What Does It Mean When Your Ears Ring?
Medically reviewed by John Carew, MD
When your ears ring, it can mean you have a simple blockage or minor infection, but it can also be a sign of a serious condition or the first indication that you're experiencing hearing loss.
There are at-home treatments for some issues, but you should see an ear, nose, and throat specialist if your symptoms are severe or persist.
This article explains common causes of ear ringing and how they are treated.
Excess Ear Wax
Believe it or not, something as simple as too much ear wax can cause your ears to ring. This is due to blockage of the ear canal. The ringing goes away once the ear wax is removed.
You should avoid trying to remove the ear wax yourself. Seeking professional help from your care provider is the safest option.
If you try to remove the ear wax yourself, you should avoid ear candling. Over-the-counter ear wax removal aids should not be used by anyone who has had surgically placed ventilation tubes in their ears or who might have a ruptured eardrum.
Middle Ear Infection
Middle ear infections, also called otitis media, occur when the eustachian tube becomes swollen or inflamed from various conditions such as allergies or common colds.
Middle ear infections are more common in children than adults due to the size and shape of a child's eustachian tube, but ear infections in adults do occur. If the ringing in your ears is being caused by a middle ear infection you will likely have other symptoms as well, and the ringing will go away when the infection clears up. Some ear infections may require treatment with antibiotics.
Other symptoms may include:
Fever
Ear pain
Hearing loss
Vertigo
Hearing Loss
The older you get the more hearing you lose and the more likely you are to experience ringing in your ears. Of course, getting older isn't the only cause of hearing loss. Exposure to loud noises over a prolonged period of time is a big culprit of hearing loss and can result in tinnitus. This type of hearing loss is usually permanent.
Related: Hearing Loss Causes in Adults: What to Know
Exposure to Loud Noise
Ear ringing that appears after you've attended a concert or been to a shooting range can be pretty easy to pinpoint, but you may be surprised to know that prolonged exposure to noises even 80 decibels or more can cause ear ringing and subsequent hearing loss.
Takeaway
Even listening to your earbuds with the volume too high can damage your hearing. Other noises that are louder than 80 decibels include the kitchen blender, a motorcycle engine, a lawnmower, chain saws, hand drills, blow dryers, and shouting.
Loud noises damage the tiny hair cells in the cochlea that are essential for hearing. Once damaged, unfortunately, these cells never recover.
The only good news? Noise-induced hearing loss is very preventable and ear ringing is one of the first symptoms of hearing loss. To prevent hearing loss, turn down the volume, wear earplugs, and limit your exposure to loud noise.
Changes in Blood Flow
Changes in blood flow, such as high blood pressure, can cause ear ringing. Sometimes changes in blood flow can cause a type of ear ringing called pulsatile tinnitus, which has the sensation of your heart beating in your ears. Less commonly, pulsatile tinnitus can also be caused by tumors in or around the ear.
If the ear ringing is caused by high blood pressure, talk to your healthcare provider about ways you can treat it.
Takeaway
Tinnitus can be broken down into two major types: pulsatile and non-pulsatile.
Meniere's Disease
Meniere's disease is a poorly understood condition that usually affects only one ear. In addition to tinnitus, it causes vertigo (severe dizziness and poor balance), headaches, hearing loss, nausea, and vomiting.
The cause of Meniere's disease is unknown but there may be a genetic component and many people with Meniere's disease have a history of migraine headaches.
Although there is no cure for Meniere's disease, there are treatments available to help manage symptoms of the condition. Ringing in the ears may become permanent as the disease progresses.
Related: Signs and Symptoms of Meniere's Disease
Medications
Certain medications can cause ringing in your ears. They include:
Anti-inflammatory agents: When taken in high doses or for a long time, medications like aspirin and NSAIDs can cause tinnitus. If you experience ringing in your ears and you have been taking these medications, you should stop immediately.
Antimicrobial agents: Antibiotics like gentamicin, doxycycline, and vancomycin may cause ototoxicity and tinnitus. However, the list of ototoxic medications is long. If you have recently started a new medication and start to experience tinnitus you should talk to your healthcare provider.
Nasal decongestants: Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) can raise your blood pressure and cause tinnitus.
Takeaway
Medications that are actually harmful to your ears are called ototoxic. Ototoxic medications can damage your inner ear and cause hearing loss.
Related: Ototoxic Drugs That Can Cause Hearing Loss
Blood Vessel Disorders
Conditions that affect blood vessels can lead to pulsatile tinnitus. Atherosclerosis, a chronic disease that causes plaque to build up inside the arteries, can limit blood flow to parts of the body including the neck and head. This can cause a rhythmic thumping or whooshing sound in one or both ears.
Malformations in blood vessels near the ears, such as aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations, can also cause pulsatile tinnitus. In such cases, surgery is required to treat the underlying condition.
Chronic Conditions
Other chronic conditions that can cause tinnitus include:
Head and Neck Injuries
Mild to severe head or neck trauma may cause tinnitus. This includes concussions, skull fractures, a blood clot in the brain, or a brain bleed. These types of injuries can result from motor vehicle accidents, falls, contact sports, and violence.
Treatment depends on the type of injury and the severity of the condition. Depending on the cause, tinnitus may be temporary or permanent.
Ruptured Eardrum
A ruptured eardrum can be caused by an ear infection, ear injury, loud noise, or sudden change in air pressure. This can result in tinnitus, hearing loss, ear pain, and discharge from the affected ear. This condition should be assessed by a medical professional.
In many cases, a ruptured eardrum gets better on its own within a couple of months. Hearing usually returns to normal once the lesion has healed. However, if symptoms persist or an ear infection develops, treatment may be required.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Disorder
Tinnitus is a common symptom linked to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder. That's because the jaw joint is located near the ears. Other symptoms may include ear pain and/or stuffiness.
For many people, TMJ symptoms are temporary. TMJ conditions may be treated using self-care practices, physical therapy, and medications. In severe cases, TMJ surgery may be necessary.
Other Causes of Ear Ringing
You may also experience ear ringing in these conditions:
Stress
Smoking
Related: What Does Crackling in Your Ear Mean?
When to See a Healthcare Professional
See your healthcare provider if your tinnitus is:
Regular or constant
Getting worse
Characterized by a rhythmic whooshing or thumping sound
Takeaway
You should seek immediate medical attention if you:
Develop tinnitus after a head injury
Have tinnitus accompanied by sudden hearing loss, facial weakness, or a spinning sensation
Summary
Tinnitus, or ringing in the ears, can be caused by a range of conditions including earwax build-up, middle ear infection, changes in blood flow, exposure to loud noises, hearing loss, medications, and certain chronic diseases. Depending on the underlying cause, tinnitus may be temporary or permanent. If you experience tinnitus regularly and/or have other symptoms, it's important to get it checked out right away.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
