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Causes of Ringing Ears – How Come I Have Ringing in My Ears?
When you have tinnitus, the first question that you may ask is that where is this annoying sound coming from. You may also wonder why the person sitting beside you does not hear it when both of you are in the same environment. So really, what are the causes of ringing ears?
But first, let us define tinnitus. It is the perception of sound in the ears or head where there is no outside source. This means only the sufferer can hear it (although there are limited cases where the unwanted can be heard through a stethoscope). Besides a ringing noise, there are other sounds associated with it, and these include humming, hissing, buzzing, roaring, clicking, whistling, and chirping noises.
The unwanted sound actually originates from inside the body. Generally, it comes as a symptom of an underlying medical condition. Thus, it is a misconception that tinitus is an infection or disease of sorts. On the other hand, it is much like fever that signals the presence of an unhealthy condition. It just means than its cause must be determined with the help of tests that your doctor will conduct.
There are different conditions that are associated with ringing in the ears. The most common are noise-induced cochlear damage, stress, sinusitis or allergic reactions, and Meniere’s Disease.
As the term implies, noise-induced cochlear damage is brought about by repeated exposure of the ears to loud noise. Activities like listening to MP3 player at a high volume and going to concerts frequently without using any ear protection device all contribute to your cochlea getting damaged. To avoid this from happening, you can still enjoy doing these activities with the help of some preventive measures. One is to set the volume of your MP3 player to not more than 60% of its maximum volume. Another is to wear earplugs and not staying near the speakers when attending concerts.
Stress is also a common cause of the ear ringing, hence, efforts should be made to have it managed properly. Make sure that you have time for relaxation. Stay away from counterproductive relaxation activities such as smoking and excessive drinking, though. Treatments like counseling, hypnotherapy, meditation, and acupressure can also help you manage and control stress.
Further conditions that are known causes of ringing ears include presbycusis or age-related hearing loss, earwax impaction, acoustic neuroma, head trauma, muscle tension, hyperthyroidism, vitamins B12 deficiency, hypertension, and atherosclerosis.
