Crackling in your ear? A condition known as tinnitus can bring about many different sounds in your ears including buzzing, ringing, whooshing, and crackling. Here is what you should know.
Ever hear crackling, buzzing, or thumping sounds that seem to come out of nowhere? In the case of somebody who has hearing aids, it may mean they need to be adjusted and fitted. But if you don’t have hearing aids it might be tinnitus.
There’s a lot more to the ear than what you see on the outside. Here’s what it may mean when some of these more prevalent 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 certain. When the pressure in your ears changes – whether from a change in altitude, going underwater, or simply yawning – you might hear crackling or popping noises. These noises are caused by a small part of your ear known as the eustachian tube. When these mucus lined passages open up to equalize the air pressure, fluid, and air move causing these sounds to manifest.
Occasionally, such as 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 (remember, your ears, nose, and throat or all connected). Medical assistance, like surgery, is sometimes necessary in extreme cases where nothing else has helped clear the blockage.
What Does it Mean When I Hear Vibrations in My Ear?
Vibrations in the ear are often a telltale sign of tinnitus. Tinnitus is the technical term for a disorder that causes people to hear sounds that have no outside 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.
Is There Anything I Can do?
If you have hearing aids, once again, checking those is the first step. There may be a number of reasons that you would hear these noises: 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 brushing up against it. If you don’t use hearing aids, accumulated earwax may be the issue.
Dull hearing, itchy ears, and ear infections can often be caused by too much earwax but how could it be responsible for tinnitus sounds? If it’s pushing against your eardrum, it can actually restrict the eardrum’s ability to function, which is what causes the buzzing or ringing. Fortunately, managing earwax is frequently pretty straightforward.
Reach out to us if you have strange noises in your ears. We can check your hearing aid to make sure it’s functioning correctly.