What does it mean when your ear randomly starts ringing

What does it mean if you hear ringing in your left ear?

When I was a kid, the one oddity that stuck out to me most was when my left or right ear would begin to ring. My friends would say the ringing was caused by someone in the distance talking about me. My mom would say the ringing meant that I had a nasty ear infection again.

Yes, certain medical conditions can cause ringing in your ear. But if you know for certain that you don't have tinnitus, there could be a spiritual meaning behind the sound.

Medical Reasons for Left Ear Ringing

In the medical field, ringing in the ear is called tinnitus. It affects roughly 15-20% of people, and there are a few common causes.

1. Hearing loss.

The everyday sounds you hear are transmitted to your brain through a complex process involving tiny hair cells sending electrical impulses to your brain which then interprets them as sound.

These hair cells can be easily damaged over time by loud sounds, head injuries, and aging. When that happens, the hair cells might send random electrical impulses to your brain, causing you to hear ringing in your ear despite no external sounds causing it.

2. Ear infection.

Ear infections can cause fluid to block your ear canal and cause a buildup of pressure, which can ultimately cause your ear to ring.

If your hearing is muffled or you're experiencing a fever along with the ringing in your ear, consult your doctor. It's also important to see your doctor if tinnitus causes dizziness, hearing loss, anxiety, or depression or if you develop the ringing in your ear after an upper respiratory infection.

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If you've eliminated any medical reasons for ringing in the left ear, this phenomenon may not make too much sense on the surface.

It's worth the deep dive into understanding what ringing in the ear could mean spiritually.

1. Someone is talking about you.

One common superstition claims that ringing in the ear means someone is talking about you.

People who associate the ringing with gossip tend to be the ones who are desperate to be liked by those closest to them; they also tend to be people-pleasers.

One reason you may assume someone is talking about you is that you may have struggled with communication in past relationships.

Your guardian angel may be giving you signals to share less information about yourself with others when the ringing occurs.

2. You feel like you're not in control of your life.

If your left ear starts ringing, it may be because you're losing control of a situation and your guardian angels are trying to send a message to you to reel yourself in.

This is especially true if the ringing is low-pitched. It's a signal that you're harboring negative energy due to stress leading you to vibrate at a lower frequency.

If this is the case, try to understand what in your life may be causing you to feel out of control. Once you do, it's possible to raise your vibration which may alleviate the ringing in your left ear.

3. You're headed in the wrong direction.

It's often the case that when you have physical symptoms with no readily identifiable cause, it's your spirit guides sending you a message. Ringing in the left ear may be such a message from your guides who are warning you that you are headed down the wrong path.

The moment you begin to hear these strange noises, it is a clear indication from your guardian angel to get yourself together.

You may be in a weird place in your life and you may question why certain things are/are not happening to you.

Pay very close attention to how you are responding to life's challenges.

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It takes a lot of focus and a true desire to better yourself when you are depicting the areas in your life that need reconstruction.

4. You're experiencing a spiritual awakening.

If the ringing in your ear is high-pitched, it may be because you're in the process of raising your vibration. The realignment of your energy may cause a high-pitched ringing in your left ear.

Great changes are about to occur in your life.

Watch out for messages from your guardian angels that may help you figure out what is going to happen, such as angel numbers (or repeating number sequences) and other synchronicities.

RELATED: 5 Signs Of A Spiritual Awakening

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Destiny Duprey is a writer who covers spirituality, astrology, and love.

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Some people have a ringing in their ears. Others might hear a roaring, buzzing, hissing or clicking inside their heads. The sounds may be intermittent, or they may be constant. They may be a minor annoyance or a major distraction. But if you’re one of the nearly 10 percent of adults who experience some form of tinnitus, there may be help.

What is Tinnitus?

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the human ear in the absence of any external sound. It can be perceived in one or both ears, or in the head.

Tinnitus can be described in many different ways. Patients report hearing sounds such as a high-pitched ringing, buzzing, hissing, humming, whistling, ticking, roaring, clicking, crickets, tunes, songs, whooshing or the sound of wind or waves.

