“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “Why won’t that noise stop?”
If you find yourself saying things like this, you may have tinnitus, a common hearing condition that causes you to hear noises or experience a sound that others don’t hear. You’re not alone. 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 might seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t disregard it. Tinnitus symptoms can often be a sign of something more significant going on in your body.
You should 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 people with tinnitus experience that ringing on a nearly constant basis.
This aggravating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship issues, insomnia, anxiety, and even depression.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus sound and something as simple as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. The constant ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who 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 stressed the louder the noise is and on and on.
If tinnitus is leading to these types of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it affects your quality of life. The noise can be decreased or eliminated with available treatment options.
2. After You Switched Medications, Your Ears Started to Ring
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors might try several different medications to deal with the same ailment. You might ask for an alternative solution if you start to experience significant side effects. Talk with your doctor and determine what the side effects are if you began experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. These include some kinds 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. Blurred Vision, Seizures, And Headache Come With Tinnitus Noises
This often indicates that your tinnitus symptoms are being triggered by high blood pressure. When you have hypertension, the blood circulation to your inner ear is compromised. Your general health is also in danger with high blood pressure. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, will worsen because of this.
4. You Only Hear it When Leaving a Concert, Gym, or Work
If you only hear the tinnitus after you leave a loud place such as a factory, concert, aerobics class, or bar, then the place you were just in had unsafe levels of noise. It becomes increasingly likely that these noises will become permanent the more often you disregard them and skip using ear protection. And it’s usually accompanied by hearing loss.
If you love a noisy night out, take precautions like:
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
- Wearing earplugs
- At least once every hour, step outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
If you work in a noisy place, adhere to work rules regarding earplugs and earmuffs. 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 dismiss facial paralysis. But when you have nausea, paralysis, headaches, and you also have tinnitus, it’s possible that you might 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 worsen, then get better, then worse again? Do you feel dizzy off and on? If these symptoms are taking place along with tinnitus, you might need to get evaluated for Menier’s disease. This leads to a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling caused by lack of balance will worsen if this condition is left untreated.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So you should have your hearing tested if you’re experiencing it. Contact us to set up an appointment.