“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You might be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing condition that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of remarks. You’re not by yourself. Millions of individuals have this condition.
Ringing, pulsing, whistling, or buzzing are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Ringing in the ears might seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be disregarded. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently 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 studies reveal that 26% of people with tinnitus experience that ringing on a nearly continuous basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship problems are all possible repercussions of this ever present ringing.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus sound and something as simple as trying to hear your friend tell you a recipe over the phone. You may snap at your grandchild, who simply asks a question, because the ringing stresses you out.
A vicious cycle can be the result of this continuous ringing. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these types of life challenges, it’s time to deal with it. It’s real, and it affects your quality of life. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with available treatment options.
2. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Doctors may try various different medications to manage the same ailment whether you have cancer or chronic pain. You may ask for an alternative if you begin to experience severe side effects. Talk with your doctor and learn what the side effects are if you started experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. Here are a few examples:
- Loop Diuretics
- 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.
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
3. It’s Accompanied by Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This may be a sign that high blood pressure is creating your tinnitus. The blood flow in your inner ear is compromised when you have hypertension. 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 Always Seem to be Leaving Work, The Gym, or a Concert When You Hear it
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a noisy place like a concert, aerobics class, factory, or bar, then the place you were just in had unsafe levels of noise. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more frequently you ignore them and skip using ear protection. And it’s usually accompanied by hearing loss.
If you enjoy a loud night out, take precautions like:
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- At least once an hour, step outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Wearing earplugs
Adhere to the rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs if you work in a loud setting. Your safety gear will only successfully protect you if you use it correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
Whether you have ringing in your ears or not, you should never dismiss facial paralysis. But when the tinnitus symptoms are accompanied by paralysis, headaches, and nausea, this might be a sign of a slow-growing benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.
6. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Are you experiencing hearing loss that comes and goes? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this suggests you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This produces 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 frequently signaled by tinnitus. So you should have your hearing checked if you’re experiencing it. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.