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Can an Ear Piece Cause Tinnitus? Here are 7 Important Facts to Know!

Ear piece – Learn more with Healthier Me Today! It’s crucial to weigh all the advantages and disadvantages if you’ve just learned that you need ear pieces and aren’t sure they’re the best option. 

We all know how helpful a set of hearing aids can be, so it’s best to discuss this choice with your audiologist. 

However, you might be concerned about any potential negative consequences. 

Here are the typical side effects hearing aid users typically experience to help you go into a hearing test or aftercare meeting prepared. 

Although most of the time, these effects are negligible. It’s vital to remember that people who wear aids daily can and do experience them. 

1. Headaches

ear piece - Healthier Me TodayThe onset of headaches is one of the most frequent adverse effects of regular use and wear of ear pieces. 

The abrupt flood of new sounds, which the ears are accustomed to hearing at lesser levels, is the cause of this. 

A person becomes acclimated to using hearing aids and learns how to regulate volume levels in various scenarios; headaches typically go away within a few months. 

Although headaches are uncommon for hearing aid users, multiple factors increase the likelihood of getting one. 

For instance, someone who decided to get hearing aids fitted long before receiving a hearing loss diagnosis from an audiologist will be far more likely to experience headaches as they adjust to using the devices. 

2. Sore And Itchy Ears

Hearing aid newcomers occasionally complain that their ears hurt and itch after the devices are implanted. 

The ear pieces must be removed sooner because of the irritation buildup because this sensation tends to worsen during the day. 

This may be caused by several factors, including sensitive skin and poorly fitted aids. 

An audiologist will inform you that if you encounter this symptom, your ear pieces were probably provided incorrectly and would need correcting. 

In addition, periodically removing the hearing aids to clean the ears and avoid wax buildup can assist in preventing the itching sensation. 

3. Feedback Problems

ear piece - Healthier Me TodayHearing aids occasionally have issues with allowing sound to get caught or diverted, resulting in a feedback issue. 

This may even sound like high-pitched noises coming from elsewhere in the environment. It sounds like whistling, scratching, or buzzing to the ear. 

The possibility of feedback does not deter a skilled audiologist from utilizing devices to treat hearing loss at all levels, though, as current ear pieces are considerably more dependable. 

Modern hearing aids’ digital processors are built to minimize the chance of feedback by preventing sound from directly striking the microphone in your ear. 

4. Tinnitus

The use of hearing aids does not itself result in the development of tinnitus in the ear. However, many people who wear ear pieces occasionally experience ear ringing similar to tinnitus. 

It’s improbable that aids are to blame for the tinnitus in the first place, so be sure to discuss your symptoms with your audiologist if you’re worried you could have it. 

People who think they may have tinnitus due to wearing ear pieces are likely to misunderstand the feedback that occasionally happens when sound waves strike the incorrect region of the ear canal with the sound of ringing in the ears. 

This might also indicate that the aids weren’t fitted properly.  

5. Signs and Symptoms of Tinnitus

ear piece - Healthier Me TodayYou’ve probably had tinnitus before. Almost everyone has experienced it, even if it was only momentary, like the “ringing” or hum you hear after going to a loud gym class or concert. Chronic tinnitus is tinnitus that lasts longer than six months.

About one in every six persons has tinnitus. Young people can also feel it, although those 55 and older are likely to do so.

Tinnitus comes in two forms:

1. Objective Tinnitus

This type of tinnitus is highly uncommon and describes a sound that a doctor can also hear when inspecting your ears. 

It can occur from a problem with your blood vessels or muscle spasms, or it might be a sign that something is wrong with the middle of your ear.

2. Subjective Tinnitus

Think of this sort of tinnitus as a phantom sound only you can hear. Most people refer to subjective tinnitus when discussing it since it is significantly more prevalent than objective tinnitus. 

It can be challenging to describe to a doctor because only you can hear it. It can also be difficult for doctors to treat because there are so many varieties of tinnitus and no way to assess it. 

Remembering that tinnitus isn’t an illness or a condition by definition is crucial. Instead, it’s a sign of another health issue (such as inner ear injury or hearing loss) that is present. 

Tinnitus may occasionally be a pharmaceutical side effect.

What occurs in the brain when a person has tinnitus is still unknown to scientists. 

Because we don’t fully understand why it happens, tinnitus is tough to cure, according to audiologist Lori Zitelli of the University of Pittsburgh’s Pittsburgh Hearing Research Center.

6. Causes and Risk Factors of Tinnitus

ear piece - Healthier Me TodayThere are several causes of tinnitus. It may be caused by anything as simple and curable as an earwax obstruction. 

Tinnitus can start developing due to stress, worry, and various infections. Additionally, these ailments tend to amplify and worsen tinnitus symptoms. Tinnitus may also result from specific cancers. 

Tinnitus is typically brought on by hearing loss. However, according to Dr. Zitelli, tinnitus alone does not indicate that you have or will soon have hearing loss

Evidence suggests that problems in the brain’s hearing-related neural circuits may be the source of tinnitus, even though experts are unsure of exactly what happens in the brain when someone experiences it.

The hair cells in the ear may sustain damage, which could result in tinnitus. When sound causes these tiny ear cells to move, the brain can interpret these movements as noise. 

Hearing loss may result from damaged hair cells that deliver erroneous signals to the brain, which causes tinnitus. These hair cells can be damaged due to aging, disease, or a head injury.

Other typical tinnitus reasons include:

  1. Exposure to loud noise (which might cause hearing loss, such as working in a noisy environment or engaging in loud hobbies)
  2. A few hearing-related disorders or illnesses, such as those that impact the blood vessels
  3. Brain cancer
  4. Alterations to the ear’s structure
  5. Thyroid problems
  6. Jaw-related conditions
  7. Head trauma
  8. When used in high dosages, medications such as certain antibiotics, antidepressants, water tablets, and aspirin (Vazalore)

7. Can Headphones Cause Tinnitus?

ear piece - Healthier Me TodayHeadphones (or earbuds) increase a person’s likelihood of developing tinnitus. According to studies, people who constantly wear headphones are more likely to get tinnitus.

According to experts, wearing headphones does not necessarily result in tinnitus. Instead, listening loudly while using headphones can harm your hearing and cause tinnitus. 

Premature hearing loss in young people has become a worrisome trend recently. Today, there are 30% more teenagers who have hearing loss than there were 20 years ago. 

Although not the primary cause of the increase, the number of people wearing headphones daily contributes. 

Hearing loss can result from various other activities, including using firearms and going to loud sporting events or concerts. 

Frank says over-the-ear headphones are often safer than earbuds that fit inside your ear, especially if they have noise-canceling technology. 

Regular headphones must contend with a lot of background noise, which could lead you to raise the volume to dangerous levels.

Can an Ear Piece Cause Tinnitus…

Men are more likely than women to experience tinnitus, and the risk is highest between the ages of 60 and 69. 

While there is no known cure for tinnitus, scientists continually look into ways to reduce or eliminate the ringing. 

According to Zitelli, current research focuses on determining what processes in the ear and brain cause tinnitus.


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Pia Vermaak

Pia Vermaak 

Pia Vermaak is the owner of the leading digital marketing and content writing company, MotherTyper. Her skill sets include degrees/certificates in beauty, psychology, business, and writing! MotherTyper has writers from all over the world with different races, genders, and backgrounds, ensuring the perfect piece is written, researched, and presented to you!