“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “How can I make that sound go away?”
You could be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing disorder that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a disorder that affects millions of people.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a dial tone, pulsing noise, buzzing, or whistling.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be disregarded. 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. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
Some studies demonstrate that 26% of tinnitus sufferers cope with that ringing on an almost constant basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship troubles are all possible consequences of this ever present ringing.
Something as easy as listening to your daughter share a recipe over the phone becomes a struggle between her voice and the noise that overpowers it. You might snap at your grandchild, who simply asks a question, because the ringing makes you stressed.
Continuous ringing can become a vicious cycle. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. And you get more stressed 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 there, and your life is being affected. There are treatment choices that can considerably reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors may try numerous different medications to treat the same condition. You may ask for an alternative if you start to experience severe side effects. Consult with your doctor and find out what the side effects are if you started experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Some common medications may cause tinnitus. These include some forms of:
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Loop Diuretics
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is creating your tinnitus. The blood circulation in your inner ear is compromised when you have hypertension. Your overall health is also at risk with high blood pressure. Age related hearing loss, over time, will get worse because of this.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a loud setting such as a factory, concert, aerobics class, or bar, then the place you just left had unsafe levels of noise. If you ignore this occasional tinnitus and don’t begin to safeguard your ears, it will likely become constant over time. And it’s frequently accompanied by hearing loss.
If you’re 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 every hour
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Wearing earplugs
If you work in a loud environment, follow work rules pertaining to 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 disregard 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. You Experience Fluctuating Hearing Loss With it
Are you experiencing hearing loss that comes and goes? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are occurring along with tinnitus, you might need to get screened for Menier’s disease. This causes your ears to ears get a fluid imbalance. If left untreated, it frequently gets worse and may increase your risks of significant falls caused by lack of balance.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. 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.