“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “Why won’t that noise stop?”
You may be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing affliction that manifests noises in your ears that no one else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. You’re not by yourself. Tinnitus is a condition that impacts 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 intensity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be ignored. Tinnitus symptoms can frequently be a sign of something more significant taking place in your body.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you should take seriously.
1. The Ringing in Your Ears is Affecting The Quality of Your Life
26% of individuals who have tinnitus experience symptoms constantly, according to some studies.
This frustrating, ever-present noise can lead to all kinds of relationship troubles, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
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 constant ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a family member who asks you a question.
A vicious cycle can be the result of this constant ringing. 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 your tinnitus is leading to these types of life struggles, you shouldn’t neglect it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. 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 Change Medications
Doctors may try various different medications to manage the same ailment whether you have cancer or chronic pain. You may ask for an alternative if you start to experience significant side effects. Talk with your doctor and find out what the side effects are if you started experiencing tinnitus symptoms after starting a new medication.
Tinnitus may be caused by some common medications. Here are a few examples:
- 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’s Accompanied by Headache, Blurred Vision, or Seizures
This normally means that your tinnitus symptoms are being triggered by high blood pressure. When you have hypertension, the blood flow to your inner ear is restricted. Unregulated high blood pressure is also a risk to your overall health. Age related hearing loss, as time passes, will get worse because of this.
4. You Always Seem to be Leaving Work, The Gym, or a Concert When You Hear it
If you leave a noisy place like a factory, bar, concert, or fitness class, and you begin to hear tinnitus noises, you were probably exposed to unsafe noise levels 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 neglect using ear protection. And hearing loss will probably accompany it.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to safeguard your hearing:
- At least once an hour, go outside or into the restroom to give your ears a break
- Using earplugs
- Not standing too close to the speakers
Adhere to the rules pertaining to earplugs and earmuffs if you work in a loud setting. They’re designed 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 dismiss facial paralysis. But when the tinnitus symptoms are come along with paralysis, headaches, and nausea, this might be a sign of a slow-growing benign brain tumor called an acoustic neuroma.
6. Fluctuating Hearing Loss is Accompanying Tinnitus
Do you experience hearing loss that seems to get worse, then get better, then worse again? Are you sometimes dizzy? If these symptoms are occurring along with tinnitus, you might need to get screened for Menier’s disease. This causes a fluid imbalance in your ears. Your risk of falling caused by lack of balance will worsen if this disorder is left untreated.
Tinnitus is frequently a sign of hearing loss. So if you’re experiencing it, you should have your hearing examined more frequently. Contact us to make an appointment.