Crackling in your ear? A condition known as tinnitus can bring about many different sounds in your ears including whooshing, buzzing, ringing, and crackling. Here is what you should know.
Where is that crackling, ringing, or buzzing sound coming from? In the case of someone who uses hearing aids, it may mean they fitting and adjustments. But if you don’t use hearing aids it may be tinnitus.
There’s a lot more to the ear than what you see on the outside. Here are a few of the more prevalent sounds you might hear inside your ears, and what they may reveal is happening.
I’m Hearing a Snap, Crackle, And Pop in my Ears But What’s The Cause?
We can tell you this – it’s not Rice Krispies. It isn’t uncommon to hear a popping or crackling sound when the pressure in your ear changes. This can happen because you had a change in altitude, went underwater, or simply yawned. These sounds are caused by a small part of your ear called the eustachian tube. When these mucus lined passages open up to neutralize the air pressure, fluid, and air move causing these sounds to occur.
It’s an automatic process, but sometimes, like if you have congestion from allergies, a cold, or an ear infection, your eustachian tubes can actually get clogged up from an excess of mucus in your system (remember, your ears, nose, and throat or all connected). In serious cases where decongestant sprays, chicken soup, or antibiotics don’t provide relief, a blockage could call for medical treatment such as surgery.
What Does it Mean When I Hear Vibrations in My Ear?
Vibrations in the ear are often a telling indication of tinnitus. Tinnitus is the medical name for a disorder that causes people to hear sounds that have no outside cause, like vibrations, inside of the ear. It’s generally characterized as a ringing in the ears and can, in some cases, be mild, and in others, debilitating.
Is There Anything That Can be Done?
If you have hearing aids, once again, checking those is the first step. There might be several reasons that you would hear these sounds: your batteries are running low, the hearing aids aren’t correctly positioned in your ears, the volume is too high, or your hair is rubbing up against it. But if you don’t have hearing aids and you’re hearing this kind of noise, it might 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 is pushing against your eardrum, it can actually inhibit 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 unusual noises in your ears. We can examine your hearing aid to make certain it’s functioning properly.