Crackling in your ear? A condition known as tinnitus can produce many different sounds in your ears including whooshing, buzzing, ringing, and crackling. Here is what you should know.
Where is that crackling, buzzing, or ringing noise coming from? If you use hearing aids, it can mean that they need to be adjusted or aren’t fitted correctly. But if you don’t have hearing aids it could be tinnitus.
Even though we typically think of our ears in terms of what we see on the outside, there’s more than meets the eye – or in this case, the ear. Here are a few of the more common noises you might hear inside your ears, and what they could indicate is happening.
I’m Hearing a Snap, Crackle, And Pop in my Ears But What’s The Cause?
We can tell you one thing – it’s not Rice Krispies. When the pressure in your ears changes – whether from a change in altitude, going underwater, or just yawning – you may hear crackling or popping noises. 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 disperse and equalize the pressure in your ears.
It’s an automatic process, but sometimes, like if you’re dealing with inflammation from allergies, a cold, or an ear infection, your eustachian tubes can literally get clogged up from the overabundance of mucus in your system (don’t forget, that there’s a connection between your ears, throat, and nose). Medical help, like surgery, is occasionally necessary in extreme cases where nothing else has helped clear the blockage.
I’m Hearing Vibration in my Ears – What Does That Mean?
Vibrations in the ear are often a telling sign of tinnitus. 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. It’s generally characterized as a ringing in the ears and can, in some cases, be minimal, and in others, debilitating.
What Should I do About Noises in my Ear
If you use hearing aids, once again, checking those is the first task. There might be numerous reasons that you would hear these sounds: the hearing aids aren’t sitting properly inside of your ears, the volume is too loud, your hair is rubbing against them, or your batteries are running low. If you don’t have hearing aids, accumulated earwax might be the issue.
Dull hearing, irritated ears, and ear infections can often be caused by too much earwax but how could it be responsible for tinnitus sounds? If it is touching your eardrum, it can actually hinder the eardrum’s ability to function, which is what causes the ringing or buzzing. Fortunately, earwax issues are easily fixed.
Reach out to us if you have odd sounds in your ears. If your hearing aids are not working correctly we can help with that.