Can Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Ringing in the Ears

Posted by Wen Dan Jiang on

Can Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Ringing in the Ears?

Can vitamin D deficiency cause ringing in the ears? Certainly not. This common health issue of ringing in the ear is not caused by the deficiency of vitamin D. Rather, the excessive use of vitamin D can cause this painless yet irksome issue in the body. The complex body system works with so many profitable nutrients to fight back minor health issues.

Every Vitamin has a distinctive function to perform in the body. Not every vitamin is beneficial for every complication taking place in the body. The deficiency of vitamin D has different causes, and some other factors cause ringing in the ears. Further in the paper, it will be discussed that what is ringing in the ear and what are the factors involved in this issue? And how the deficiency of Vitamin D is not linked to this problem. 

Vitamin D and its Deficiency

Vitamin D is one of the rare vitamins that is produced by some of the organs (liver and kidney) of the body itself. This beneficial vitamin is a fat-soluble vitamin that is found in a few dietary foods. One of the most valuable activities by vitamin D in the body is to absorb calcium and maintain phosphate flow to protect the bones. Vitamin D strengthens the immune system by modulation of cell growth in the body. Some of the medical reports proved that vitamin D works against depression. Sunshine is said to be the major source of Vitamin D. It can also be retrieved from some of the dietary food items and supplements. Soybeans, yogurt, cheese, cereals, orange and fish, are said to be the items rich in vitamin D. 

Deficiency

The deficiency of Vitamin D is a crucial phenomenon to discuss. The insufficient amount of vitamin D can raise certain health issues including;

  • The absence of Vitamin D can cause the disease of Rickets and Osteomalacia.   
  • Insufficiency of vitamin D in the body also leads to depression.
  • The deficiency of vitamin D is alarming as it also paves the way for other diseases to attack the body like heart issues and cancer etc. 

The issue of Ringing in the ears

A buzzing, swooshing or churning sound can be exasperating. These aggravating sounds in the ear are bothersome when the origin of the noise is unknown. This bland issue is regarded as Tinnitus in medical terms. The term Tinnitus originates from the Latin word ‘tinnire’ that means ‘ringing’ in English. The sensation of such sounds can be consistent and can differ in loudness. Such sounds can be heard in quiet places, mostly at night.

Tinnitus is a common issue, but its severity can lead to discomfort and distress. People having this issue can sense a loss of concentration on their work and also feel difficulty in having a sound sleep. There are two types of tinnitus

  1. Objective tinnitus: This is an extremely rare type of tinnitus. The sound of blood flow through arteries can be heard. 
  2. Subjective tinnitus: This is the usual form of tinnitus and can be heard by one or both ears. 40% of the population is estimated to experience the issue of tinnitus once in their life. Out of 40%, 10 to 20% of the population experiences consistent tinnitus for consecutive three months.


Businessman relaxing at work with hands behind head, eyes closed and a coffee. No tinnitus symptoms present.

Major Causes of the Tinnitus

There are some inner relapses and outer factors that lead to the issue of tinnitus. 

  • Mental illness like anxiety, depression and stress leads to hearing ringing sounds in the ear. 
  • A protracted disclosure to raucous sound is a reason for tinnitus. The loud noise is capable of damaging the sensitive sound cells of the inner ear. The people who belong to professions that are constantly linked with sounds such as pilots, carpenters, street-repair labors, rock musicians, or those who work with the devices that produce boisterous sounds are more prone to this problem. The possibility of experiencing tinnitus for the rest of your life happens too when someone hears a sudden loud explosion.  
  • Some of the inner ear complications also cause tinnitus. For example,
  1. Ear infection
  2. Buildup wax
  3. A benign tumor in the ear
  • Aging is also the main factor of causing tinnitus. 
  • Some other health issues also cause tinnitus like high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, anemia etc.

Is the Deficiency of Vitamin D a Cause of Tinnitus?

