You could be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing affliction that manifests noises in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. You’re not alone. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts millions of people.
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 tinnitus shouldn’t always be neglected. Something more serious may 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
26% of people who have tinnitus cope with symptoms constantly, according to some studies.
This aggravating, ever-present noise can lead to all kinds of relationship troubles, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
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 grandson, who simply asks a question, because the ringing stresses you out.
Continuous ringing can cause a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level goes up. And you get more stressed the louder the noise is and on and on.
If your tinnitus is contributing to these types of life struggles, you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Doctors may try numerous different medications to manage the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. Some of these will have side effects so severe that you might 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.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. These include some forms of:
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- 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 might be a sign that high blood pressure is contributing to your tinnitus. The blood flow in your inner ear is compromised when you have hypertension. Your general health is also at risk with high blood pressure. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, 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 such as a factory, bar, concert, or fitness class, and you begin to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of noise and that’s most likely the cause of these noises. If you disregard this occasional tinnitus and don’t start to safeguard your ears, it will most likely become constant over time. And it’s commonly accompanied by hearing loss.
If you enjoy a loud night out, take precautions like:
- At least once every hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
- Using earplugs
If you work in a noisy place, adhere to work rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs. They’re designed to protect you, but they only work if you use protective gear 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 headaches, paralysis, 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 get worse, then get better, then worse again? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this suggests you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This causes a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling caused by lack of balance will get worse if this disorder is left untreated.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So if you’re experiencing it, you need to have your hearing examined more frequently. Contact us to set up an appointment.