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May 28, 2023

Can Allergies Cause Tinnitus?

Aubrey Bailey, PT, DPT, CHT is a physical therapist with over 20 years of

Aubrey Bailey, PT, DPT, CHT is a physical therapist with over 20 years of experience in a variety of healthcare settings.

Jurairat J. Molina, MD, MBA is a board-certified allergist who has been practicing in field of allergy and clinical immunology for the past two decades.

If you've got allergies, you're at high risk of developing tinnitus—a condition commonly called "ringing in the ears." The pitch of this ringing can be high or low, or loud or soft. You might also hear a totally different sound, such as clicking, buzzing, roaring, or even hissing. Learn more about allergy-related tinnitus and how to treat these symptoms in this article.

Verywell / Michela Buttignol

Tinnitus is one of the most common medical conditions in the United States, affecting over 45 million people. It frequently occurs between the ages of 60 and 69.

Allergies develop when your body overreacts to a foreign substance in your environment, such as pollen, dust mites, animal dander, and mold. Your immune system views these allergens as a threat to your health and begins to fight them off. This is what causes your allergy symptoms.

Common allergy symptoms include:

Allergies affect over 50 million people in the United States each year. Hay fever alone accounts for over 19 million of these cases in adults and over 5 million cases in children.

Tinnitus occurs when abnormal pressure develops in your inner or middle ear. This can be a direct result of congestion caused by allergies. Several allergy-related conditions can increase your risk of developing tinnitus, including:

Tinnitus isn't the only side effect of allergies that can affect your ears and hearing. Inflammation and fluid buildup can muffle sounds, as though you're listening to someone speak while underwater. This condition, called conductive hearing loss, occurs when sound waves cannot travel effectively to your middle ear.

Eustachian tube dysfunction occurring with allergies can also cause pain and/or pressure in your ears, dizziness, and difficulty maintaining your balance.

Tinnitus and other allergy symptoms can often be effectively treated with medications and other types of interventions, such as:

While tinnitus can be a frustrating side effect of allergies, feeling stressed about this symptom can actually make it worse. While some stress-relieving techniques, such as deep breathing, might be difficult with allergies, incorporating relaxing activities like meditation or yoga into your schedule can also help reduce overall stress levels.

Talk to your doctor about allergy testing and other treatment options if over-the-counter medications and home remedies are not effective in relieving your symptoms.

Treating your allergies can help reduce all of your symptoms, including tinnitus.

Contact the American Tinnitus Association for information about support groups. Also, talk to your doctor about local or online options.

While tinnitus does not specifically lead to dizziness, these symptoms often occur together. They can both develop from pressure buildup in your middle and inner ear.

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. Tinnitus.

American Tinnitus Association. Demographics.

American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology. Allergy symptoms.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Allergy facts and figures.

American Tinnitus Association. Tinnitus causes.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Conductive hearing loss.

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Allergy treatment.

American Tinnitus Association. Hearing aids.

Harvard Health Publishing. Is stress making your allergy symptoms worse?

By Aubrey Bailey, PT, DPT, CHTAubrey Bailey is a physical therapist and professor of anatomy and physiology with over a decade of experience providing in-person and online education for medical personnel and the general public, specializing in the areas of orthopedic injury, neurologic diseases, developmental disorders, and healthy living.