Are you hearing crackling in your ear? A disorder known as tinnitus can bring about many different noises in your ears including whooshing, buzzing, ringing, and crackling. Here is what you should know.
Ever hear crackling, thumping, and buzzing sounds that seem to come out of nowhere? In the case of someone who has hearing aids, it may mean they need to be adjusted and fitted. But if you don’t have hearing aids it might be tinnitus.
There’s much more to the ear than what you see on the outside. Here’s what it could mean when some of these more common sounds are playing in your ears.
I’m Hearing a Snap, Crackle, And Pop in my Ears But What’s The Cause?
We can tell you one thing – it’s not Rice Krispies. It’s not unusual to hear a popping or crackling sound when the pressure in your ear changes. This can happen because you had an altitude change, went underwater, or just yawned. These sounds are caused by a tiny part of your ear called the eustachian tube. The crackling is caused by mucus-lined passageways opening up, permitting air and fluid to move and equalize the pressure in your ears.
It’s a natural process, but sometimes, like if you’re dealing with inflammation from allergies, a cold, or an ear infection, your eustachian tubes can actually get clogged up from the overabundance of mucus in your system (don’t forget, that there’s a connection between your ears, throat, and nose). In extreme cases where decongestant sprays, chicken soup, or antibiotics don’t provide relief, a blockage may call for medical treatment like surgery.
I’m Hearing Vibration in my Ears – What Does That Mean?
Sometimes tinnitus is experienced as a vibration in the ears. Tinnitus is the medical name for a disorder that causes people to hear noises that have no external cause, like vibrations, inside of the ear. Most people will refer to it as a ringing in the ears and it manifests across the spectrum, from hardly there to debilitating.
What Should I do About Sounds in my Ear
Again, if you have hearing aids, you should first check those. You may hear these types of sounds for a number of reasons: your batteries are running low, the hearing aids aren’t correctly seated in your ears, the volume is too high, or your hair is rubbing up against it. If you don’t have hearing aids, accumulated earwax might be the problem.
It seems logical that too much wax could make it hard to hear and cause irritation or even inner ear infections, but how can earwax create a sound? If it’s touching your eardrum, it can actually hinder the eardrum’s ability to function, which is what causes the buzzing or ringing. Fortunately, managing earwax is usually pretty simple.
Reach out to us if you have unusual noises in your ears. We can check your hearing aid to make sure it’s functioning properly.