The answer to the above phrase is a straight no. The only possible link of vitamin D to tinnitus is that consuming an excessive amount of vitamin D supplement can cause the tinnitus. Insufficiency of vitamin D is not the cause rather taking the high amount of vitamin D can lead to the issue of ringing in the ears. Medical researchers have proved the fact that the high dose of vitamin D is correlated with hypercalcemia. Various medical studies verify that vitamin D absorbs calcium into the body, so excessive amounts of vitamin D can lead to hypercalcemia and nausea, fatigue, headache, and weakness. 

Deficiency of magnesium can also be a cause of tinnitus. However, the human body needs to convert vitamin D3 through the enzyme, which requires a magnesium nutrient. Thus, the large intake of vitamin D may reduce the amount of magnesium in the body. And this deficiency further causes tinnitus. 

An insufficient amount of Vitamin B12 is also deduced to be the cause of tinnitus. Distinctive studies in the medical field demonstrate that people with the issue of tinnitus who were given the proper amount of vitamin B12, and the results were positive as vitamin B12 lessened the intensity of tinnitus. 

Is it Curable or Not?

In the field of medicine, no drug has been found yet to cure the issue of tinnitus. But some of the interventions have been managed to treat this issue. Following are the possible remedies to mitigate the intensity of tinnitus:  

  • As mentioned above, stress is one of the causes of tinnitus, so meditation and relaxing exercises can lessen the effect of tinnitus.
  • There are always other health issues, which consequently lead to tinnitus so early checkup can help people to figure out the main illness and, in result, help in avoiding tinnitus. 
  • Avoiding noise can also help in reducing the effects of tinnitus. People who work in an environment where they frequently hear loud sounds can use noise protection. 
  • People experiencing tinnitus may be going through hearing loss. In this case, hearing aids can help people undergoing tinnitus.  
  • Taking proper supplements of the nutrients and avoiding excessive doses of any vitamin will help decrease the intensity of ringing in the ears issue. 
  • Removal of the blockage in the ear can reduce the symptoms of the ringing in the ears. 
  • Treating blood vessels can cure this issue.
  • Some drugs can lessen the severity of tinnitus but cannot fully cure it. Those medications include; Tricyclic antidepressants like nortriptyline and Xanax. These drugs are used only for serious tinnitus patients. Such medications can also cause damaging side effects including blurred vision, nausea, hearing problems etc., which is why they are not preferable.

How to Handle

As described earlier, there is no medicine to cure this problem. But the scientists believe that if it is handled smartly, it can be managed. Following are some ways suggested by healthcare professionals:

  • Acupuncture treatment can be beneficial, as we know that in this method of treatment, only those parts of the brain will be activated, which are responsible for initiating ringing in the ears.
  • Reduce the level of tension and stress from routine. In nowadays, some therapies are performed on the patients to reduce their stress.
  • Exercises can also help, but these are not physical exercises rather mental. They include meditation, relaxation and laughing.
  • Some scientists believe that while having feelings of ringing in ears, the patient can start listening to some soothing sounds, which can help the patient think something other than listening to ringing in the ears.
  • The consumption of  food that is rich in magnesium can also help. For this, different nuts can be taken. In fruits, patients can take avocados and bananas. According to some scientists, dark chocolate is also helpful.
  • Some research has proven that the use of coffee can reduce the problem of tinnitus. It was concluded that caffeine is responsible for these positive results as it relaxes the central nervous system.
  • Due to the lack of some vitamins along with the deficiency of zinc,  the problem of tinnitus usually comes into existence. So, it is believed that taking B12 can help to reduce the chances of ringing in ears.


Young Businesswoman Having a Coffee Break. No tinnitus symptoms present.

Final Verdict

Ringing in the ears is undoubtedly a troublesome issue that can lead to major mental health issues. Although this issue must not be taken lightly, people don’t take it seriously until it gets severe. The deficiency of vitamin D is not one of the symptoms of ringing in the ears; instead, the excessive dose of vitamin D can lead to the issue of tinnitus. 

References

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