“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “Why won’t that noise stop?”
If you find yourself saying things like this, you could have tinnitus, a common hearing condition where you hear noises or perceive a sound that others don’t hear. This is more common than you may think. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts millions of people.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a dial tone, pulsing noise, buzzing, or whistling.
Depending on the intensity, ringing in the ears may seem harmless. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be neglected. Something more serious might be the underlying cause of these noises.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
Some research suggests that 26% of people with tinnitus cope with that ringing on an almost constant basis.
This annoying, ever-present noise can lead to all kinds of relationship problems, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
Something as simple as listening to your daughter share a recipe on the phone becomes a struggle between her voice and the noise that overpowers it. You may snap at your grandson, who simply asks a question, because the ringing stresses you out.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this continuous ringing. As your stress level goes up, the ringing gets louder. 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 real, and it affects your quality of life. There are treatment choices that can significantly reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Doctors may try various different medications to treat the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. You may ask for an alternative if you begin to experience significant side effects. Talk 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:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Chemo
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Antibiotics
- Loop Diuretics
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 blood flow to your inner ear is restricted. High blood pressure that goes unmanaged is also a risk to your overall health. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, will get worse because of this.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Gym, Concert, or Work
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 noise levels and that’s most likely the cause of these noises. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become irreversible the more often you ignore them and skip using ear protection. And hearing loss will probably accompany it.
If you enjoy a loud night out, take precautions such as:
- 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
If you work in a noisy place, follow work rules pertaining to 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 ignore facial paralysis regardless of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when the tinnitus symptoms are come along with headaches, paralysis, 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 occurring along with tinnitus, you might need to get tested 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 disorder is left untreated.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So if you are experiencing it, you need to have your hearing checked more frequently. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.