Crackling in your ear? Buzzing, crackling, “static” or whooshing noises in your ear can all be signs of a condition known as tinnitus. Here is some essential information.
Ever hear crackling, thumping, and buzzing noises that seem to come out of nowhere? If you have 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.
There’s much more to the ear than what you see on the outside. Here are a few of the more prevalent sounds you may hear inside your ears, and what they may indicate is going on.
What’s Causing The Snap, Crackle, And Pop in My Ear?
It’s not Rice Krispies that’s for sure. It isn’t uncommon to hear a popping or crackling sound when the pressure in your ear changes. This can be because you had an altitude change, went underwater, or just yawned. A small part of your ear named the eustachian tube is the source of these noises. When these mucus lined passages open up to neutralize the air pressure, fluid, and air move causing these sounds to manifest.
It’s a natural process, but occasionally, 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). Medical help, like surgery, is occasionally called for in severe 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 medical name for a disorder that causes people to hear noises that have no outside cause, such as vibrations, inside of the ear. Most people will refer to it as a ringing in the ears and it manifests across the spectrum, from barely there to debilitating.
What Should I do About Noises in my Ear
Once again, if you have hearing aids, you should check those first. You may hear these types of sounds for several reasons: your batteries are running low, the hearing aids aren’t properly seated in your ears, the volume is too loud, or your hair is brushing up against it. If you don’t have hearing aids, excessive earwax may be the problem.
Dull hearing, irritated ears, and ear infections can often be caused by too much earwax but how could it be responsible for tinnitus noises? The ringing or buzzing can be caused by earwax touching your eardrum and hindering its function. Fortunately, earwax problems are easily fixed.
If you’re hearing odd noises, call us. If your hearing aids aren’t working correctly we can help with that.