“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You could be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing disorder that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of remarks. This is more common than you might think. Millions of individuals have this disorder.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a pulsing noise, a dial tone, buzzing, or whistling.
Ringing in the ears might seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are definitely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Tinnitus symptoms can often be a sign of something more serious taking place in your body.
You need to take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
26% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus experience symptoms constantly, based on some studies.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship problems are all possible repercussions of this ever present ringing.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as basic as attempting to hear your friend tell you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandson, who asks a simple 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 goes up. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to deal with it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors may try numerous different medications to manage the same ailment. You may ask for an alternative if you begin to experience severe side effects. If your tinnitus began or got significantly worse after you started a new drug, check that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. Here are a few examples:
- 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
- Chemo
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
3. Blurred Vision, Seizures, And Headache Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is contributing to your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the flow of blood to your inner ear is compromised. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your overall health. As time passes, it could cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you leave a noisy place such as a factory, bar, concert, 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 permanent 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 noise, use the following to protect your hearing:
- Giving your ears a periodic break by going into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once an hour
- Wearing earplugs
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
If you work in a noisy place, adhere to work rules regarding earmuffs and earplugs. Your safety gear will only effectively 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 the tinnitus symptoms are come along with headaches, paralysis, and nausea, this may be a sign of a slow-growing benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.
6. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Do you experience hearing loss that seems to worsen, then get better, then worse again? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are occurring along with tinnitus, you may need to get tested for Menier’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 get your hearing tested if you’re experiencing it. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.