It also can be roaring, clicking, buzzing, or other sounds. Some people who have tinnitus hear a more complex noise that changes over time. You may hear the noise constantly, or it may come and go. The sound could be ringing. It may also sound like blowing, roaring, clicking, buzzing, hissing, or humming. The noises can be soft or loud. They can be high pitched or low pitched. Tinnitus is not a disease itself.
Here are some other common causes of tinnitus:. Allergies, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, diabetes, tumors, and head injuries can also cause tinnitus. If you have a foreign object in your ear or a build-up of ear wax, you may also experience tinnitus. Your doctor will probably take a detailed medical history.
They will want to know about any medical conditions you may have and any history of infections. They will check your ears. They may give you a hearing test. They may also order other tests to find out what is causing your tinnitus.
Your doctor might refer you to an otolaryngologist. This is a doctor that specializes in the ear, nose, and throat also called an ENT doctor. To prevent tinnitus or keep it from getting worse, avoid long-term exposure to loud noises and activities that put you at risk for hearing loss. If you listen to music through headphones, keep the volume low. If you have tinnitus, avoid things that seem to make it worse. These may include nicotine, alcohol, or caffeine.
Treatment will depend on what is causing your tinnitus. If earwax is causing your tinnitus, your doctor will remove it. But never stop taking a prescription medicine without talking to your doctor first. If an underlying condition, such as high blood pressure, is causing your tinnitus, your doctor can create a treatment plan for you to follow. Usually, tinnitus goes away once the condition that is causing it is treated.
When no specific cause can be identified, your doctor will probably focus on making your tinnitus easier to tolerate. Some possible methods include:. For many people with tinnitus, the condition is just a mild distraction. But for some, tinnitus causes distress and negatively affects their quality of life. Hearing a rumbling sound in your ear is often a protective mechanism by your body. Sometimes, noises can be too loud and have the potential to damage your hearing.
The ear reduces this risk by contracting muscles inside the inner ear that reduce or muffle the sounds. These muscles work to pull the malleus a bone partially responsible for hearing in the ear away from the eardrum. This creates a dampening effect in the ear, which can create a rumbling sound. Sometimes, there are underlying medical causes that can create a rumbling sensation in the ear.
These include:. Sometimes, the rumbling sound is one you can control. A small subset of people are able to contract the tensor tympani muscles in their ear at will. Some people may do this without even realizing.
The ability to voluntarily contract the tensor tympani muscles may have additional benefits in addition to protecting the ear from loud inner noises. The ability to tense the muscles may also mask low-frequency sounds so a person can hear higher and often harder to hear high-frequency sounds that are higher in pitch.
Sometimes, this sound is ringing in the ears. Other times, this sound may be:. Doctors know that some people experience tinnitus due to abnormalities in the blood vessels while others experience problems with muscles in the ears. These muscles include the tensor tympani muscles. This may be true if it seems unrelated to activities like chewing or yawning.
Seeing your doctor or a hearing specialist called an audiologist can help. They can perform testing and recommend tinnitus treatments that may help the bothersome sounds go away.
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