“Why do I hear a ringing noise in my ears?” “Make that noise stop!”
You may be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing disorder that manifests noises in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these kinds of statements. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts millions of individuals.
Ringing, buzzing, pulsing, or whistling are the noises that most people describe.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Tinnitus symptoms can often be a sign of something more significant happening 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
Some research suggests that 26% of people with tinnitus cope with that ringing on an almost continuous basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship troubles are all possible outcomes of this ever present ringing.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as simple as trying to hear your friend tell you a recipe over the phone. You may snap at your grandson, who simply asks a question, because the ringing makes you stressed.
Continuous ringing can cause a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level goes up. Loud noise makes you more anxious and so on.
If tinnitus is leading to these types of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. There are treatment options that can significantly reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Doctors might try several different medications to treat the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. You may ask for a different option if you begin to experience severe side effects. Talk with your doctor and learn what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Some common medications may cause tinnitus. These include some forms of:
- Loop Diuretics
- 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)
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
3. Blurred Vision, Seizures, And Headache Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is causing your tinnitus. The blood flow in your inner ear is restricted when you have hypertension. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your general health. Age related hearing loss, over time, will worsen because of this.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Gym, Concert, or Work
If you leave a noisy place like a factory, bar, concert, or fitness class, and you begin 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 ignore them and neglect using ear protection. And it’s commonly accompanied by hearing loss.
If you love a noisy night out, take precautions such as:
- Standing a bit further away from loud speakers
- Using earplugs
- At least once every hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
If you work in a noisy place, adhere to work rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs. They’re designed to protect you, but they only work if you wear protective gear correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t disregard facial paralysis irrespective of whether you have ringing in your ears. 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. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Do you experience hearing loss that seems to get worse, then get better, then worse again? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are happening along with tinnitus, you might need to get evaluated for Menier’s disease. This leads to a fluid imbalance in your ears. If left untreated, it often gets worse and might increase your risks of significant falls caused by lack of balance.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So you should have your hearing checked if you’re experiencing it. Reach out to us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
