“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “Make that noise stop!”
You may be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. You’re not alone. Millions of people have this disorder.
Ringing, buzzing, pulsing, or whistling are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Ringing in the ears might seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are definitely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Something more significant may be the root cause of these noises.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you need to take seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
26% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus cope with symptoms constantly, based on some studies.
This irritating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship issues, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as basic as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandchild, who asks a simple question, because the ringing stresses you out.
Continuous ringing can cause a vicious cycle. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more anxious and so on.
If tinnitus is causing these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. The noise can be decreased or eliminated with available treatment options.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Begins After You Switch Medications
Doctors might try various different medications to treat the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. You may ask for an alternative if you start to experience severe side effects. Talk with your doctor and find out what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. Here are a few examples:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Chemo
- Antibiotics
- 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. It Comes With Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This may be a sign that high blood pressure is contributing to your tinnitus. The blood flow in your inner ear is restricted when you suffer from hypertension. Your overall health is also in danger with high blood pressure. 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 after you leave a loud setting such as a factory, concert, aerobics class, or bar, then the place you were just in had unsafe levels of noise. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become irreversible the more often you disregard them and neglect using ear protection. And it’s usually accompanied by hearing loss.
If you are going to be exposed to loud sound, use the following to safeguard your hearing:
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
- Wearing earplugs
- At least once every hour, step outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
If you work in a loud place, follow work rules regarding 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
Whether you have ringing in your ears or not, you should never ignore facial paralysis. 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. 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 tested for Menier’s disease. This produces a fluid imbalance in your ears. If left untreated, it often gets worse and may increase your risks of serious falls due to lack of balance.
Hearing loss is frequently signaled by tinnitus. So if you are experiencing it, you should get your hearing examined more frequently. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
The content of this blog is the intellectual property of MedPB.com and is reprinted here with permission.
The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive a personalized free hearing test and hearing loss consultation, call today to set up an appointment.
