Kaan Mein Awaz Ana (Tinnitus): Causes and What Helps
A high pitched ring, a low hum, or something like a cricket that only you can hear. If it started recently and it will not stop, here is what to check before assuming the worst.
Quick facts
- What it is: a sound perceived in the ear or head with no outside source
- Most common cause: earwax buildup or recent loud noise exposure
- Self check first: both ears or one, constant or pulsing, since when
- See a doctor if: sudden, one sided, with hearing loss or dizziness
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Kaan mein seeti bajna, as it is often described at home, is not one condition. It is a symptom with many possible causes, some trivial and some that need urgent attention. Most people who search for this are dealing with the trivial kind, but the ones that are not urgent must never be assumed without a check.
The common, fixable causes
Wax is often the whole story. Earwax buildup is the single most common reason for a new ringing or muffled sound, especially after swimming, using earbuds for long hours, or poking around with a cotton bud, which actually pushes wax deeper rather than removing it. A doctor or a proper ear syringing can clear it in minutes, and the ringing often stops the same day.
Loud noise exposure, from a wedding speaker, a factory, traffic, or headphones at high volume, can leave a temporary ring that fades within a day or two. If it happens often, the damage can eventually become permanent, so it is worth protecting your ears with earplugs at loud events rather than treating the ringing afterward as normal. Prevention beats cure here.
High blood pressure is a genuine and under discussed link. Some people notice a pulsing, whooshing sound that beats in time with their heart when their blood pressure is raised. If your tinnitus pulses rather than rings steadily, get your blood pressure checked, ideally at a clinic on more than one occasion, since 140/90 at the clinic or around 135/85 at home on a validated monitor is the usual threshold doctors use.
Less common but important causes
Certain medicines, including very high doses of aspirin, some antibiotics, and certain diuretics, can cause or worsen tinnitus. If it began after starting a new medicine, mention this to the prescribing doctor rather than stopping the medicine yourself. Do not stop it on your own. Stress and poor sleep do not cause tinnitus from nothing, but they make an existing ring feel far louder and more distressing, especially at night in a quiet room.
A simple ear check first routine
- Note which ear, or both, and whether the sound is constant, comes and goes, or pulses with your heartbeat.
- Check if you have used earbuds for more than 2 hours a day this week, or been near loud noise recently.
- Get your blood pressure checked within the next few days if the sound pulses.
- See a doctor for an ear examination before trying eardrops or oils, since a perforated eardrum changes what is safe to put in the ear.
- If wax is confirmed, ask about proper wax softening drops for a few days before any removal, rather than attempting removal yourself with cotton buds, hairpins, or candles.
| Clue | Likely direction |
|---|---|
| Muffled hearing plus ringing after a bath or swim | Possible wax, get it checked |
| Sound pulses with your heartbeat | Get blood pressure checked |
| Started right after a loud event, fading over days | Likely noise related, protect ears going forward |
| Sudden, one sided, with dizziness or hearing loss | Urgent medical review, do not wait |
In traditional Unani practice, sounds in the ear were sometimes linked to an imbalance of temperament affecting the head and ear passage, and warm oil instillation, such as mildly warmed sesame oil, was used for comfort in cases with no eardrum injury. This is described here as tradition and comfort measure only, never as a treatment for the underlying medical causes above, and never appropriate if there is any chance the eardrum is not intact.
Living with a mild, ongoing ring
Once the checkable causes are ruled out, some people are left with a mild, persistent tinnitus that has no single fixable cause, often linked to age related changes in the inner ear or past noise exposure that cannot be undone. This does not mean nothing can be done for comfort. Silence is not soothing here. Many people find that total silence actually makes the ringing feel louder, since there is nothing else for the brain to focus on, which is why a soft background sound, a fan, gentle music, or a white noise app at low volume, genuinely helps at night and while working.
Caffeine, high salt intake, and poor sleep are commonly reported by patients to make their tinnitus feel worse, though the exact link varies from person to person. Keeping a short diary for two weeks, noting what you ate, how you slept, and how loud the ringing felt that day, can help you spot your own personal triggers rather than relying on generic advice that may not apply to you.
Protecting your ears going forward
If loud noise is a regular part of your work, at a factory, a wedding hall, or driving in heavy traffic with music on, foam earplugs are inexpensive and genuinely reduce cumulative damage over years. The damage from repeated loud noise exposure builds slowly and is often permanent once it happens, which makes prevention far more valuable than any treatment available afterward.
Myth versus reality
Myth: ringing in the ears always means permanent hearing damage. Reality: most cases are temporary and linked to wax, noise, or a treatable cause, but permanence is more likely the longer loud noise exposure continues untreated.
