The body gives warnings when blood pressure reaches high levels or body systems fail to operate properly. Hearing noises in the ears when exercising, a condition called tinnitus, signals an underlying medical condition, according to MayoClinic.com. One in five people hear noises linked to age and hearing loss, circulatory system problems or injury to the ear. Consult a health care professional to determine the cause of the ringing and prescribe treatment.
Tinnitus Defined & Causes
Hearing noises, including hissing, roaring, clicking, buzzing, whistling and ringing, signals a condition known as tinnitus. The sensation, called phantom noises, can vary in loudness and in pitch, and can occur in one or both ears. The condition also can be subjective, meaning sounds only you can hear, or it may be objective, sounds allowing your doctor to also hear the noise during an examination. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders estimate that approximately 10 percent of the U.S. adult population experienced tinnitus for at least three months during 2009.
The causes of the condition that creates noise during exercise include damage to the auditory nerves; outer, inner or middle ear damage; muscle contractions; or inner ear bone problems. Diseases that involve the blood vessels also may create ear noise while exercising. A doctor can diagnose the problem, but, according to MayoClinic.com, many times the condition cannot be pinpointed to a single cause.
Exercise & Ear Noise
Exercising increases the blood flow or the pressure and may create ear noise or increase the amount of noise. Atherosclerosis, cholesterol buildup, reduces the elasticity of the blood vessels in the ear. When the blood flow increases during exercise, particularly strenuous sessions, the constricted blood vessels in the inner ear may create tinnitus in one or both ears. High blood pressure, turbulent blood flow or a malformation of capillaries, where the connections between the veins and arteries fail to allow the easy flow of blood, also increase pressure in the inner ear and may create noises during exercise.
Masking Treatments
A masking treatment may prove useful for exercise sessions, if the noise interferes with concentration or becomes overly bothersome. Masking devices resemble hearing aids and create low level, white noise to mask the sounds created by the tinnitus. Other masking treatments include an ear mechanism creating tonal music set for your specific tinnitus sounds. This mask allows you to focus on the new sound, rather than the tinnitus. The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders describes the masking sound options as "a soft 'shhhhhhhhhh,' random tones, or music."
Other Treatments
Depending on the cause of the tinnitus, treatments may include medications. Drugs, such as alprazolam and tricyclic antidepressants, may reduce the impact of the noise in some people, according to the American Tinnitus Association, and are prescribed to address the various causes of ear noise or condition related to the tinnitus. Antidepressants may quiet the impact of the noise. Side effects from these medications may include nausea, heart conditions, blurred vision and drowsiness in some users, according to MayoClinic.com. Tinnitus related to blood vessel conditions may be treated by surgery or prescription medications to mediate the vascular condition. Consult with your primary care doctor or a specialist about a sound exercise program while under treatment for this condition.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Tinnitus; Mayo Clinic Staff
- National Institute on Deafness & Other Communication Disorders: Tinnitus
- CNNHealth.com; What Can I Do About Ringing in My Ears?; Otis Brawley; July 29, 2009
- MedlinePlus; Tinnitus; Neil K. Kaneshiro & David Zieve; Feb. 28, 2011
- Cigna; Ringing in the Ears (Tinnitus); H. Michael O'Connor & William H. Blahd, Jr.; Feb. 12, 2010
- American Tinnitus Association: Treatment Information
