“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “Why won’t that noise stop?”
If you find yourself making these kinds of statements, you may be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition where you hear noises or experience a sound that others don’t hear. 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 pulsing noise, a dial tone, whistling, or buzzing.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be disregarded. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently be a sign of something more serious taking place in your body.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you really should take seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
Some studies reveal that 26% of tinnitus sufferers experience that ringing on a nearly constant basis.
This frustrating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship troubles, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
It can be a battle between the tinnitus noise and something as simple as attempting to hear your friend tell you a recipe over the phone. The nonstop ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who simply asks you a question.
Constant ringing can cause a vicious cycle. The ringing gets louder as your stress level goes up. And you get more anxious the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment choices.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Doctors may try various different medications to manage the same condition whether you have cancer or chronic pain. You may ask for a different option if you start to experience significant side effects. If your tinnitus started or got seriously worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and talk to your doctor.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. These include some forms of:
- Antibiotics
- 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)
- Chemo
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This normally means that your tinnitus symptoms are being caused by high blood pressure. The blood flow in your inner ear is compromised when you have hypertension. Unregulated high blood pressure is also dangerous for your overall health. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, will get worse because of this.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Gym, Concert, or Work
If you leave a noisy place like a bar, concert, factory, 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 irreversible the more often you ignore them and skip using ear protection. And it’s frequently accompanied by hearing loss.
If you are going to be exposed to loud sound, use the following to protect your hearing:
- Wearing earplugs
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Giving your ears a regular break by going outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
Adhere to the rules pertaining to earmuffs and earplugs if you work in a noisy environment. They’re made to protect you, but they only work if you wear protective gear correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
We hope you wouldn’t dismiss facial paralysis irrespective of whether you have ringing in your ears. But when you have nausea, paralysis, 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
Do you have hearing loss that seems to get worse, then get better, then worse again? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this suggests you need to be evaluated for Meniere’s disease. This produces a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So you should get your hearing examined if you’re experiencing it. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.