Myth: putting garlic or onion juice in the ear clears it. Reality: putting anything into the ear canal without knowing the eardrum is intact can cause pain, infection, or worse, and there is no good reason to do it for tinnitus.
Myth: it is always in your head and nothing can be done, so people give up on checking it at all, which is exactly the wrong instinct. Reality: many causes are checkable and treatable, from wax to blood pressure to a medicine review.
Before you try it
Try five minutes of quiet breathing before bed, and keep a small fan or white noise on low in the bedroom. It will not fix the underlying cause, but it often makes a mild ring far less noticeable at night while you sort out the real cause during the day.
Get seen urgently for sudden hearing loss, tinnitus in only one ear that appeared suddenly, ringing with severe dizziness or vertigo, ringing after a head injury, or any discharge, bleeding, or severe pain from the ear. Do not put oil, garlic juice, or anything else into the ear if there is pain, discharge, or a known history of a perforated eardrum. Pregnant women and people on blood thinners should mention this to their doctor before any ear procedure, including simple wax removal.
Rule those two out first. Once wax and blood pressure are ruled out, a lot of everyday tinnitus becomes manageable rather than frightening. If a family member is skipping medical checks because they hope it will just go away, gently push for the ear exam, since it is usually quick and often solves the mystery. For related hearing concerns in the family, read our piece on recognising hearing loss in older relatives, and for pressure related headaches see our Desi Remedies hub for more everyday health guides.
Ringing in the ears, kaan mein seeti
Why do I hear ringing in my ears?
The most common reasons are earwax buildup and recent loud noise, like a wedding speaker, factory work or loud headphones. High blood pressure, some medicines and age-related inner-ear changes are other causes. Tinnitus is a symptom, not a single disease, so the fix depends on what’s behind it.
Is ringing in the ears serious?
Most of the time it isn’t, and it turns out to be wax or noise. Get seen urgently for sudden hearing loss, sudden ringing in one ear only, ringing with severe dizziness, ringing after a head injury, or any discharge, bleeding or severe pain from the ear.
Will tinnitus go away on its own?
It depends on the cause. Ringing after a loud event usually fades within a day or two, and wax-related ringing often stops the same day the wax is cleared. Long-standing tinnitus from nerve changes may not disappear, but it often becomes much less noticeable over time.
Can earwax cause ringing in the ears?
Yes, it’s often the whole story, especially if hearing also feels muffled after a bath or swim. Have a doctor look in the ear first. If it is wax, ask about softening drops for a few days before proper removal. Cotton buds push wax deeper and make it worse.
Can high BP cause a sound in the ear?
It can. Some people hear a pulsing, whooshing sound in time with their heartbeat when their blood pressure is raised. If yours pulses, get your BP checked on more than one occasion. The usual thresholds are 140/90 at a clinic or about 135/85 on a validated home monitor.
Can I put oil or garlic juice in my ear for tinnitus?
Don’t put anything in the ear until a doctor has confirmed the eardrum is intact. Oil, garlic or onion juice can cause pain or infection, and they do nothing for tinnitus. If there’s pain, discharge or a history of a perforated eardrum, keep everything out.
Can medicines cause ringing in the ears?
Some can, including very high doses of aspirin, certain antibiotics and some diuretics. If the ringing began after a new medicine, tell the doctor who prescribed it. Don’t stop it yourself. They can decide whether a change makes sense.
Why is tinnitus worse at night?
In a quiet room there’s nothing else for your brain to listen to, so the ring stands out. Tiredness and stress make it seem louder too. A fan, soft music or a low white noise app at bedtime makes it far less noticeable.
Can stress cause tinnitus?
Rarely on its own. Stress tends to make an existing ring feel louder and harder to ignore rather than creating one.
Does caffeine make tinnitus worse?
For some people, yes, though it varies. Caffeine, salty food and poor sleep are commonly reported triggers. Keep a two-week diary of what you ate, how you slept and how loud the ringing was, and you’ll see your own pattern instead of relying on generic lists.
My child says their ear is ringing. What should I do?
Take them to a doctor for an ear check. Children often don’t mention ringing unless asked, and in a child it can go with wax, an ear infection or a hearing problem that’s worth catching early. Don’t put oil, drops or anything else into a child’s ear yourself.
How can I protect my ears from noise damage?
Wear cheap foam earplugs at weddings, in factories or anywhere loud, and keep headphone volume down and sessions short. Noise damage builds slowly and is often permanent once it happens, so prevention matters far more than anything done afterwards.