Are you hearing crackling in your ear? Crackling, Buzzing, “static” or whooshing sounds in your ear can all be signs of a condition known as tinnitus. Here is what you should know.
Do you ever hear crackling, buzzing, or thumping sounds that seem to come out of nowhere? In the case of someone who uses hearing aids, it might mean they fitting and adjustments. But if you don’t use hearing aids it might be tinnitus.
Even though we mostly think of our ears with regards to what we see on the outside, there’s more than meets the eye – or in this case, the ear. Here’s what it could mean when some of these more common sounds are playing in your ears.
I’m Hearing a Snap, Crackle, And Pop in my Ears But What’s The Cause?
It’s not Rice Krispies that’s for sure. It’s not uncommon to hear a popping or crackling sound when there’s a change in pressure in your ear. This can be because you had a change in altitude, went underwater, or simply yawned. 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, permitting air and fluid to disperse and neutralize the pressure in your ears.
Sometimes, like when you have allergies, a cold, or an ear infection, an excess of mucus in your system can clog up the eustachian tubes and interfere with what is ordinarily an automatic process (don’t forget, that there’s a connection between your ears, throat, and nose). Medical assistance, like surgery, is occasionally called for in severe cases where nothing else has helped clear the blockage.
I’m Hearing Vibration in my Ears – What Does That Mean?
Sometimes tinnitus manifests as a vibration in the ears. Tinnitus is the medical name for a condition that causes people to hear noises that have no outside cause, such as vibrations, inside of the ear. Most people will refer to it as a ringing in the ears and it manifests across the spectrum, from barely there to debilitating.
Is There Anything That Can be Done?
If you have hearing aids, again, checking those is the first step. There may be several reasons that you would hear these sounds: your batteries need to be recharged, the hearing aids aren’t correctly seated in your ears, the volume is too high, or your hair is rubbing up against it. If you don’t have hearing aids, excessive earwax might be the problem.
It seems logical that too much wax could make it hard to hear and cause irritation or even inner ear infections, but how can earwax create a noise? If it is pushing against your eardrum, it can actually inhibit the eardrum’s ability to function, which is what causes the buzzing or ringing. Luckily, managing earwax is usually pretty straightforward.
If you’re hearing odd noises, contact us. We can examine your hearing aid to make sure it’s working properly.