Are you hearing crackling in your ear? A disorder known as tinnitus can bring about many different sounds in your ears including buzzing, ringing, whooshing, and crackling. Here is what you should know.
Do you ever hear crackling, thumping, and buzzing noises that seem to come out of nowhere? In the case of someone who uses hearing aids, it may mean they need to be adjusted and fitted. But if you don’t use hearing aids it could be tinnitus.
There’s much more to the ear than what you see on the outside. Here’s what it could mean when some of these more common sounds are playing in your ears.
What’s Causing The Snap, Crackle, And Pop in My Ear?
It’s not Rice Krispies that’s for certain. When the pressure in your ears changes – whether from an altitude change, going underwater, or just yawning – you might hear crackling or popping sounds. A small part of your ear called the eustachian tube is the source of these noises. The crackling is caused by mucus-lined passageways opening up, allowing air and fluid to circulate and equalize the pressure in your ears.
It’s a natural process, but sometimes, like if you have inflammation from allergies, a cold, or an ear infection, your eustachian tubes can literally get gummed up from an excess of mucus in your system (don’t forget, that there’s a connection between your ears, throat, and nose). Medical help, like surgery, is sometimes necessary in severe cases where nothing else has helped clear the blockage.
I’m Hearing Vibration in my Ears – What Does That Mean?
Sometimes tinnitus is experienced as a vibration in the ears. Tinnitus is the technical term for a condition that causes people to hear sounds that have no external cause, like vibrations, inside of the ear. Most individuals will refer to it as a ringing in the ears and it manifests across the spectrum, from hardly there to debilitating.
What Should I do About Noises in my Ear
If you use hearing aids, once again, checking those is the first task. There may be several reasons that you would hear these noises: your batteries need to be recharged, the hearing aids aren’t properly seated in your ears, the volume is too high, or your hair is rubbing up against it. If you don’t use hearing aids, excessive earwax may be the problem.
Dull hearing, itchy ears, and ear infections can often be caused by too much earwax but how could it be responsible for tinnitus noises? The ringing or buzzing can be caused by earwax touching your eardrum and impeding its function. The good thing is, earwax problems are easily fixed.
If you’re hearing unusual noises, give us a call. We can check your hearing aid to make certain it’s working correctly.