As you probably know, prolonged periods of stress are not healthy for the body. When you suffer from persistent stress, everything from serious muscle aches to headaches can be the result. But tinnitus, a clicking, buzzing, or ringing in the ears can also be the result.
Tinnitus can be caused by various different health factors, such as stress, sinus infections, or loud sounds. Let’s have a look at several potential causes of that aggravating noise in your ears.
Unhealthy Stress – How to Identify it
You might be asking yourself how stress contributes to tinnitus. We typically don’t consider the negative influence stress can have on our bodies or how it can cause troublesome, painful, or even serious medical problems. Ignoring stress isn’t a good idea.
Healthy Stress
Stress that persists a few minutes, or even a few hours, can actually be helpful in getting necessary tasks completed. If you’re dealing with a deadline and have to focus on completing a project, stress can be an ally by giving the boost of energy necessary to finish the job.
But temporary, healthy stress and long term, unhealthy stress are two completely different things. The ability to complete goals can be helped by healthy stress while unhealthy stress can physically harm you.
Unhealthy Stress
Unhealthy stress is caused by the fear of something that, in most cases, never actually happens. Unhealthy stress is produced when an individual remains in a heightened state of anxiety for a long period of time.
Unhealthy stress is associates with our “fight or flight” response, a natural reaction that helps keep us safe in dangerous situations. When a person stays in a hyper-stressful state for an extended period, it can result in harmful physical symptoms.
Worrying
Worrying is a very common cause of unhealthy stress. The significance of a relationship or situation can often be exaggerated. We might have ourselves convinced that we said or did something to ruin our chances at a promotion. Unreasonable worrying can cause intrusive, apparently uncontrollable thoughts.
Invasive Thoughts And Unhealthy Stress
We may believe that we are falling behind and failing to fulfill our day-to-day routine. We might obsess, talk to ourselves, or even panic. Ultimately, our unhealthy stress wears on our bodies if we don’t take steps to curtail these thoughts.
Typically, unhealthy stress impacts the upper part of the body by causing muscle tension and pain. Affected areas could include the jaw, neck, head, or shoulders.
Anger And Jaw Tension
Have you ever heard someone depict their anger as jaw clenching? Stress, worry, anger, and intrusive thoughts often come with jaw tension.
Continuous tension can put pressure on the fragile bones of the eardrum and inner ear. Over time, this strain can lead to ringing in your ears.
Ear Strain And Sinus Infections
From sore throats to stuffy noses, sinus infections bring about lots of unwelcome symptoms.
Sinus pressure, headaches, and pressure in the ears are typical symptoms of a sinus infection. A buzzing, clicking and ringing can be the outcome.
A stuffy nose frequently spreads to the ears during the course of a sinus infection. Blockage in the ears and severe pressure on the eardrum will develop because of the accumulated earwax this creates. Pressure on the fragile bones of the inner ear can cause tinnitus symptoms.
If the ringing is caused by a sinus infection it will most likely clear up by itself and you won’t have to see a hearing professional. If the ringing persists for more than a few days, however, you should make an appointment with a hearing professional.
Prolonged Exposure to Loud Noises
The occasional music show is probably not going to cause lasting ear-ringing. If you repeatedly expose your ears to very loud sounds, however, you might be putting stress on the tender parts of your ears.
When you expose your ears to intense noises regularly, your eardrums and the bones of the inner ears are strained, which can lead to buzzing, ringing, or clicking.
Beyond the intermittent ringing in your ears, exposure to loud sounds over a long period of time can result in temporary or permanent hearing loss. Listening to music at a reasonable volume and wearing ear protection when required is indispensable for hearing health.
Protecting Your Hearing
Whether caused by stress, muscle tension, an illness, or loud noises, tinnitus shouldn’t be ignored. Getting your hearing tested by a hearing specialist frequently is your best bet. If you suspect the ringing in your ears has a serious underlying medical cause, you should have them examined for your peace of mind.