At some point, you have probably had ringing in one or both of your ears. Ringing in the ears is sometimes a signal that you need to pay attention to your body. If you hear this ringing more often, you know how distracting and bothersome it can be. You should also know that it’s distinctly different from the random phantom sounds you hear when standing up too fast or while dealing with a headache. While often it’s not something to worry about, let us have a look at the most common causes of it.
One reason for why your ears ring is due to tinnitus. Tinnitus, the continuous sound in one or both of your ears, starts in the inner ear either due to damage or to loss of the sensory hair cells found in the cochlea. It can be present in many different ways, including sounds like buzzing, hissing, clicking, or whooshing. It is usually associated with hearing loss. Hearing a continuous ringing in the ears is usually a side effect of hearing loss and is typically an early indication of it. The resulting ringing you may hear doesn’t happen in your ears. It happens in your brain. It might come and go, and some people find it worse at night.
Hearing loss usually reduces the ability of the brain to interpret the sounds. Because tinnitus changes the input to your brain, your brain starts to misinterpret what is there, resulting in the perception of other sounds. It tries to make up for the hearing loss by increasing the activity in the nerve cells responsible for high-pitched sounds, and this causes you to hear the sounds that are not there.
If you are experiencing tinnitus, pinpointing the cause helps in stopping it. Here are some of the reasons why people have ringing in their ears and what triggers it.
1. Ear infections are the common causes of tinnitus. There are different types of ear infections, but middle ear infections (otitis media) and inner ear infections are more likely to cause ear ringing. Bacteria and viruses can also damage the hair cells of the ear, causing ear ringing.
2. Loud noises damage the hair cells and lead to tinnitus. Repeated exposure to loud noises, whether from listening to loud music or noise related to your job, can sometimes lead to permanent hearing loss. Tinnitus is a warning sign that the noise around you is too loud and will harm your ears.
3. Ear wax might lead to ear ringing. Any object stuck in your ear starts to push against your eardrum and irritates the hair cells.
4. Neck and head injuries change the way your brain processes sound. Some people experience tinnitus after one of these injuries because they damage the auditory nerves, which connect the hair cells to the brain. That’s why ear ringing takes place.
5. The side effects of some medications could also lead to ear ringing. Taking high doses of high blood pressure medications and certain antibiotics can cause tinnitus.
If you develop ringing in the ears, make sure to review the medication list you are using with your healthcare provider to see if any of these medications might be the cause.
6. A change to your blood pressure, caused by pregnancy, exercise, or hypertension, may indicate you have pulsatile tinnitus. This means when you hear a rhythmic or pulsing noise that syncs with your heartbeats.
There is no cure for tinnitus, but there are ways and methods that help to reduce the triggers and cope with all the irritation and discomfort it can cause.