Crackling in your ear? A disorder called tinnitus can bring about many different noises in your ears including buzzing, ringing, whooshing, and crackling. Here is what you should know.
Ever hear crackling, buzzing, or thumping noises that seem to come from nowhere? In the case of somebody who uses hearing aids, it may mean they fitting and adjustments. For everyone else, tinnitus may be the answer.
There’s much 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 sure. It isn’t unusual to hear a crackling or popping sound when the pressure in your ear changes. This can be because you had a change in altitude, went underwater, or simply yawned. These noises are caused by a small part of your ear called the eustachian tube. The crackling is caused by mucus-lined passageways opening up, allowing air and fluid to circulate and equalize the pressure in your ears.
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 impede what is usually an automatic process (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.
What Does it Mean When I Hear Vibrations in My Ear?
Sometimes tinnitus is experienced as a vibration in the ears. Tinnitus is the technical name for a disorder that causes people to hear sounds that have no outside cause, like vibrations, inside of the ear. Most people will refer to it as a ringing in the ears and it manifests across the spectrum, from hardly there to debilitating.
Is There Anything That Can be Done?
Again, if you have hearing aids, you should first check those. There might be a number of reasons that you would hear these sounds: the hearing aids aren’t sitting correctly within your ears, the volume is too loud, your hair is brushing against them, or your batteries need to be charged. But if you don’t use hearing aids and you’re hearing this kind of sound, it could also be due to excess earwax.
Dull hearing, irritated ears, and ear infections can often be caused by excessive earwax but how could it be responsible for tinnitus sounds? If it’s touching your eardrum, it can actually inhibit the eardrum’s ability to function, which is what causes the ringing or buzzing. Luckily, managing earwax is usually pretty straightforward.
If you’re hearing unusual sounds, call us. We can examine your hearing aid to make certain it’s working properly.