Are you hearing crackling in your ear? A disorder called tinnitus can produce many different noises in your ears including whooshing, buzzing, ringing, and crackling. Here is some relevant facts.
Where is that crackling, buzzing, or ringing noise coming from? If you have hearing aids, it can mean that they need to be adjusted or aren’t properly fitted. But if you don’t have hearing aids it could be tinnitus.
Although we typically think of our ears with regards to what we see on the outside, there’s more than meets the eye – or in this instance, the ear. Here are a few of the more prevalent noises you might hear inside your ears, and what they may reveal is going on.
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 uncommon to hear a popping or crackling sound when there’s a change in pressure in your ear. This can be because you had an altitude change, went underwater, or simply yawned. A tiny part of your ear called the eustachian tube is the source of these noises. When these mucus lined passages open up to equalize the air pressure, fluid, and air circulate causing these noises to occur.
Occasionally, such as when you’re dealing with allergies, a cold, or an ear infection, an excess of mucus in your system can gum 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 sometimes called for 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 sometimes a telltale sign of tinnitus. Technically speaking, tinnitus is the medical term for when somebody hears unusual noises, such as vibrations, in their ears that do not come from any outside sources. It’s typically characterized as a ringing in the ears and can, in some cases, be minimal, and in others, debilitating.
Is There Anything That Can be Done?
Again, if you use hearing aids, you should check those first. There may be several reasons that you would hear these noises: your batteries need to be recharged, the hearing aids aren’t properly positioned in your ears, the volume is too high, or your hair is brushing up against it. But if you don’t have hearing aids and you’re hearing this kind of sound, it might also be the result of excess earwax.
It seems logical that excessive wax could make it difficult to hear and cause itchiness or even inner ear infections, but how can earwax cause a noise? The buzzing or ringing can be caused by earwax pushing against your eardrum and hindering its function. The good thing is, earwax issues are easily fixed.
Reach out to us if you have odd sounds in your ears. We can check your hearing aid to make certain it’s working properly.