“What’s that ringing in my ears?” “Make that noise stop!”
You might be dealing with tinnitus, a common hearing condition that manifests noises in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of remarks. This is more common than you might think. Tinnitus is a condition that affects millions of people.
Ringing, pulsing, whistling, or buzzing are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Ringing in the ears might seem harmless, depending on its severity. But there are absolutely times when you shouldn’t neglect it. Something more serious might be the root cause of these noises.
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 indicate that 26% of tinnitus sufferers cope with that ringing on a nearly continuous basis.
This irritating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship issues, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
It can be a struggle between the tinnitus noise and something as basic as attempting to hear your friend give you a recipe over the phone. You may snap at your grandchild, who asks a simple question, because the ringing stresses you out.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this constant ringing. As your stress level rises, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If your tinnitus is leading to these kinds of life challenges, you shouldn’t ignore it. It’s real, and it impacts your quality of life. The noise can be reduced or eliminated with obtainable treatment options.
2. The Noise in Your Ears Starts After You Change Medications
Whether you have persistent back pain or cancer, doctors may try numerous different medications to manage the same ailment. You may ask for a different option if you begin to experience severe side effects. If your tinnitus started or got significantly worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Tinnitus might be caused by some common medications. Here are a few examples:
- 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.
- Chemo
- Loop Diuretics
- Antibiotics
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 dangerous for your total 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 only hear the tinnitus when you leave a noisy setting such as a concert, aerobics class, factory, or bar, then the place you were just in had noise levels above safe levels. If you neglect this occasional tinnitus and don’t start to protect your ears, it will most likely become permanent over time. And hearing loss will probably accompany it.
If you love a noisy night out, take precautions such as:
- Standing a little further away from loud speakers
- Wearing earplugs
- Giving your ears a periodic break by going into the restroom or outside, if possible, at least once an hour
If you work in a noisy environment, adhere to work rules pertaining to 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 ignore 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? When accompanied by tinnitus, this indicates you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. If left untreated, it often gets worse and might increase your risks of significant falls caused by lack of balance.
Hearing loss is often signaled by tinnitus. So if you are experiencing it, you should get your hearing checked more frequently. Call us to make an appointment.