With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the real issue. The real problem is that the ringing doesn’t stop.
The constant noise, perhaps rather modest in volume, might begin as little more than a nuisance. But the ringing can become frustrating and even debilitating if it goes on for days or months or more.
That’s why it’s crucial that if you are coping with tinnitus you follow some tips to make life easier. It can make a big difference if you have a plan when you’re lying in bed struggling to fall asleep because of the buzzing or ringing in your ear.
How You Can Exacerbate Your Tinnitus
It’s beneficial to keep in mind that tinnitus is frequently not static. There are increases and decreases in the presentation of symptoms. There are times when your tinnitus is minor and practically lost in the background. At other times the noises will be screeching in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to ignore.
That can leave you in a very frightening place of anxiety. Maybe you even experience panic attacks while driving to work because you’re concerned about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting. That panic attack, in and of itself, can cause the very episode you’re worried about.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
The more you know about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and control the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is vital. There’s no reason that your quality of life has to suffer if you establish the proper treatment.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Approach
Many treatments for tinnitus involve some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The sound of rain on a rooftop is a common analogy: it’s very loud and noticeable when it first starts but by the end of the storm you stop focusing on it and recedes into the background. TRT uses the same principle to train your brain to move the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time tuning it out.
It can take practice to get this technique down.
Get Your Brain Distracted
One of the reasons that tinnitus can be so frustrating is because your brain is constantly looking for the source of that noise, attempting to alert you to its presence. So giving your brain a range of different sounds to concentrate on can be very helpful. Try these:
- Have music playing while painting a picture.
- Take a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
- Read a book while taking a bubble bath.
You get the gist: engaging your brain can help you manage your tinnitus.
Alternately, many people have discovered that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breathing, a mantra, and etc. Some people have found that meditation reduces their blood pressure, which can also be helpful with tinnitus.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Numerous hearing aid companies have manufactured hearing aids that help reduce the ringing in your ear. Hearing aids are a great solution because you put them in and can forget about them the whole day, you don’t need to carry around a white noise machine or constantly use an app. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid take care of the ringing for you.
Have a Plan (And Stick to it)
Making a plan for unexpected spikes can help you handle your stress-out reaction, and that can help you minimize certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from worsening them). Pack a bag of practical items to bring with you. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus surge, even making a list of helpful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from panicking!
Management is Key
There’s no cure for tinnitus which is usually chronic. But that doesn’t mean that individuals cannot regulate and treat their tinnitus. These everyday tips (and more like them) can help make sure you are living with tinnitus, and not suffering from tinnitus.
References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3303565/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5050200/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17956798/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4447068/
https://journals.plos.org/ploscompbiol/article?id=10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008664