Your ears are among the most sensitive organs in your body. Small but mighty, they convert the sounds around you into electrical impulses your brain can process. Not everyone has that function, of course. Around 20% of the global population has some degree of hearing loss, caused by everything from genetics and aging to noise exposure, infections, and disease.
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Whether or not your hearing is intact, you can still run into health problems with your ears. Catching issues early often prevents bigger complications down the road. Here are three things you should never brush off when it comes to ear health.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus is the presence of sounds in the ear with no external source. Only you can hear them. The noise is usually a ringing or buzzing, though it varies from person to person. Some people notice it only occasionally; others deal with it constantly. It can be a faint hum lurking in the background, or it can be overwhelming enough to block out everything else.
If you’re experiencing this, get your ears checked. Tinnitus isn’t a condition on its own, it’s a symptom pointing to something else. That said, you can find treatment options to help you cope with the noise and get your life back. These options can include sound therapy, counseling, or even medical devices that can help mask the noise.
Discharge
Your ears, as an organ, are self-cleaning. Small amounts of wax will always be eliminated from the ear. This is completely normal and is proof your ears are working as they should. However, excessive amounts of earwax or any other type of discharge, whether in conjunction with pain or not, is a cause for concern and should have you heading to your doctor for a check-up.
Pain
Your ears shouldn’t hurt, whether you’re hearing a loud noise or someone just taps you on the side of the head. If you’re experiencing pain, get them checked right away. If you’ve had a recent injury around the ear, that pain may fade on its own. But if there’s no obvious explanation, you need to track down the cause. The most common causes of ear pain outside of an injury include ear wax buildup, an ear infection, a foreign object in the ear, or even dental issues.
Your ears shouldn’t cause you pain, have any discharge, or emit random noises. To protect your ear health, your hearing, and your overall health, if you notice anything different with your ears or your hearing or you’re experiencing any of the points mentioned in this post, get them checked out to find the cause.
