“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “Make that noise stop!”
You may be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing affliction that manifests sounds in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. This is more common than you might think. Tinnitus is a condition that affects millions of individuals.
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 severity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be ignored. Something more serious may be the underlying 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
Some studies demonstrate that 26% of tinnitus sufferers cope with that ringing on a nearly constant basis.
Depression, anxiety, insomnia, and relationship problems are all possible consequences of this ever present ringing.
Something as easy as listening to your daughter share a recipe over the phone becomes a battle between her voice and the noise that overpowers it. The nonstop ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who asks you a question.
Constant ringing can become a vicious cycle. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more anxious and so on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these kinds of life challenges, it’s time to deal with 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. The Noise in Your Ears Manifests After You Switch Medications
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors might try numerous different medications to deal with the same ailment. Some of these will have side effects so severe that you may want to ask about alternatives. 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.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. These include some forms of:
- Antibiotics
- Chemo
- Opioids (Pain Killers)
- Over-the-counter painkillers (Tylenol, Aleve, Advil, and even aspirin) when taken several times a day for an extended period of time.
- Loop Diuretics
3. It Comes With Blurred Vision, Headache, or Seizures
This might be a sign that high blood pressure is causing your tinnitus. When you have hypertension, the blood flow to your inner ear is restricted. High blood pressure that goes unmanaged is also a risk to your general health. 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 setting such as a factory, concert, aerobics class, or bar, then the place you were just in had noise levels above safe levels. If you ignore this occasional tinnitus and don’t begin to safeguard your ears, it will most likely become constant over time. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you love a noisy night out, take precautions such as:
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Wearing earplugs
- Giving your ears a regular break by stepping into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once an hour
If you work in a loud place, follow work rules regarding earmuffs and earplugs. They’re made to protect you, but they only work if you wear protective gear correctly.
5. You Also Have Facial Paralysis
Whether you have ringing in your ears or not, you should never disregard 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? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this suggests you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. If left untreated, it frequently 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 get your hearing tested if you’re experiencing it. Get in touch with us to make an appointment for a hearing test.
