If you’ve ever thought, “Why do I hear ringing in my ears?” you likely wonder what causes it and how you can treat it.
Kirsten Mosko, AuD, is an audiologist in our Cincinnati market. She sees patients with a full range of hearing loss issues because of age, genetic factors, noise-induced and those caused by drugs or chemicals.
If you are experiencing hearing loss or are wondering why you hear ringing in your ears, make an appointment with an audiologist like Kirsten or an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist.
What is tinnitus?
Ear ringing, or tinnitus, is the sensation of sound when no external sound is present. The high-pitched sound is something only you can hear. In rare cases, the sound can even rhythmically pulsate, called pulsatile tinnitus.
People also say tinnitus is like sound waves, with ups and downs of whooshing or throbbing in one or both ears.
What causes tinnitus?
Many causes of tinnitus exist. Often, hearing loss and tinnitus go hand in hand.
“Humming, static, buzzing or ringing in the ears is often related to hearing damage,” Kirsten says. “Our team of audiologists would first perform a hearing test on a patient. This sometimes could include additional exams with our ENT providers.”
Why do I hear ringing in my ears?
Ringing in your ears is, unsurprisingly, most often an ear-related issue.
“Most common is that there is damage to the inner ear from noise, age and even medications or drugs,” Kirsten shares. “Too much earwax in the ear canal, infections or fluid behind the eardrum can also contribute to tinnitus.”
However, other causes exist that aren’t related to your ears. Metabolic disorders like thyroid problems, high blood pressure and diabetes can also explain why you hear ringing in your ears.
Kirsten adds, “The good news is that there is a lot of research around what is causing tinnitus. One way to look at it is that it’s a change in how the brain works. This hearing loss is similar to the way the body processes a missing leg, and the person experiences phantom limb pain. Basically, the brain loses hearing for specific frequencies and tries to fill in the missing gaps.”
Is tinnitus permanent or temporary?
Temporary tinnitus can result from short-term exposure to loud music, such as a concert, without hearing protection. Usually, this improves over several days but can occasionally take weeks to resolve.
However, more permanent tinnitus can be age-related hearing loss or can occur with repeated exposure to damaging noise over time. Typically, this happens to people in noise-heavy environments, like factories with loud machinery, construction sites or military veterans with artillery or jet engines exposure.
Tinnitus can also be a side effect of taking certain medications, especially in high doses.
How to keep tinnitus from worsening
If you find tinnitus intrusive or bothersome, it can affect your quality of life.
For example, tinnitus can compromise sleep quality by preventing you from falling asleep. Following a conversation is another difficulty. As with many medical conditions, prevention is the first step in avoiding tinnitus.
To protect your hearing and reduce the risk of tinnitus in the future, you should wear hearing protection in noisy environments.
“I always recommend people protect their ears around loud noise, such as operating heavy machinery (including mowing the yard), at shooting ranges and during concerts,” Kirsten shares.
Costs can vary significantly depending on what type of hearing protection you choose. Basic foam earplugs can be less than a dollar. On the higher end, earplugs with noise-filtering functions can range from $20 to more than $200 for custom-made designs.
How to treat tinnitus
Choosing the correct treatment for tinnitus depends on several factors, such as how much the tinnitus is affecting you and the primary cause of tinnitus.
“The good news is that if you develop tinnitus from hearing loss, correction of that loss with a hearing aid can help,” Kirsten says. “However, if it is associated with a balance disorder, we need to look at an appropriate therapy to treat it.”
Kirsten adds that treatment often depends on the level of tinnitus you have.
“If it’s mild or only bothersome in quiet environments, we may not suggest hearing aids and instead suggest noise suppression techniques,” she says. “These include white noise machines, turning on a fan or playing music at a low volume to mask the tinnitus. More intrusive and severe cases may need counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy and developing coping strategies.”
How we can help
Many people wonder, “Why do I hear ringing in my ears?” If you are experiencing tinnitus symptoms, schedule a hearing test with an audiologist.
Following the test, an ENT provider may evaluate you to check for conditions such as fluid behind the ear, impacted wax or a vascular issue that may be the underlying cause.
“For my patients, I perform a comprehensive hearing test and may augment this with further procedures such as tympanometry or acoustic reflex thresholds,” Kirsten explains. “We then discuss the findings, outline the most likely diagnoses and discuss any further studies or steps needed, such as imaging or balance testing, treatment, amplification and follow-up.”
Learn more about the ear, nose and throat services we offer at Mercy Health.
