Why do I sometimes hear ringing in my ears, especially when I drink alcohol?

---asks Anonymous from New York, NY.

Can you trust your inner ear?
By Sabina Borza | Posted August 28, 2006
Posted in: Ever Wondered?, Health

When Superman’s ears rang at frequencies no one else could hear, it was usually bad news. But before you think that you’re gaining superhuman powers and are about to hear Lois Lane or some other poor, trapped soul’s pleas to be rescued, dear mystery man or woman of steel, you should know that many people (besides Superman and yourself) experience ringing in their ears.

Head noises such as ringing, perceived when there is no external source, are collectively known as tinnitus. The sounds you may hear range from ringing to buzzing, chirping, beating, humming, and roaring. But you are not alone. The American Tinnitus Association (ATA) estimates that nearly 50 million Americans have experienced tinnitus in one form or another. While many people only hear these noises sporadically and for a short period of time, tinnitus can be a more constant and even debilitating problem for some.

In order to understand the most common way in which tinnitus occurs, we must venture inside the ear. Sounds in the air cause pressure waves to vibrate your ear drum when they reach your ears. This motion is translated into pressure changes in the fluid behind the ear drum, and deep in the ear canal, tiny structures called stereocilia bend and tilt in response. These stereocilia are attached to hair cells (no relation to the hair on your head—these particular hair cells are sensory cells named for their fuzzy appearance). In reaction to the swaying stereocilia, the hair cells depolarize and release a neurotransmitter. Your brain finally receives this input from your ears by way of the auditory nerve and interprets these signals as sound.

But when stereocilia are damaged, for example if they’ve been bent out of shape by repeated exposure to loud sounds like gunfire or heavy construction, then this process doesn’t work as it should. The damaged stereocilia mistakenly tell your brain that you hear a sound even when there is actually none. Because stereocilia are not indestructible, they can remain damaged or even be permanently destroyed by these events.

Yet tinnitus is a symptom, not a disease, and it can be caused by many other triggers. Your mom was right, clean those dirty ears! Some people produce more ear wax than others and that waxy build-up can actually plug your ear canal and cause tinnitus. Certain medications that are toxic to the ear can also cause tinnitus, as can ear or sinus infections, head or neck injury, certain types of tumors, and vascular problems such as hypertension. The reasons behind some of these connections to tinnitus are not yet known—researchers are still investigating.

And here’s where the alcohol comes in.

Downing an excessive amount of intoxicating liquids over a long period of time (usually defined as more than that one stingy glass of wine a day) may contribute to hypertension, or high blood pressure. Although the connection between high blood pressure and tinnitus is not well understood, it has been observed that both high blood pressure and excessive alcohol consumption can make your tinnitus worse. And so can other factors that often accompany drinking, like stress or caffeine.

My guess is that if you’re going to a bar or club to get your drinks, they’re serving you another tinnitus irritant for free—loud music. If you haven’t been stopping bullets or using power tools lately, then maybe hanging out in pub environments where you have to scream to be heard is contributing to the ringing in your ears. Remember those beat-up stereocilia from above? Those blaring speakers are kicking them when they’re down!

Most people don’t have a problem coping with an intermittent ringing in their ears, but according to the ATA about two million people suffer from tinnitus so acute that it interferes with their ability to function on a daily basis. While tinnitus can affect people of all ages, chronic tinnitus is often a factor of hearing loss due to aging. According to the Mayo Clinic, if the ringing in your ears is persistent or if it becomes worse, and if it is accompanied by dizziness or hearing loss, it’s time to see a doctor.

Treatment for tinnitus is very individual and can range from avoiding foods that may make your tinnitus worse to taking medications. To learn more about tinnitus, visit the American Tinnitus Association or the American Academy of Otolaryngology (an association of ear, nose and throat doctors).

I’ll leave you with this bit of information: when someone complains about tinnitus, doctors often ask if they just attended a rock concert. Doctors recommend protecting your hearing whenever possible, because in addition to the avoidable causes of tinnitus there are other causes that are not as easy to control. Do your stereocilia a favor and back away from the 6-foot wall of speakers on stage, at least until you perfect your ability to lift your arms and instantly jet off to a quieter planet.

——

Got a question for us? ASK!

Posted in: Ever Wondered?, Health
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  1. Shanks.

    Melinda Wenner, August 28, 2006 at 8:35 pm

  2. Melinda: I don’t get it.

    Karen Schrock, August 29, 2006 at 1:26 pm

  3. LOL at Melinda!
    p.s. if it’s from drinking, it’s the alarm clock, silly.
    ma

    Ma, August 29, 2006 at 5:17 pm

  4. My sister wrote that. “Shanks” means thanks in my her world… She likes Ask Scienceline. You might have noticed she submitted a question herself.

    Melinda Wenner, August 31, 2006 at 7:12 pm

  5. i wear earplugs to clubs and everyone makes fun of me. but when i’m 80 and still have perfect hearing, then we’ll see who’s laughing.

