Sex is a sensory experience. Chances are that at one time or another, each and every sense will be activated while you’re having sex. This is why sensory deprivation can be such a fun way to add a little something extra to your sex life.
By carefully tying someone up (or being tied up), you can control how one or more partners can touch. Make sure you have the right rope for bondage play, by the way.
You need sturdy yet comfortable materials like our Bondage Couture Rope. It is also common for people to limit their sight during sex since this can amplify what they can feel. If that is a kink you’re interested in, look no further than the You & Me Silky Red Blindfold.
Altering how we perceive stimuli during sex is a common pastime that people have engaged in for years. However, it’s a lesser-known phenomenon when people experience the loss of a sense after the sex is over. Even though it might not be an intentional part of the sexual experience, people can experience a temporary shift in their hearing.
Understandably, having your hearing affected can be alarming if you weren’t expecting it or if it has never happened before. Although it doesn’t happen to the majority of people, decreased hearing after sex is a common enough phenomenon that there are some studies surrounding it.
What Is Tinnitus?
It’s helpful to understand that the formal name for a ringing in your ears is Tinnitus. If you experience a ringing, buzzing, humming, or another kind of consistent sound that limits your ability to hear, you might have a bout of Tinnitus.
Any number of sources and issues can cause tinnitus. Anything from injuries to a buildup of earwax to being around loud noises, to age, and more can cause your ears to ring. Oddly enough, sex is also a common cause of tinnitus in people.
Is Tinnitus Dangerous?
In most people, tinnitus is a temporary symptom that should resolve relatively quickly. If the issue persists for multiple days or weeks, it might be time to see a doctor. If you are experiencing other symptoms at the same time, such as fatigue, dizziness, or severe hearing loss, it is important to seek medical help.
These don’t tend to occur for people who get tinnitus as a result of sex. Since sex-induced tinnitus isn’t indicative of any kind of underlying condition, a ringing in your ears alone isn’t a cause for concern.
Should You Be Worried About Your Ears Ringing After Sex?
Usually, if your ears start ringing after sex, it isn’t anything to worry about. This is especially true if you have a pattern of this happening before.
It could just be that temporary tinnitus is a part of how your body reacts to sexual activity, and that’s okay. That said, a few factors to look out for will give you a clue that there could be an underlying cause for the ringing.
Does the rest of your body feel normal, and is your thinking clear? We understand that the tinnitus could be annoying or even concerning, but double-check to ensure that your faculties feel in order. If you try to get up and feel dizzy upon standing, that could be a sign that there is more going on.
The ringing in your ears should also go away within a few minutes or hours at most. If it persists for longer than that, it could be a problem.
Theories Why Our Ears Ring After Sex
The truth is that we don’t know exactly why it is that people’s ears ring after sex. It is even more perplexing that only some people experience this phenomenon while others won’t have their hearing interrupted at all. This issue is well documented enough that there has been some research on the topic, but we still have a long way to go.
At this point, rather than having one definitive reason for why our ears can ring after sex, we have a set of possible explanations. In reality, it could be a combination of these reasons, or it could be for another reason that hasn’t been discovered yet. These are the current leading explanations for why certain people experience temporary tinnitus after sex.
Changes in Blood Pressure
During the first few stages of sex, our blood pressure rises rapidly to account for increased activity and blood flow. This is also why our hearts race while we are having sex.
When sex ends, we reach what is known as the “resolution phase.” During this phase, our blood pressure and heartbeats slow down to a more regular state.
The change is quite sudden, and there is a theory that this spontaneous drop in blood pressure and pulse can affect our ears. Our ears are incredibly sensitive, so having their functionality change due to changes in pressure is entirely possible.
If we experience less blood flow to the middle ear, it can also mean that certain nerves might not be able to function at full capacity.
Altered Brain Activity
When we are having sex, and especially when we orgasm, different parts of our brain are activated than usual. Certain brain functions get kicked into overdrive while others lounge around in the backseat.
One of the areas of the brain that works extra hard during sex is the temporal lobe, which controls our ability to hear. This could result in hypersensitivity that makes us hear sounds we might not register otherwise. One of these sounds could be a faint ringing or perhaps a muffling of the ear.
A Rush of Endorphins
Sex releases a tremendous amount of endorphins. Since endorphins are neurotransmitters that change our sensory experience, a sudden influx of them could alter our perception.
A Ringing Endorsement
In most situations, a ringing in your ears after sex is nothing to be afraid of. If anything, it’s just a sign that you had such a good time that your whole body needs a second to recalibrate.
When you’re looking for new tools to amp up your sex life, Empower Pleasure has you covered.
Sources:
Science Explains Why You Sometimes Can’t Hear After You Orgasm | Vice
Temporal Lobe: What It Is, Function, Location & Damage | Cleveland Clinic