“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you may be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition where you hear noises or perceive a sound that others can’t hear. You’re not by yourself. Millions of individuals have this disorder.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a dial tone, pulsing noise, whistling, or buzzing.
Depending on the intensity, ringing in the ears might seem harmless. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently be a sign of something more serious happening 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 people who suffer from tinnitus experience symptoms constantly, according to 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 simple as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. The nonstop ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a member of the family who asks you a question.
Continuous ringing can become a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level rises. And you get more anxious the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is causing these types of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. There are treatment choices that can significantly reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Whether you have chronic back pain or cancer, doctors may try numerous different medications to treat the same ailment. Some of these will have side effects so significant that you may want to ask about alternatives. Consult with your doctor and learn what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. These include some kinds of:
- 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. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is contributing to your tinnitus. The blood circulation in your inner ear is compromised when you suffer from hypertension. Your overall health is also in danger with high blood pressure. Age related hearing loss, over time, will worsen because of this.
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 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 often you disregard them and skip using ear protection. And hearing loss will probably accompany it.
If you enjoy a noisy night out, take precautions such as:
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
- Giving your ears a periodic break by stepping outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once an hour
- Wearing earplugs
If you work in a noisy place, adhere to work rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs. 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 the tinnitus symptoms are accompanied by headaches, paralysis, 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
Do you experience hearing loss that seems to worsen, then get better, then worse again? Do you feel dizzy off and on? When accompanied by tinnitus, this indicates you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This causes a fluid imbalance in your ears. If left without treatment, it often gets worse and might increase your risks of significant falls due to lack of balance.
Hearing loss is frequently signaled by tinnitus. So if you are experiencing it, you need to get your hearing checked more frequently. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