The American Tinnitus Association estimates the more than 50 million American experience tinnitus to some degree. Of these, about 12 million have severe enough tinnitus to seek medical attention. And about two million patients are so seriously debilitated that their daily living is affected.

Causes of Tinnitus

The exact physiological cause of tinnitus is unknown, says UH otolaryngologist Sarah Mowry, MD. “Several sources are known, however, to trigger or worsen tinnitus,” she says, such as:

Noise-induced hearing loss – This is the most common cause of tinnitus. Either a single intense event or long-term noise exposure such as factory or construction work, can damage hearing. With exposure to loud noise, hair cells in the inner ear become damaged or destroyed. Once damaged, these hair cells cannot be renewed or replaced. Up to 90 percent of all tinnitus patients have some level of hearing loss.

Wax build up – Everyone produces different amount of earwax. When a significant amount of earwax becomes built up in the ear canal, hearing can be compromised and tinnitus may seem louder. Earwax should not be removed with a cotton swab. You should speak to your physician or ear, nose and throat doctor.

Certain medications – Some medicines are toxic to the ears and can produce tinnitus as a side effect. Effects depend on the medicine’s dose and can be temporary or permanent.

Ear or sinus infections – Many people, including children, experience tinnitus along with an ear or sinus infection. This will generally lessen and gradually go away once the infection is healed.

Jaw misalignment – Temporomandibular jaw misalignment, or TMJ, can induce tinnitus.

Cardiovascular disease – About 3 percent of tinnitus patients experience pulsatile tinnitus, often in time with their heartbeat. This can indicate the presence of a vascular condition where the blood flow through the veins and arteries is compromised – like a heart murmur, hypertension or hardening of the arteries.

Certain types of tumors – Very rarely, a person will have a benign, slow-growing tumor on their auditory, vestibular or facial nerves. These tumors can cause tinnitus, deafness, facial paralysis and loss of balance.

Head and neck trauma – Physical injury to the head and neck can induce tinnitus.

Certain disorders – Hypo or hyperthyroidism, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia and thoracic outlet syndrome can have tinnitus as a symptom.

What To Do If You Think You Have Tinnitus

The first steps to take if you think you have tinnitus is to note the details surrounding your symptoms. Did you begin a new medicine or were injured or exposed to excessive noise right before it started? Is the tinnitus in one or both ears? Does it fluctuate or is constant? Do you have a hearing loss?

Next, visit your physician or make an appointment with an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist). Also, have your hearing checked by an audiologist.

Living with Tinnitus

Most people who seek medical help for their tinnitus learn that no serious medical problem is causing their condition. This knowledge alone is often enough to allow some to adapt to the sounds they hear.

“Other people experience tinnitus as disruptive and stress-inducing and need help learning how to cope with the sounds,” Dr. Mowry says. She has these tips on coping with tinnitus:

Avoid silence – Tinnitus can sound louder when you are in total silence. Listening to soothing music or nature sounds can promote a comfortable state of relaxation. Other soothing sound suggestions are an aquarium, dehumidifier or electric fan.

Amplification – If you have hearing loss and tinnitus, a hearing aid will help you hear ambient sounds that can take the focus away from the tinnitus.

Maskers – This is a device that resembles a hearing aid and produces a “shhh” sound to cover the tinnitus. “These help your brain suppress the phantom noise so it’s less bothersome,” Dr. Mowry says.

Retraining therapy – You can try to retrain your brain to ignore the tinnitus sounds. This treatment can take more than one year.

Cognitive behavior therapy – This helps you identify and alter maladaptive thoughts and behaviors to achieve relief.

Biofeedback – This therapy teaches stress management and how to control your blood pressure, heart rate and skin temperature.

Drug therapy – Some medicines have been investigated for use in relieving tinnitus; however, medicines are primarily used to help with anxiety, depression and sleep difficulties that can be associated with tinnitus. Treating these problems can indirectly help.

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Our nationally recognized team of hearing and balance experts at University Hospitals, many of whom have advanced fellowship training in the ear, nose and throat subspecialties of otology and neurotology, provide specialized care for ear, hearing and balance disorders. Learn more about the Ear, Hearing and Balance Center at University Hospitals.

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