Occasional Ringing In Ear
Millions of people suffer from ringing in their ears. Some hear it in one ear and other find both their ear ringing. Most people learn to live with it, but you can stop ringing in ears.
The condition is called Tinnitus, and is common. Constant tinnitus is irritating, stressful and can interfere with your concentration or sleep.With all these irritants, the good news is that Tinnitus is not life threatening condition.
Tinnitus is a medical term to explain random hearing of noises inside the ears without any external source of the noise. These noises can range from buzzing, hissing, ringing, humming, whistling or any other sound.
Tinnitus, which is a ringing in the ear that can be intermittent or continuous and vary in loudness, affects an estimated 50 million adults in the United States. While the most common cause of the condition is prolonged exposure to loud sounds, in some cases it can result from a sinus infection or sinusitis. Many people experience an occasional ringing (or roaring, hissing, buzzing, or tinkling) in their ears. The sound usually lasts only a few minutes. Ringing in the ears that does not get better or go away is called tinnitus. You may hear a sound, such as a ringing or roaring, that does not come from your surroundings (nobody else can hear it).
The ringing can be constant, intermittent or occasional. Each type of ear ringing may be caused by a variety of different reasons, but there are some common causes including, ear infection, sinus infection, wax, high blood pressure, damage to ear lining and other neural causes.
If you are suffering from constant ringing in one ear only for days, followed by dizziness or no dizziness, you can learn to deal with it to minimize its impact. In some cases you can completely stop the ringing.Causes of Ringing in One Ear
Though it is not very clear what causes ringing in one ear, occasionally High blood pressure, allergy or anemia can also cause sudden ringing in one ear or both. Other substances that may induce tinnitus are alcohol, caffeine, aspiring, antibiotics and some other drugs.
If you have suddenly realized the ringing during the past few days or weeks, then it may be most likely due to stuffy ear. It can either be wax or some sort of infection, but the long term ringing in one ear can be attributed to some sort of ear membrane damage or metabolic imbalances, nervous system issues, or circulatory problems. None of these things should be particularly be of real cause of concern.
However, one ear ringing can be serious in one case, particularly when the discomfort increase over a period of time and other symptoms emerge. In those cases, it may be worthwhile to exclude any tumor. This is rare but once you are clear that there is no tumor, it becomes easy to deal with the ringing.
How to Stop the Ringing?
You can deal with tinnitus with home remedies but perhaps you can't get rid of it for ever in most cases. Some lifestyle changes, giving up a few favorites such as coffee and Alcohol etc. and certain medication can help in reducing the impact of ringing in the ear.
Not a comprehensive list, but covering most of the items that can help you to reduce ringing are given below:
1. Mask the Noise:
It is more about diverting attention. trying to listen to the noises you like, so that the focus from the annoying ringing moves away. Masking the noise of ear ringing by other soothing sound like light music, is one of the best ways to stop ringing in one ear.
In fact, if you are driving or traveling, then listen to educational audio of your liking and choice. This will not only divert your attention ringing in ears, but also help you in learning new things.
2. Avoid Calm Places:
If ringing in your ears is already loud and constant then the calm and tranquil surroundings will make it worse. During the day time you can avoid such places, but the night time itself is calm. Sleeping can be disturbed. During the night when ringing in ear becomes more prominent due to quiet surrounding, a constant humming of humidifier or air conditioner can be very helpful in stopping the ringing sound in ear.
Even a constant running fan can mask the ringing. The regular patterns of noise created by any external source can easily distract you from the ear ringing so that you can sleep.
3. Take Rest
Stress can cause high blood pressure which can lead to ear ringing. Taking rest can calm you down and your blood pressure becomes normal. Yoga and meditation can help you to calm down. make it a regular practice. Get more rest.
Most of the methods discussed so far are basically using external sources to stop ringing in one ear or both, but there are some internal changes that can also help you to give a permanent long term solution of ringing ears.
4. Avoid Addictions
Addictions to caffeine, alcohol or nicotine can significantly increase ringing in ear. In fact they may be the real cause in some cases.
- Completely give up all caffeine containing food items, starting with giving up drinking coffee completely.
- No alcohol. Stop the alcohol consumption completely.
- Quit smoking. Nicotine actually retards blood circulation giving rise to the ringing in ear.
if your tinnitus was due to these addiction, then you will notice that your ringing in the ear has disappeared a few months after your giving up on these addictions. In fact it may happen in weeks.
If your ears have to work hard to hear, then the tinnitus can become worst. Therefore it is important to cure the hearing loss condition first. Since the part of the brain that functions to aid hearing will notice ringing as it works hard.
Even a mild hearing loss can exaggerate ringing in the ear. Correct it. All hearing losses cannot be cured completely but with hearing aids you can correct the defect.
