Tinnitus is one of the worst house guests you could ever invite around. Unfortunately, the condition doesn’t even ask for your permission, announcing its presence with a strong “EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” as a greeting. Not the best.
Jokes aside, experiencing tinnitus for the first time and having it become a gradual or sustained issue can be a tought new reality for many people. Thankfully, there are many ways to mitigate it, and capable treatments that exist, such as sound masking and working with an audiologist for hearing aid support.
Tinnitus is often categorized as a form of hearing loss, but you don’t need hearing loss to experience tinnitus. Let’s discuss the lesser-spoken of contributors that may have caused the condition to appear now of all times:
Medications
There’s a pretty long list of medications that can play a part in triggering tinnitus, and not all of them are what people expect. Some antibiotics, antidepressants, or perhaps aspirin at higher doses, have been linked to the ringing sound. That’s not to say those meds are bad or harmful across the board, it’s more how certain people’s systems react. Sometimes the ringing fades once the medication is stopped, but not always. If the noise kicked in around the time a new prescription started, it’s worth flagging with a GP or pharmacist, not necessarily to sound the alarm, but just to understand what’s going on.
ENT Issues
The ears, nose and throat are connected which is why we have ENT doctors, meaning that problems in one area will generally to spill into another. Sinus infections, jaw tension, or a cold that sticks around uncomfortably can mess with how your ears handle pressure and sound.
That can leave behind a bit of ringing, hissing, or buzzing that sticks around after the original problem has cleared. In your case it may be from fluid build-up or inflammation, other times it’s a nerve issue. It can be frustrating because it’s not always clear where it’s coming from, but ENT-related problems is one of the more common hidden causes people miss, so ask your GP about it.
Ear Wax
A build-up of wax can have an effect on muffling hearing, as it can trap sounds, mess with pressure, and trigger tinnitus that sounds louder than it is. You may want to poke around with a cotton bud, but that usually pushes it in further. If it’s a wax issue, a proper ear cleaning, ideally done professionally, could actually take the edge off. It’s a guaranteed fix, but definitely something to rule out early on.
Photo by Photo By: Kaboompics.com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-doctor-doing-an-ear-examination-5206942/