    RockMonkey, September 10, 2006 at 2:52 pm

  6. I had never had buzzing in my ears till two & a half years ago when I had aspartame poisoning. It started again when I had an air freshener stick in my bedroom. Now it is constant. You may want to investigate the connection between toxic chemicals and why it causes tinnutis……breathing or ingesting chemicals->body->brain->neurotransmitters=damaged neurotransmitters

    Sharon Miller, September 25, 2006 at 11:11 am

  7. N-am stiut ca exista asemenea efecte de la alcool, inseamna ca n-am baut niciodata suficient de mult ….

    Dragos, October 12, 2006 at 6:44 am

  8. I have a ringing noise in my right ear for about 5 days now, and i used ear drops to clean out my ear, there wasn’t an excess amount of wax, but the ringing still persists. and I was only at one club in the past 3 weeks, so it can’t be an exposure to the sounds from the club. Would getting my ears syringed help?

    Brendan, January 22, 2007 at 12:25 pm

  9. I have a ringing that I have been noticing in my ears for the past 4-5 days. I do have a hearing loss, as well as a wax buildup. Is this for sure why I have been expieriencing this? Also, should I seek medical attention for this?

    Mary Farr, June 22, 2007 at 3:28 am

  10. I have had tinnitus for 17 years. There is no cure and your brain will simply adjust to the noise or ringing. In the beginning ti was very distressing but I personally found it easier to avoid stress and coffee / tea. Swallowing or popping your ears{ hold your nose and pop your ears like you do on an aeroplane helps. avoid giving in to this condition. Ignore it!! – Your brain will adapt to this sound. Promise!!

    Dazza, November 6, 2007 at 4:16 pm

  11. I walk with it, i sleep with, i hear the high frecquency buzzing sounds and constant birds chirping. Is there any scientific research done on the subject? If so, i would like to volunteer for the program.

    Maximillain Levy, December 16, 2007 at 4:58 pm

  12. Maximillain,
    There are clinical trials currently recruiting patients with tinnitus.
    http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=tinnitus

    Joshua J Romero, December 19, 2007 at 1:59 am

  13. thank you

    tom, May 13, 2008 at 1:29 am

  14. I have had a ringing in my ears for a while and have put murine ear drops in my ears then rinsed and i can hear much better. it wont bring wax about but instead bassicly makes it evaporate and then you winse and it all comes out in at least 4 days. getting it syringed is an option also.

    Tsagu, July 9, 2008 at 3:29 pm

  15. I have found something both, I think, interesting and useful. I am sure my CPAP machine (Sleep Apnoea) along with a DECT phone by my bed as possible causes of intermitent ringing in the ears. I cannot remove the machine for obvious reasons but the ringing stops after my morning shower and stays away for some time. I am wondering why water does this when it runs over my head. Just thought it just might help others.

    Rosemary Laidlaw, August 24, 2008 at 2:23 pm

  16. The original author is wrong about the noise in clubs causing the ringing in the ears. This is definitely produced by the alcohol itself. I have tinnitus for about 10 years, and alcohol makes it worse for about a day or so after drinking regardless, of having been in a noisy place or not.

    Colin, December 10, 2008 at 6:31 am

  17. the author is not wrong about the noise in clubs colin. this causes the ringing in the ears, alcohol only aggravates it. given that you have tinnitus already then the alcohol is aggravating it.

    DJ, December 19, 2008 at 10:40 pm

  18. hi guys, im a dj i have djed for 8years im only 21. when leaving a club i have the usual ringing in my ears and have always even with my £150 ear moulded ear plugs. recently i have had a constant ringing in my ears i clean the mwith eardrops and still ahve the ringing i have now resulted in wearing my ear plugs to work as i work with a loud mouth co worker.

    id appreciate any advice or help as its causing me serious anxiety and causing strain on my relationship as i am struggling to get to sleep and waking up.

    please email me any advice djprotege@hotmail.co.uk

    thank you,

    karl

    karl, February 23, 2009 at 7:20 am

  19. Thanks.
    I have arthritis, been on prednisone for 13 ys now, (I’m 45) Just moved to France, drugs here work very well but I have constant ringing in “port side” (left) I suspect a side effect from the new drugs, will see the doctor soon.
    Any extra advice?
    Thanks.
    Jorge

    Jorge, March 19, 2009 at 11:27 am

  20. i have ringing in my ears right now i just looked this up cause i was wondering if that was what caused it. I was listening to my ipod at like full blast and it made my ears start ringing.

    blob be beastn, March 24, 2009 at 11:35 pm

  21. try improving your writing skills ! no idea what you are saying

    mahesh, May 23, 2009 at 12:45 pm

  22. Hi bob,

    Maybe that Ear noise a symptoms of tinnitus. Maybe your eardrum was destroyed because of too loud music in you ipod. As a suggestion, you can ask your doctor for it or simple visit this link http://www.tinnitussite.com/Ear-Noise.html regarding on your problem info’s. Hope it can help.

    mikhon, October 8, 2009 at 2:00 am

  23. Loud music (or any loud sound) plus alcohol and nicotine are bad for your ears. It is so, because a) alcohol rise our blood pressure, b) cigarettes cut our Oxygen, so blood run fast but without right fuel, c) a + b = tired ears = less immunity.
    That’s why after any concert our ears need one or two days of rest.

    Simon, March 5, 2010 at 2:54 am
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