If ear ringing has started after a head injury then you must call on your doctor because it may not be tinnitus. You should also consult your doctor if sudden ringing in one ear is followed by dizziness.
Otherwise Just learn to live with ringing in ear.
5. Correct Hearing Loss if Any
Just as a ringing bell can sound a warning, ringing in your ears can be a signal to pay attention to your body.
Ringing in your ears, or tinnitus, starts in your inner ear. Most often, it is caused by damage to or the loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea, or the inner ear.
Tinnitus can present in many different ways, including sounds related to the ocean, ringing, buzzing, clicking, hissing or whooshing. The sound can be in one or both ears, constant or occasional, loud or soft. Often, it is more noticeable at night when you're not distracted by work or family. It is often associated with hearing loss.
And it's more common than you might expect. Over the past year, about 10 percent of the U.S. adult population has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Hearing Disorders.
'It's not life threatening, and it is more of a symptom of other problems rather than a disease itself, but it can be debilitating,' says otolaryngologist Ashok Jagasia, MD, PhD. 'In some people, the distracting sound can cause depression, anxiety and/or insomnia.'
Causes of tinnitus
Why does tinnitus occur? The ringing actually comes from the part of your inner ear that looks like a snail shell called the cochlea. Changes in the cochlea's nerve activity could lead to tinnitus.
These changes can be caused by any of the following:
- Exposure to loud sounds — such as jackhammers, chainsaws and loud music
- A head injury or concussion
- Wax build-up in your ears
- Caffeine
- Many medications, including aspirin, ibuprofen, blood pressure medicines and some antibiotics
- Meniere's disease, a condition of the inner ear possibly related to fluids in the inner ear.
Coping with tinnitus
Though sometimes tinnitus will go away on its own, often it's there for the long haul.
While there is no cure, there are things you can try to help you cope. Here, Jagasia offers 10 strategies:
1. Consider cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
At CBT sessions, you will learn how to change your reaction to tinnitus through reframing the situation. CBT can also help the depression and anxiety caused by tinnitus, and teach you breathing and muscle relaxation techniques.
2. Be evaluated for hearing aids.
Hearing aids can boost the volume of external noises to mask the tinnitus. You may also benefit from hearing aids if an audiogram reveals that you have significant hearing loss.
3. Clear your ears of wax (just don't do it at home).
'Doctors can use a microscope and a small tool to remove ear wax,' Jagasia says. 'Do not try to remove it on your own — for yourself or your child. Trying to use a cotton swab to take it out actually tends to push the wax further in the ear canal and make things worse.'
In patients over the age of 60, we usually find some hearing loss with the ringing.
4. Create 'white noise.'
Creating a background hum, especially at night, can cancel out the sound you hear from tinnitus. For instance, in the winter, use a cool mist humidifier, and in the summer use a fan or air conditioner.
5. Play gentle music.
A quiet melody gives your brain something else to focus other than the ringing.
6. Avoid caffeine.
Caffeine can increase your blood pressure, making your tinnitus more noticeable.
7. Reconsider your medications.
'It's OK to take ibuprofen once in a while, but taking too much, too often can cause tinnitus. Maybe there are other ways to treat your pain,' Jagasia says.
8. Explore acupuncture.
Some people have reported relief with acupuncture and other alternative medical approaches.
9. Take lipoflavonoid.
Some people are helped by taking over-the-counter supplements of lipoflavinoid, or vitamin B6, for six to eight weeks.
10. Wear earplugs.
If you know you will be using or be exposed to noisy equipment — such as a chainsaw or lawnmower — use earplugs to prevent further damage.
When to seek help for tinnitus
If the ringing persists for several weeks, visit your primary care physician. You might be directed to an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist, who will order a hearing test called an audiogram.
'It helps us get a sense if there is nerve-related hearing loss associated with the tinnitus,' Jagasia says. 'In patients over the age of 60, we usually find some hearing loss with the ringing.'
See a doctor right away if you are feeling dizzy, experience complete hearing loss in one ear or have symptoms of vertigo along with the ringing — a combination of symptoms that could signal Meniere's disease.
Ringing In Ear Hearing Loss
Another potentially serious red flag: if you hear your heartbeat whooshing, which is known as pulsatile tinnitus. This sensation can be caused by more serious problems, including a benign tumor, middle ear infections, high blood pressure, blocked arteries or stroke. If it happens to you, Jagasia recommends calling your doctor as soon as possible.
Constant Ringing In Left Ear Only
'As we get older, it's common to start experiencing ringing in our ears at some point,' he says. 'Most often, it's not serious, but tinnitus can affect your day-to-day living. The good news is that we can teach our bodies to ignore it.'