Ringing In Ears

What is ringing in ears?

Ringing in your ears is either a pulsing or constant sound that seems to come from inside your head. It’s also called tinnitus and can be a symptom of an underlying condition. 

Thankfully, tinnitus typically isn’t a warning sign of anything serious or life-threatening. Still, ringing in your ears can be bothersome and distracting. The Professional Hearing Center team specializes in diagnosing and treating tinnitus that doesn’t get better with time or presents other bothersome symptoms. 

There are two main types of tinnitus with separate characteristics:

Pulsatile tinnitus

Pulsatile tinnitus takes on a rhythmic sound that is somewhat similar to your heartbeat. It comes from muscle movements near your ear or certain vascular problems in your face and neck.

Nonpulsatile tinnitus

Nonpulsatile tinnitus is a constant ringing sound with no pulse. It often comes from nerve damage of some kind and occurs in either one or both ears. 

What causes ringing in ears?

Tinnitus has many possible causes, including short-term events or loud sounds and long-term health conditions that require treatment. 

One of the most common causes of ear ringing is damage to the tiny hair cells of your inner ears. The hairs within your ears move in response to sound waves that come into contact with them, allowing you to perceive sound. If these hairs are bent or broken, they can mistakenly send signals to your brain even with no outside stimuli. 

Other common causes of ringing in ears are:

• Loud noise exposure
• Old age
• Malnutrition
• Head or neck trauma
• Built-up earwax
• Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder
• Meniere’s disease
• Atherosclerosis
• High blood pressure
• Certain medications

In some cases, ear ringing has no apparent cause. While tinnitus isn’t always foreseeable or preventable, you can reduce your chances of getting it by using hearing protection in loud settings and maintaining your cardiovascular health.

How is ringing in ears treated?

At Professional Hearing Center, the team asks about the ringing in your ears and any possible causes that you can identify on your own. They perform a brief evaluation and an audiological exam to test your hearing. 

If your ear ringing comes from another health condition, treating the issue may relieve your ear ringing. Otherwise, the team might recommend one or more of the following treatments:

• Impacted earwax removal
• Medication adjustments
• White noise machine
• Hearing aids
• Tinnitus retraining device and counseling

Like white noise machines, some of these treatments aim to mask or drown out the ringing instead of stopping it entirely. Over time, you might find that treatments like these alleviate secondary problems to ear ringing like insomnia. 

If you have ringing in your ears that doesn’t cease with time, call the nearest Professional Hearing Center to you or book an appointment online today.