As you probably recognize, extended periods of stress are not healthy for the body. Stress can cause extreme muscle pain and headaches. But tinnitus, a clicking, buzzing, or ringing in the ears can also be the outcome.
Stress isn’t the only thing that can cause tinnitus, it can also be caused by a sinus infection, loud noises, and other variables. Let’s have a peak at some potential factors.
How to Distinguish Unhealthy Stress
How does stress relate to tinnitus? We generally don’t consider the negative impact stress can have on our bodies or how it can result in troublesome, painful, or even serious medical conditions. Ignoring stress isn’t a good idea.
Healthy Stress
Stress that lasts a few minutes, or even several hours, can actually be helpful in getting necessary tasks completed. If you’re facing a deadline and need to focus on accomplishing a project, stress can be an ally by supplying the boost of energy necessary to get the job done.
But temporary, healthy stress and chronic, unhealthy stress are two completely different things. Healthy stress helps you complete a goal without harming your body. Unhealthy stress is harmful for your body.
Unhealthy Stress
Unhealthy stress is caused by the fear of something that, in most cases, never actually happens. When someone remains in a heightened state of anxiety, the outcome is frequently unhealthy stress.
Unhealthy stress relates to our “fight or flight” response, a natural reaction that helps keep us safe in hazardous conditions. When an individual stays in a hyper-stressful condition for an extended period, it can result in harmful physical symptoms.
Worrying
Unhealthy stress is often caused by worrying. The significance of an interaction or situation can often be exaggerated. We might convince ourselves we ruined a chance at a promotion because of something we said. When you worry like this your invasive thoughts can really run away from you.
Invasive Thoughts And Unhealthy Stress
We may worry about what we couldn’t get completed today and fret over what we need to get done tomorrow. We may obsess, talk to ourselves, or even have panic attacks. Inevitably, our unhealthy stress wears on our bodies if we don’t take steps to curb these thoughts.
Typically, unhealthy stress impacts the upper part of the body by causing muscle tension and pain. The shoulders, neck, head, and jaw are areas that can be affected.
Anger And Jaw Tension
Have you ever read a book where the writer describes a character as being so angry his jaw clenched in rage? Jaw tension is a common symptom of stress, worry, anger, and intrusive thoughts.
Continuous strain can put pressure on the fragile bones of the inner ear and eardrum. Eventually, this strain can result in ringing in your ears.
Ear Strain And Sinus Infections
Sinus infections bring lots of unfavorable symptoms, from a soar throat to a stuffy nose.
Headaches, sinus pressure, and pressure in the ears are typical symptoms of a sinus infection. These problems can trigger buzzing, clicking, or ringing in the ears.
During a sinus infection, your nasal congestion often spreads to your ears. Blockage in the ears and extreme pressure on the eardrum will build up because of the accumulated earwax this produces. And with this comes ringing in the ears.
You might not need to see a hearing specialist if the ringing is being caused by a sinus infection, as the symptoms could go away by themselves. If the ringing lasts for more than a few days, however, you should make an appointment with a hearing professional.
Extended Exposure to Loud Noises
The occasional music performance is probably not going to cause long-term ear-ringing. If you repeatedly expose your ears to intense sounds, however, you might be introducing stress to the tender parts of your ears.
Buzzing, Clicking, or ringing can be the outcome when the eardrum and inner ears are put under the tremendous strain of repeated exposure to loud noises.
Beyond the occasional ringing in your ears, exposure to loud sounds over a long period can result in temporary or lasting hearing loss. Listening to music at a reasonable volume and using ear protection when necessary is crucial for hearing health.
Safeguarding Your Ears
Whether caused by stress, muscle tension, an illness, or loud noises, tinnitus shouldn’t be ignored. Having your hearing tested by a hearing professional regularly is your best bet. If you suspect the ringing in your ears has a significant underlying medical cause, you should have them checked for your peace of mind.