Q: Why won't my ears stop ringing?

 

A: You have tinnitus. 

Tinnitus (pronounced ten-it-us) is just the medical term for a noise that occurs in one or both ears. Interestingly, the sound itself is not created by the ears. It is created in the brain. For example, if someone has to have the inner ear removed due to a cancer, they will have extremely loud tinnitus for a period of time, even thought they don’t have an inner ear any more.

Did you know? 

Tinnitus (ringing) often occurs in people who have hearing loss.

It has been theorized that the famous painter, Vincent van Gogh but off his ear due to tinnitus or possibly a disease called Meniere’s disease.

You might wonder, “What causes ringing in the ears?” Well, it can be any number of factors including, but not limited to: 

  • Injury to or pressure on the nerve in your inner ear.

  • Possible side-effect of certain medications. High doses of aspirin are known to cause this. 

  • Exposure to loud noises. Any earplugs will do. You just need to block or at least dampen loud environments.

  • Ear infections

  • Excess earwax (see my post about what to do here and see why I hate q-tips here)

  • High blood pressure

  • Although rare, sometimes it can be caused by a nervous system disorder 

  • Also rare, but at times it could be caused by interference of blood flow to the head through a narrowing in the arteries in the neck.  

The following can make your tinnitus symptoms worse: 

  • Smoking

  • Stress 

  • Anxiety 

 

Q: What if I hear something but it doesn’t sound like a “ringing”. 

A: Patients often describe tinnitus with words like “buzzing”, “clicking”, “hissing”, “roaring”, “whistling” or “crickets”. Really, it’s any noise that isn’t actually occurring or a sound that you hear when all else is quiet around you. A noise that doesn’t seem to stop. 

Q: How do you treat tinnitus? 

A: This is a tricky one. Believe me, I wish there was just a simple treatment. The treatment plan will depend entirely upon the cause of the ringing. Treatments can range anywhere from changing a medication that you’re currently on, to treating an infection, to getting a hearing aid.  It is not true that “there is no treatment for tinnitus”. There are many treatments, but not one that works 100% of the time.

It’s really impossible to begin treatment without a consultation. Please come and visit me if you’re suffering from this. We will design a custom management program tailored to the severity of the tinnitus, your hearing level, and the cause of the ringing. In the meantime, or if you’d like to try some things at home before making an appointment:

First try: 

  • Use earplugs when around machines or other loud noises (concerts, guns, etc.) 

  • Reduce caffeine and alcohol intake. 

  • If you smoke, stop. Tobacco is very harmful to the inner ear. We can help you quit. 

  • Reduce stress. 

Do not wait if you experience any of these symptoms. Please get help right away if: 

  • You think you might harm yourself or someone else, feel overly anxious or depressed.

  • Have sudden hearing loss in one or both of your ears.

  • Become severely dizzy.

                             



 
 

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Ear, Daily LifeErin Shellenbergerringing in ears, stress, smoking, loud noises, earwax, ear infection, high blood pressure, anxiety, buzzing, clicking, caffeine, alcohol, tobacco, tinnitus, ear