Do you hear a ringing or roaring sound in your ears that no one else can hear? Or can you hear the blood rushing through your body with every heartbeat? If so, you may have tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a common problem linked to several health conditions. You may wonder if it could be related to cardiovascular disease.

“I am awakened with tinnitus in my right ear,” one MyHeartDiseaseTeam member shared about their experience. “My doctor says it’s a circulatory problem.”

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According to existing research, the relationship between tinnitus and cardiovascular health is blurry. Research hasn’t proved that tinnitus is caused by heart health problems, but some studies have found links between the two. Keep reading to learn more about the connection between your heart health and hearing health.

What’s the Connection Between Tinnitus and Heart Disease?

Pulsatile tinnitus doesn’t affect everyone with heart disease. So, doctors can’t say that heart disease definitely causes the hearing problem.

One MyHeartDiseaseTeam member said their tinnitus is a constant distraction that’s led to sleeplessness.

“I’ve had pulsatile tinnitus in my ear for several years. Recently, it’s gotten very loud,” they said. “The person that did the echocardiogram told me the sound I’m hearing is my own murmur. It’s horrible and makes it very hard to sleep.”

The link between pulsatile tinnitus and heart health is still unclear. However, if you’re experiencing pulsatile tinnitus, several issues related to heart health could be affecting your blood flow.

Atherosclerosis

Plaque that builds up inside your blood vessels (atherosclerosis) can create a rocky path for your blood flow. Instead of running through your blood vessels smoothly, your blood flows over hard patches. That interference can contribute to the development of pulsatile tinnitus.

Heart Attack

Reduced blood flow can also happen when plaque buildup leads to a blood clot that causes a heart attack.

One study reviewed the symptoms of more than 17,000 people to look for connections between cardiovascular conditions and tinnitus. The researchers found a link between people who had a prior history of heart attacks and tinnitus. More studies are needed to evaluate this connection.

Heart Failure

Tinnitus isn’t known as a symptom of heart failure. But some research suggests that there may be a link between heart failure and tinnitus.

A small study with 200 people showed that roughly 25 percent of those diagnosed with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction also had tinnitus. Older people in the study experienced tinnitus more than younger people.

High Blood Pressure

There may be a possible connection between pulsatile tinnitus and cardiovascular causes. If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), narrowed arteries restrict blood flow. This may increase your risk of developing pulsatile tinnitus.

The results of one study revealed that people with high blood pressure were 9 percent more likely to have mild tinnitus. Keep in mind, however, that many instances of tinnitus are unrelated to blood pressure changes.

Blood Pressure Medications

If you have high blood pressure, you may be taking blood pressure medications that cause tinnitus or worsen it. One study of 6,500 people found that beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers were linked to an increased risk of tinnitus.

Stroke

Some research has found a link between tinnitus and stroke.

A study published in BMJ Public Health found that women in Norway under age 65 who had mild tinnitus were 2.5 times more likely to experience a stroke than women without tinnitus.

Another study with nearly 3,500 people showed adults in their 20s and 30s who had tinnitus were more likely to have ischemic cerebrovascular disease. This is a condition that can lead to stroke by narrowing blood vessels in the brain.

The same study found that the association of tinnitus to ischemic cerebrovascular disease didn’t continue for those age 40 and older.

While these studies show that there may be a link between stroke and tinnitus, more studies are needed. Tinnitus isn’t considered a dependable predictor of whether a stroke will occur.

What Other Problems Can Cause Tinnitus?

Several other health issues can trigger tinnitus. Talk with your doctor if you have a constant sound in your ears and also experience some of these common problems:

• Ear blockages or infections — You can develop tinnitus with an ear infection or if dirt or earwax builds up in your ear.
• Hearing loss — If the cochlea (the small tube in your inner ear) is damaged from aging or loud noises, the hairs inside it can’t send the right signals to help your brain understand sounds. Sending the wrong signals can cause tinnitus.
• Medication side effects — Certain antibiotics, antidepressants, cancer drugs, diuretics, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can cause tinnitus. For some people, higher doses can make the condition worse.
• Head or neck injury — An injury to your head or neck can damage your inner ear and the auditory nerve that helps you hear. These types of injuries typically cause tinnitus in one ear.

Some less common conditions can also cause tinnitus. These include certain autoimmune disorders, Ménière's disease, noncancerous tumors, or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.

How Can You Manage Tinnitus?

Treatment for tinnitus depends on the type and cause. Because some causes may need medical treatment, new or ongoing tinnitus should be checked by a healthcare provider.

When an underlying cause can be treated, tinnitus may improve. For example, removing earwax or treating a jaw joint problem may reduce the sound. Or if high blood pressure is the underlying cause of pulsatile tinnitus, treating it may reduce the whooshing sound in your ears.

When tinnitus continues, the goal is often to make it less noticeable and reduce its effects on your quality of life.

Here are some strategies that may help reduce distress from tinnitus:

• Counseling — Mental wellness techniques like cognitive behavioral therapy can help you train yourself to ignore the noise as much as possible.
• Environmental enrichment — Playing recordings of music, nature sounds, or white noise can help distract you and make your tinnitus less noticeable.
• Hearing aids — If hearing loss is one of your symptoms, hearing aids can help.