“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you might have tinnitus, a common hearing condition where you hear noises or perceive a sound that others can’t hear. This is more common than you might think. Millions of people have this condition.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a dial tone, pulsing noise, buzzing, or whistling.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its severity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be ignored. Something more serious may be the underlying cause of these sounds.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you really should take seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
Some studies demonstrate that 26% of people with tinnitus experience that ringing on an almost constant basis.
This frustrating, ever-present noise can bring about all kinds of relationship issues, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
Something as easy as listening to your daughter share a recipe on the phone becomes a battle between her voice and the noise that overpowers it. You might snap at your grandson, who asks a simple question, because the ringing makes you stressed.
A vicious cycle can be the result of this continuous ringing. As your stress level goes up, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these types of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. The noise can be decreased or eliminated with available treatment options.
2. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Whether you have chronic back pain or cancer, doctors might try numerous different medications to deal with the same condition. Some of these will have side effects so extreme that you may want to ask about alternatives. If your tinnitus started or got significantly worse after you started a new medication, look at that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. These include some kinds of:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Loop Diuretics
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
3. It Comes With Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This often indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being caused by high blood pressure. The blood circulation in your inner ear is restricted when you suffer from hypertension. Your overall health is also in danger with high blood pressure. As time passes, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Gym, Concert, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus after you leave a loud place such as a concert, aerobics class, factory, or bar, then the place you just left had noise levels above safe levels. 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 usually accompany it.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to protect your hearing:
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Wearing earplugs
- Giving your ears a periodic break by stepping outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
If you work in a loud place, follow work rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs. 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 disregard facial paralysis irrespective of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when you have paralysis, nausea, 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? If these symptoms are taking place along with tinnitus, you might need to get evaluated for Menier’s disease. This causes your ears to ears get a fluid imbalance. If left without treatment, it often gets worse and may increase your risks of serious falls caused by lack of balance.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So if you’re experiencing it, you need to get your hearing examined more frequently. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.