ATLANTA — ATLANTA – If you’ve ever experienced ringing in your ears, you’ve no doubt wondered why.
It has driven 11Alive Morning Rush Insider Sophia Johnson crazy.
“Sometimes it’s a humming, sometimes it’s a ringing,” says Sophia. “Why does it happen?”
The most common reason is hearing loss. Don’t panic, that might not be it.
Your inner ear is a delicate balance of fluids. Anything that inhibits blood flow to the ear can disrupt that balance.
“Stress, anxiety, fatigue, depression,” says Dr. Melissa Wikoff, an audiologist with Peachtree Hearing. “When you have high blood pressure, if you’re stressed or anxious, that can cause a ringing in the ear.”
The problem isn’t restricted to your ear. When something is off with your body, your brain gets involved.
“Our brain is going to register something is lacking or something is wrong and it alerts us by making this sound,” says Dr. Wikoff.
An audiologist can help identify the issue and retrain your brain to help turn off the alarm.
There are other possible reasons for the ringing like blockage from ear wax or other obstructions.
There are medications that will cause it.
For Sophia Johnson and others it may take a trip to the doctor to make it stop.
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