There’s ringing in your ears, but you haven’t been to a rock concert since Woodstock ’69.
The room is spinning, but you finally listened to your local health columnist (thank you very much) and have been seriously cutting back on the alcohol.
No loud partying, no booze, and yet you STILL feel like crap. Not fair, am I right?!
Let me introduce you to two totally different – yet equally annoying – conditions called tinnitus and vertigo.
Some of you know exactly what I’m talking about because you’ve already been diagnosed. And some of you are about to march this article straight into your doctor’s office and say, “THIS. This is what I’ve been trying to explain.”
Let’s start with the ringing. Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no external sound is present. In other words, your ears are hosting a concert that nobody else can hear. It might sound like ringing, buzzing, humming, chirping, whistling or even the faint roar of what could be mistaken for a distant boat engine.
About 10% to 15% of adults experience tinnitus, and it becomes more common as we age. The frustrating part is that tinnitus itself isn’t a disease, it’s a symptom that something else is going on.
One of the most common culprits is age-related hearing loss. Inside the inner ear are thousands of tiny hair cells that help translate sound waves into electrical signals your brain understands. Over time, some of those cells retire from service, and unlike the rest of us, they don’t come back from retirement.
Noise exposure can also be a factor. Years of power tools, loud music, engines and yes, the occasional concert can add up.
Other possible contributors include high blood pressure, certain medications, jaw tension, sinus issues, and chronic stress. The nervous system plays a big role here. When the brain becomes hyper-aware of internal signals, it can essentially “turn up the volume” on sounds that were previously background noise.
While there’s no universal cure, there are things that can help. Protecting your hearing from loud environments is a big one. Managing blood pressure, improving sleep, reducing caffeine and addressing chronic stress can all make a difference. Some people find relief with white noise machines or gentle background sound that gives the brain something else to focus on besides the internal soundtrack.
Now let’s talk about the spinning room. Vertigo is different from general dizziness. Dizziness is feeling lightheaded or unsteady. Vertigo is the unsettling sensation that you or the room around you are moving when nothing actually is.
If you’ve ever rolled over in bed and suddenly felt like you were on a carnival ride you did not buy a ticket for, you may have experienced a very common form of vertigo called benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV.
Here’s the strange science behind it. Inside your inner ear are tiny calcium crystals called otoconia. Their job is to help your brain detect motion and gravity so you can stay balanced. Sometimes those crystals become dislodged and float into the wrong part of the inner ear. When your head moves – looking up, bending down, rolling over – those rogue crystals send confusing signals to the brain. Your brain responds by thinking the world is spinning.
Freaking crystals.
About 1 in 10 people will experience vertigo at some point, and BPPV is one of the most common causes, particularly in adults over 50. Other causes can include inner ear inflammation, dehydration, migraines, medication side effects or blood pressure fluctuations.
The good news is that many cases of positional vertigo can be improved with a series of head and body movements called the Epley maneuver, which helps guide those crystals back to where they belong. Physical therapists trained in vestibular therapy often use these techniques with excellent results.
Staying hydrated, moving carefully when getting out of bed and addressing underlying health factors can also help reduce episodes.
There are times when dizziness or ear symptoms deserve prompt medical attention, especially if they are sudden, severe or accompanied by neurological symptoms.
The bottom line is this: If your ears are ringing like an old rotary phone or the room occasionally spins like you accidentally stepped onto a merry-go-round, your body may just be asking for a little investigation.
Because sometimes feeling off-balance has nothing to do with margaritas, and everything to do with the fascinating, and occasionally finicky, inner workings of the human ear.
So, the next time the room spins, or your ears start ringing out of nowhere, don’t panic, but don’t ignore it either. Your inner ear may be small, but when it decides to get your attention, it does an impressive job.
