Woke up with ringing in ear. Tinnitus??

Question

Hi all,

I woke up this morning with ringing in my left ear. It's driving me insane. I did some research and found the symtom tinnitus. I thought it was ear wax build up, so I cleaned it with a over the counter ear wax remover, but the ringing still occurs. What I have found out about tinnitus is that it can be also caused to over-dose of caffeine. I have taken a lot of caffeine the past 2 days and I also drink about 5 beers a week. Could it be tinnitus that's buzzing me? This ringing has happened to me before, only when I got water in my hear from showering and it would cure itself in a week. What can I do to make it better? I just want the ringing to stop. Please help.

I do listen to music moderately loud in the car and at home, but not extremely loud that I can't hear anything else. Also I do not take aspirin at all or any sort of pain releivers.

yes. i also smoke about 8 cigarettes per day.

Answer 1

Call your doctor. You may have something in your ear that they need to remove. Do you really want to listen to the ringing for a week just to SEE if it goes away?

Answer 2

Hello. I'm an Audiologist.

Any sound inside your head is called tinnitus - it's a very broad, generalized term. Sometimes people hear ringing if there is a blockage of the ear -- from wax, negative pressure restricting eardrum movement, fluid build-up behind the eardrum, or an ear infection. In most cases, once the blockage is removed/treated and the ear has recovered, the ringing goes away.

Does your ear actually feel plugged? You don't mention a clogged sensation or fullness or hearing loss. Just because you used an at-home wax removal kit doesn't mean there isn't wax. The only way to know for sure is to have a doctor look in there. If there is fluid behind the eardrum, it may not be visible through the otoscope; the best way to measure the eardrum movement is through a quick and easy test called a tympanogram. It simply changes the air pressure in the ear canal and measure if/how the eardrum responds.

Tinnitus is also one of many Migraine Aura and may occur simultaneously with a headache or separately. Caffeine is a known Migraine trigger, so it can trigger/increase tinnitus for some people. In addition, some people who grind their teeth or have problems with their jaw joint (TMJ) can also have tinnitus.

Noise exposure and systemic causes of tinnitus, like smoking or certain medications, typically effect both ears. One might be worse than the other, but almost never is only one ear effected. None of those herbal supplements have been scientifically proven to reduce or cure tinnitus. Ginko Biloba is the ONLY substance to date that has some scientific correlation to tinnitus reduction in SOME patients.

More serious conditions can cause tinnitus, but usually have other associated symptoms like dizziness or significant hearing loss. Some of these can be Meniere's Disease, Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss and Acoustic Neuroma.

As you can see, tinnitus is like headache or fever as a symptom - it can be something minor or very serious. The key is to find the underlying cause, if possible. Therefore, it is crucial to have an accurate diagnosis made ASAP.

See your family physician and/or an otolaryngologist -- The sooner you receive treatment, the more effective it will be.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

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Answer 5

It's important to say that tinnitus is a symptom and not a disease. Some people will have tinnitus because their Cochlea is damaged. And in a few, it could be caused due to hearing loss. But of course, the most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud noises. The noise can be a sudden burst, or it could be a constant banging that hits the ear drum and travels inside.

A good guide you can read about tinnitus and some good natural remedies can be found here: http://tinnitus.toptips.org

Answer 6

What Hearkat says is good. I am an audiologist also. Remember, when you suffer from tinnitus it is best to avoid any kind of vasoconstrictor - like caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate), alcohol (those beers), salt (do not add to your foods and stay away from foods high in salt), and aspirin. There are certain medications that can exacerbate your tinnitus so always tell you doctor before he/she prescribes any new medications that you suffer from tinnitus. Stress and fatigue can also cause your tinnitus to be worse, so be sure to reduce your amount of stress and get adequate rest.

Tinnitus is a symptom of a problem - and that problem should be identified before you can do anything to control your tinnitus. Check out www.ata.org which is the website to the American Tinnitus Association. They have a wealth of information and links and news! Be sure to see an ENT to have a complete examination, including audiological evaluation.

Good luck.

Answer 7

I had serious tinnitus decades ago, various noises, various severity. Serc helped. Eventually the trouble went away but recently it has made a minor comeback. It starts when I wake up after a daytime snooze. Always a hissing sound. The trouble lasts a few hours, occasionally a couple of days. The obvious solution is to avoid daytime napping---not easy. Even if I do, the hiss will occur someway eventually and the longer I have avoided it the longer it will last. So about half the time I have the hiss, half the time I am clear. Weird. I feel it is due to fluid movements in the inner ear.

Answer 8

Loud Ringing In Left Ear

Answer 9

I have suffered from tinnitus in my right ear for the past 10 years since I was involved in a car accident, I have had test etc and they say that it will not go away and I have to learn to manage it, you can get masking devices which distract from the whistle or ringing noises, but I have learnt to switch off, night time is the worst, but you do get used to it, see your GP for a referal to a specialist just to check it out. It may just be fluid build up in the inner ear, so you should go and get it checked to be sure.

Answer 10

I recently had this problem myself.I read up on it and it seems there is no way to rid of it.However, you can mask it possibly.

You have to do the water test.That is done by running water in a sink.If the buzzing seems to disappear when the water is running then your tinitus can be masked.

I found my Tinnitus had went away after I took a nap and it was partially blocked by the water.

You should avoid alcohol,caffiene and smoking as they only contribute to Tinnitus.

You can learn more about it at http://www.ata.org/

Answer 11

Tinnitus is chronic - it never goes away, so if the ringing stops it isn't tinnitus. There are many things that can cause ringing - taking too much aspirin will do it too.

There is no cure for Tinnitus.