“What’s that annoying sound in my ears?” “How can I make that noise go away?”
You might be suffering from tinnitus, a common hearing disorder that manifests sounds in your ears that nobody else can hear, if you find yourself making these types of statements. This is more common than you might think. Millions of individuals have this disorder.
Ringing, buzzing, pulsing, or whistling are the noises that the majority of people describe.
Ringing in the ears may seem harmless, depending on its severity. But tinnitus shouldn’t always be disregarded. Tinnitus symptoms can often be a sign of something more significant going on in your body.
Here are 6 tinnitus symptoms you need to take seriously.
1. Your Quality of Life is Being Affected by The Ringing in Your Ears
26% of individuals who suffer from tinnitus experience symptoms constantly, based on some studies.
This aggravating, ever-present noise can result in all kinds of relationship problems, anxiety, insomnia, and even depression.
Something as easy as listening to your daughter share a recipe on the phone becomes a battle between her voice and the noise that overshadows it. The constant ringing has stressed you out to the point where you snap at a member of the family who simply asks you a question.
A vicious cycle can be the outcome of this continuous ringing. As your stress level goes up, the ringing gets louder. Loud noise makes you more nervous and so on.
If tinnitus is contributing to these types of life challenges, it’s time to address it. It’s real, and it affects your quality of life. There are treatment choices that can considerably reduce or get rid of the noise in your ears.
2. After You Changed Medications, Your Ears Began to Ring
Whether you have chronic back pain or cancer, doctors may try several different medications to deal with the same condition. Some of these will have side effects so extreme that you may want to ask about alternate options. If your tinnitus began or got seriously worse after you started a new medication, check that list of side effects and speak with your doctor.
Some common medications might cause tinnitus. These include some kinds of:
- Antibiotics
- 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
3. Headache, Seizures, And Blurred Vision Come With Tinnitus Noises
This normally means that your tinnitus symptoms are being caused by high blood pressure. The blood circulation in your inner ear is restricted when you suffer from hypertension. Your general health is also in danger with high blood pressure. As time passes, it may cause or worsen age-related hearing loss.
4. You Always Seem to be Leaving Work, The Gym, or a Concert When You Hear it
If you only hear the tinnitus after you leave a loud setting such as a concert, aerobics class, factory, or bar, then the place you just left had noise levels above safe levels. If you ignore this episodic tinnitus and don’t start to safeguard your ears, it will likely become permanent over time. And hearing loss will usually accompany it.
If you’re going to be exposed to loud noise, use the following to protect your hearing:
- Giving your ears a periodic break by stepping outside or into the restroom, if possible, at least once every hour
- Not standing too close to the speakers
- Using earplugs
Follow the rules regarding earmuffs and earplugs if you work in a noisy 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 headaches, paralysis, 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
Are you experiencing hearing loss that comes and goes? Are you sometimes dizzy? When accompanied by tinnitus, this means you need to be screened for Meniere’s disease. This makes your ears get a fluid imbalance. Your risk of falling due to lack of balance will worsen if this condition is left untreated.
Tinnitus is often a sign of hearing loss. So if you’re experiencing it, you should get your hearing examined more frequently. Contact us to make an appointment.
