“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “Make that noise stop!”
You could be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing affliction that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these kinds of statements. This is more common than you might think. Millions of people have this condition.
Ringing, pulsing, whistling, or buzzing are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its severity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be disregarded. Something more serious may be the root cause of these noises.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you really should take seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
26% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus cope with symptoms continuously, based on some studies.
This aggravating, ever-present noise can bring about all kinds of relationship troubles, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as simple as trying to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You might snap at your grandson, who simply asks a question, because the ringing stresses you out.
Continuous ringing can cause a vicious cycle. As your stress level goes up, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so 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 options 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 persistent back pain or cancer, doctors may try numerous different medications to treat the same ailment. Some of these will have side effects so severe that you may want to ask about alternatives. Talk with your doctor and learn what the side effects are if you started experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. These include some kinds of:
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Loop Diuretics
- Chemo
- Antibiotics
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is causing your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the blood circulation to your inner ear is restricted. Your general health is also at risk with high blood pressure. Over time, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a loud place like a factory, concert, aerobics class, or bar, then the place you were just in had noise levels above safe levels. If you disregard this occasional tinnitus and don’t begin to protect your ears, it will likely become constant over time. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to protect your hearing:
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Using earplugs
- Giving your ears a regular break by stepping into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once every hour
If you work in a noisy place, adhere to work rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs. They’re designed to protect you, but they only work if you use protective gear correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
Whether you have ringing in your ears or not, you should never ignore facial paralysis. But when you have paralysis, nausea, headaches, and you also have tinnitus, it’s possible that you may have an acoustic neuroma (a slow growing benign brain tumor).
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 means you need to be evaluated for Meniere’s disease. This leads to a fluid imbalance in your ears. If left untreated, it often gets worse and may increase your risks of significant falls due to lack of balance.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So you should have your hearing checked if you’re experiencing it. Contact us to set up an appointment.