“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You might be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing affliction that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of remarks. You’re not by yourself. Millions of people have this condition.
Most describe it as ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like a dial tone, pulsing noise, buzzing, or whistling.
Depending on the intensity, ringing in the ears might seem harmless. But there are definitely times when you shouldn’t ignore it. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently be a sign of something more significant going on in your body.
You should take the following 6 symptoms seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
Some research indicates that 26% of tinnitus sufferers experience that ringing on an almost constant basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship troubles are all possible outcomes of this ever present ringing.
Something as simple as listening to your daughter share a recipe on the phone becomes a struggle between her voice and the noise that overshadows it. The constant ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a member of the family who simply asks you a question.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this constant ringing. 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 contributing to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to deal with it. It’s real, and it affects your quality of life. The noise can be decreased or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Begins After You Switch Medications
Doctors might try various different medications to manage the same ailment whether you have chronic pain or cancer. You may ask for a different option if you start to experience severe side effects. If your tinnitus began or got significantly worse after you started a new medication, look at that list of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. These include some forms of:
- 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.
- Chemo
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
3. It Comes With Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This normally means that your tinnitus symptoms are being triggered by high blood pressure. The blood flow in your inner ear is restricted when you have hypertension. Your overall health is also in danger with high blood pressure. Over time, it could cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Only Hear it After You Leave a Gym, Concert, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus when you leave a noisy place like a concert, aerobics class, factory, or bar, then the place you just left had unsafe levels of noise. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more often you disregard them and neglect using ear protection. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to safeguard your hearing:
- Wearing earplugs
- At least once every hour, step outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
Adhere to the rules pertaining to earplugs and earmuffs if you work in a loud setting. They’re made to protect you, but they only work if you use protective gear correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t ignore facial paralysis regardless of whether you have ringing in your ears. 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. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Do you have hearing loss that seems to get worse, then get better, then worse again? 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 leads to a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this condition is left untreated.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So if you’re experiencing it, you should get your hearing examined more frequently. Contact us to set up an appointment.