Why ringing in your ears and what to do about it
Miscellaneous / / November 03, 2021
An unpleasant sensation can indicate dangerous complications.
Tinnitus is one of the most common cases of tinnitus. This is what doctors callTinnitus: Ringing in the ears and what to do about it / Harvard Health any phantom sounds, such as clicking or humming, that no one else hears except the person suffering from them.
Why ringing in my ears
In fact, the strange, high-pitched sound is a fantasy of the brain. The appearance of such sensations is associatedTinnitus: Ringing in the ears and what to do about it / Harvard Health malfunctioning of the hearing aid.
Sound waves travel through the ear canal to the eardrum, and from there they travel to the inner ear - including a tiny organ called the auditory cochlea. Its surface is lined with hair cells. They convert sound waves into electrical signals, which travel through the auditory nerve to the part of the cerebral cortex responsible for the perception of sounds. brain.
If the hair cells are damaged or something is interfering with the passage of sound waves, the brain does not receive the expected signals. And, still trying to detect them, it enhances the activity of auditory neurons. The result is electrical noise called tinnitus. And neurons can also be activated by themselves if there is a malfunction in the auditory zone of the brain.
Here are the main reasons why it ringsTinnitus: 5 Strange Reasons for Ringing Ears / Cleveland Clinic in the ears.
1. Strong acoustic impact
What it is, everyone knows who has been to concerts, mowed grass with a powerful lawn mower, worked on a noisy machine or listened to loud music on headphones.
Strong acoustic impact can damageTinnitus: Ringing in the ears and what to do about it / Harvard Health hair cells. Therefore, a person can hear ringing in the ears when it ends.
2. Complete silence around
Silence is really ringing. This happens when there is so much no sound around that the brain cannot believe it and therefore strainsTinnitus: Stopping the Sound in Your Head / University of Rochester neurons responsible for auditory perception. With predictable, ringing consequences.
3. Sulfur plug or foreign object in the ear
Earwax, if abundant, can almost completely block the ear canal. The same can be done by accidentally hitting a foreign object.
In this case, the brain does not receive the usual sound signals, and the ears begin to ring.
4. Ear infections
Otitis (this is the general name for any inflammatory processes in the ear) leadsTinnitus / Mayo Clinic to the fact that the ear canal swells and narrows greatly. This makes it difficult for sound waves to travel and can lead to a ringing sensation in the ears.
5. Medicines with ototoxic side effects
The root "oto" from Greek means ear, and the word "toxic" does not need translation. Such drugs, due to their constituent substances, can damage or completely destroy hair cells.
Many popular drugs, including those sold without a prescription, have an ototoxic effect. It can beTinnitus: Ringing in the ears and what to do about it / Harvard Health:
- pain relievers based on ibuprofen, naproxen, or acetylsalicylic acidBy the way, doctor: Could aspirin cause hearing loss? / Harvard Health Publishing;
- some antibiotics, including tetracycline and erythromycin;
- anti-malaria drugs;
- certain anticonvulsants;
- loop diuretics (diuretics);
- some drugs used to treat cancer;
- tricyclic antidepressants.
6. Age
WITH age hair cells begin to die off, so the functions of the auditory areas of the brain may be impaired.
7. Head or neck injury
Any part of the hearing aid can be damaged by a blow or an unsuccessful fall: the cochlea, the auditory nerve, or the areas of the brain responsible for the perception of sounds. Obsessive ringing in the ears is sometimes the result of such injuries.
8. Acoustic neuroma and other head tumors
Acoustic neuroma is a benign, slow-growing brain tumor that affectsAcoustic Neuroma (Vestibular Schwannoma) / Johns Hopkins Health System vestibular and auditory nerve. The most common and frequent symptom is complete hearing loss on the affected side. But sometimes acoustic neuroma causesTinnitus / Mayo Clinic shrill ringing in one ear.
Other tumors of the head, neck or brain can also cause similar sensations.
9. Meniere's disease
This is a disease of the inner ear that affects the cochlea and vestibular apparatus. The main symptom is dizziness. But Meniere's disease is sometimes accompanied byTinnitus / Mayo Clinic and ringing in the affected ear.
10. Other disorders and chronic diseases
In rare cases, a ringing variant of tinnitus can lead to:
- hypertension;
- diabetes;
- diseases of the thyroid gland;
- anemia;
- migraine;
- autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic red lupus.
What to do if your ears ring
Tinnitus is not an independent disease, but a symptomTinnitus / American Speech ‑ Language ‑ Hearing Association (ASHA) some kind of malfunction in the hearing aid.
If the failure is small (for example, after leaving a loud concert), the tinnitus will go away on its own in a few minutes or hours. But if ringing in the ears appears regularly for no obvious reason or persistsTinnitus / Mayo Clinic within a week, it is worth consulting with a therapist or otolaryngologist.
Do not wait, but see a doctor immediately if:
- ringing in the ears appeared against the background of constant dizziness and hearing loss;
- Phantom sounds make you feel very anxious or depressed.
- lingering ringing aroseTinnitus / NHS after hitting the head;
- ringing in the ears is accompanied by weakness of the facial muscles.
Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms, do a physical exam, and try to determine the cause of your tinnitus. And then he will suggest treatment options.
For example, if the ringing is caused by sulfur plug, the doctor will remove it. If you are taking medications with possible ototoxic effects, alternative remedies will be available for you. If you suspect age-related changes, your doctor will recommend a hearing aid.
Small lifestyle changes can also help manage obsessive tinnitus. The medic may suggestTinnitus / NHS following:
- master relaxation techniques, such as learning to breathe deeply, start meditate or do yoga;
- try to normalize sleep, that is, sleep at least 8 hours a day, stay up after midnight and give up stimulants such as caffeine;
- avoiding stress and loud background noises (for example, giving up the habit of listening to loud music).
Sometimes the cause of obsessive tinnitus cannot be found, and lifestyle correction does not help. In such cases, they try to mask the ringing in the ears using a white noise generator. This device is worn on the ear like a hearing aid. It constantly produces subtle white noise, which reduces the volume and intensity of ringing.
How to prevent tinnitus
This is not always possible. For example, you cannot stop aging or insure against autoimmune diseases.
Nonetheless, tinnitus prevention measures that reduce the risk do exist.Tinnitus / Mayo Clinic:
- Give up the habit of listening to music at high volumes. Especially with headphones.
- Wear ear protectors if you have to work or go to places where there is a lot of constant loud noise.
- Lead an active lifestyle, watch your diet. This will strengthen the body and reduce the likelihood of developing various diseases.
- Try to reduce your intake alcohol, coffee, nicotine or refuse them. These substances are bad for the cardiovascular system and can sometimes provoke tinnitus.
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Author and editor of articles on health, psychology, sexology. I have been working in medical journalism for over 15 years. I rely on the principles of docmed, love and know how to search and analyze relevant research in world scientific journals. I try to write about the most complex diseases in a simple and accessible way. I believe that understanding the mechanism of the development of the disease means taking the first step towards recovery.
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