Crackling in your ear? A disorder called tinnitus can produce many different sounds in your ears including whooshing, buzzing, ringing, and crackling. Here is some important facts.
Where is that crackling, buzzing, or ringing noise coming from? When it comes to someone who uses hearing aids, it might mean they fitting and adjustments. For everybody else, tinnitus might be the answer.
Even though we mostly think of our ears in terms of what we see on the outside, there’s more than meets the eye – or in this instance, the ear. 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. It isn’t uncommon 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 just yawned. These sounds are caused by a small part of your ear known as the eustachian tube. When these mucus lined passages open up to neutralize the air pressure, fluid, and air circulate causing these noises to manifest.
It’s a natural process, but sometimes, like if you’re dealing with congestion from allergies, a cold, or an ear infection, your eustachian tubes can actually 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). In serious cases where decongestant sprays, chicken soup, or antibiotics don’t provide relief, a blockage may call for medical treatment such as surgery.
I’m Hearing Vibration in my Ears – What Does That Mean?
Sometimes tinnitus is experienced as a vibration in the ears. Tinnitus is the technical name for a disorder that causes people to hear noises that have no external cause, like vibrations, inside of the ear. It’s typically described as a ringing in the ears and can, in some cases, be minimal, and in others, debilitating.
What Should I do About Sounds in my Ear
If you use hearing aids, once again, checking those is the first step. You may hear these kinds of sounds for numerous reasons: your batteries need to be recharged, the hearing aids aren’t properly 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 might be the problem.
It makes sense that excessive wax could make it difficult to hear and cause itchiness or even inner ear infections, but how can earwax cause a noise? If it is pushing against your eardrum, it can actually hinder the eardrum’s ability to function, which is what causes the ringing or buzzing. The good thing is, earwax problems are easily fixed.
Reach out to us if you have unusual sounds in your ears. If your hearing aids are not working correctly we can help with that.