With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the actual problem. The real issue is that the ringing doesn’t stop.
The continuous noise, perhaps rather moderate in volume, might start as little more than an annoyance. But after a day or a week or a month, that ringing or buzzing can become irritating, frustrating, even debilitating.
That’s why it’s vital to have some tips you can rely on, tips that make living with tinnitus simpler. When you’re lying in bed, having trouble falling asleep because you keep hearing buzzing from your left ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
Your Tinnitus Can be Exacerbated
It’s beneficial to remember that tinnitus is commonly not static. Symptoms present themselves in spikes and valleys. Sometimes, your tinnitus might be an afterthought, hidden in the background of everyday life. At other times the sounds will be screeching in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to dismiss.
That can leave you in a pretty frightening place of anxiety. Perhaps you even experience panic attacks while driving to work because you’re worried about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting. That panic attack, in and of itself, can trigger the very situation you’re concerned about.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
You will be in a better position to plan for and control tinnitus the more you understand about it. And management is the real key since tinnitus has no known cure. There’s no reason that your quality of life needs to suffer if you establish the proper treatment.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Approach
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard strategy for tinnitus management. The sound of rain on a rooftop is a common analogy: it’s very loud and obvious when it first starts but by the time the storm is ending you stop focusing on it and fades 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 ignoring them.
Perfecting this technique can take some practice.
Distract Your Brain
One reason tinnitus can be so infuriating is because your brain is constantly looking for the source of that noise, attempting to alert you to its presence. So giving your brain more (and varied) stimuli to concentrate on can help. Try these:
- Enjoy some time outside listening to the sounds of nature.
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Do some drawing or painting while playing music.
You get the point: Your tinnitus might be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Alternately, many individuals have discovered that meditation helps because it concentrates your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and so on. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some, is that it can lower blood pressure which is a common cause of tinnitus symptoms.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Many hearing aid companies have developed hearing aids that help reduce the ringing in your ear. Hearing aids are an ideal option because you put them in and can forget about it the entire day, you won’t need to carry around a white noise machine or constantly use an app. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid manage the ringing for you.
Make a Plan (And Follow-Through)
The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be decreased, and your stress reaction can be managed if you have a good plan for any surges in your symptoms. Consider having a “go bag” full of things you may need. Anything that can help you be prepared for a tinnitus spike, even generating a list of helpful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from panicking!
Management is Key
Chronic tinnitus is an affliction that has no known cure. But that doesn’t mean that individuals can’t manage and treat their tinnitus. Make sure you are managing your tinnitus not suffering from it by using these tips and any others that you find helpful.
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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