“Why am I hearing a ringing noise in my ears?” “How can I make that sound go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you could have tinnitus, a common hearing issue where you hear noises or perceive a sound that others can’t hear. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a disorder that impacts millions of people.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a pulsing noise, a dial tone, buzzing, or whistling.
Depending on the severity, ringing in the ears may seem harmless. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be ignored. Something more significant might be the root cause of these sounds.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you really should take seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
Some studies reveal that 26% of tinnitus sufferers cope with that ringing on a nearly continuous basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship troubles 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 give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandchild, who asks a simple question, because the ringing stresses you out.
Constant ringing can become a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. And you get more stressed the louder the noise is and on and on.
If your tinnitus is leading to these kinds of life challenges, you shouldn’t neglect it. It’s there, and your life is being affected. The noise can be decreased or eliminated with obtainable treatment choices.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Starts After You Change Medications
Whether you have chronic back pain or cancer, doctors might try numerous different medications to deal with the same condition. Some of these will have side effects so significant that you might want to ask about alternate options. Contact your doctor and find out what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. Here are a few examples:
- Loop Diuretics
- 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)
- Chemo
3. It’s Accompanied by Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is creating your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the flow of blood to your inner ear is compromised. Your overall health is also at risk with high blood pressure. Over time, 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 like 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 more than likely the cause of these noises. If you disregard this occasional tinnitus and don’t start to protect your ears, it will most likely become constant over time. And it’s frequently accompanied by hearing loss.
If you enjoy a noisy night out, take precautions like:
- At least once an hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- 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 dismiss facial paralysis. But when the tinnitus symptoms are accompanied by paralysis, headaches, 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? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this indicates you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Tinnitus is often a sign of hearing loss. So you should get your hearing checked if you’re experiencing it. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.