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Woman with tinnitus and ringing in her ears getting a headache.

It’s common knowledge that stress, particularly for prolonged amounts of time, can be very hazardous to the body. Stress can cause extreme muscle aches 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 trigger tinnitus, it can also be caused by a sinus infection, loud noises, and other variables. Let’s take a look at several potential causes of that irritating noise in your ears.

Unhealthy Stress – How to Recognize it

How does stress relate to tinnitus? We generally don’t think about the negative effect stress can have on our bodies or how it can cause frustrating, painful, or even serious medical conditions. Stress isn’t something you should neglect.

Healthy Stress

Stress that lasts a few minutes, or even several hours, can actually play an important role 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 providing the boost of energy required to finish the job.

There is a difference, however, between healthy, temporary stress and unhealthy, harmful stress. The ability to accomplish goals can be assisted by healthy stress while unhealthy stress can physically harm you.

Unhealthy Stress

Normally, an irrational fear is the cause of unhealthy stress. Unhealthy stress is created when an individual stays in a heightened state of anxiety for an extended period of time.

Unhealthy stress is associates with our “fight or flight” response, a normal reaction that helps keep us safe in hazardous situations. When an individual remains in a hyper-stressful state for an extended period of time, it can result in harmful physical symptoms.

Worrying

Unhealthy stress is commonly caused by worrying. We might exaggerate the significance of a situation or a relationship with another person. We may have ourselves convinced that we said or did something to ruin our chances at a promotion. Unreasonable worrying can produce intrusive, seemingly unmanageable thoughts.

Unhealthy Stress And Intrusive Thoughts

We might worry about what we failed to accomplish today and fret over what we need to do tomorrow. Fixation, unending internal dialog, and even panic attacks are a typical part of this type of stress. If we don’t take some positive actions to manage this stress it will keep wearing down our body.

Pain and muscle tension on the upper body are typical effects of unhealthy stress. The head, neck shoulders, and jaw are areas that can be affected.

Jaw Tension And Anger

Have you ever read a book where the writer describes a character as being so angry his jaw clenched in rage? Jaw strain is a prevalent symptom of stress, anger, worry, and invasive thoughts.

Pressure can be put on the fragile bones of the eardrum and inner ear by sustained tension. Eventually, this strain can result in ringing in your ears.

Sinus Infections And Ear Strain

Sinus infections cause many unfavorable symptoms, from a stuffy nose to a soar throat.

Sinus infections cause headaches, sinus pressure, and pressure in the ears. These issues can trigger ringing, buzzing, and clicking in the ears.

Nasal congestion often spreads to the ears during the course of a sinus infection. Clogging in the ears and severe pressure on the eardrum will build up because of the accumulated earwax this creates. And with this comes ringing in the ears.

You might not need to see a hearing professional if the ringing is being caused by a sinus infection, as the symptoms could improve by themselves. If the ringing persists for more than a few days, however, you should schedule an appointment with a hearing professional.

Prolonged Exposure to Loud Noises

The intermittent music show probably won’t cause lasting ear-ringing. However, you could be putting stress on the fragile parts of your ear if you frequently expose yourself to extremely loud sound.

Buzzing, Clicking, or ringing can be the result when the eardrum and inner ears are put under the incredible strain of continual exposure to loud noises.

Above and beyond tinnitus, temporary or even lasting hearing loss can be the result of repeated exposure to loud sounds. It’s important to safeguard your hearing from the elements and listen to music at a sensible volume level.

Safeguarding Your Ears

Whether caused by stress, muscle tension, an illness, or loud noises, tinnitus is nothing to ignore. It’s best to have your ears checked by a hearing professional on a regular basis. If you suspect the ringing in your ears has a significant underlying medical cause, you should have them checked for your peace of mind.

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The site information is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. To receive personalized advice or treatment, schedule an appointment.