“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
If you find yourself saying things like this, you might be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition that causes you to hear noises or experience a sound that others don’t hear. This is more common than you may think. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts millions of individuals.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a pulsing noise, a dial tone, whistling, or buzzing.
Depending on the severity, ringing in the ears may seem harmless. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently be a sign of something more significant going on in your body.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you need to take seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
26% of individuals who have tinnitus experience symptoms continuously, based on some studies.
This aggravating, ever-present noise can bring about all kinds of relationship problems, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
Something as simple as listening to your daughter share a recipe over the phone becomes a struggle between her voice and the noise that overshadows it. You might snap at your grandchild, who asks a simple 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 neglect it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Doctors may try numerous different medications to treat the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. Some of these will have side effects so significant that you may want to ask about alternate options. If your tinnitus started or got significantly worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. These include some kinds of:
- Loop Diuretics
- Chemo
- Antibiotics
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
3. Blurred Vision, Seizures, And Headache Come With Tinnitus Noises
This normally indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being triggered by high blood pressure. The blood flow in your inner ear is compromised when you have hypertension. High blood pressure that goes unmanaged is also dangerous for your total health. Age related hearing loss, over time, will get worse because of this.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you leave a noisy place like a factory, bar, concert, or fitness class, and you start to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe levels of noise and that’s more than likely the cause of these noises. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more frequently you ignore them and skip using ear protection. And it’s commonly accompanied by hearing loss.
If you love a loud night out, take precautions such as:
- Using earplugs
- Giving your ears a periodic break by going outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
If you work in a loud place, adhere to work rules regarding earmuffs and earplugs. 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 ignore facial paralysis. But when you have nausea, paralysis, headaches, and you also have tinnitus, it’s possible that you might 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? When accompanied by tinnitus, this indicates you need to be evaluated for Meniere’s disease. This causes your ears to ears get a fluid imbalance. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will get worse if this disorder is left untreated.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So if you are experiencing it, you need to get your hearing examined more frequently. Contact us to make an appointment.