The real problem with chronic tinnitus isn’t just that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the continuous never ending ringing, that’s the real problem.
The constant noise, perhaps somewhat moderate in volume, may begin as little more than a nuisance. 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 essential that if you are living with tinnitus you adhere to some tips to make life easier. When you’re lying in bed, having trouble falling asleep because you keep hearing buzzing from your right ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
How You Can Worsen Your Tinnitus
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is commonly not a static problem. Symptoms present themselves in spikes and valleys. There are times when your tinnitus is mild and virtually lost in the background. At other times the noises will be shrieking in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to disregard.
This can be a very uncertain and frightening situation. You might be so concerned about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting that you have a panic attack while you’re driving to work. That panic attack, in and of itself, can cause the very episode you’re concerned about.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
The more you know about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and manage the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is essential. There’s no reason that your quality of life has to suffer if you establish the proper treatment.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard approach to tinnitus management. The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: very noticeable at the beginning of a storm, but you stop paying attention to it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound fades into the background. It’s the same basic strategy with TRT, teaching your brain to move that ringing into the background of your thoughts where it’s easier to disregard.
Perfecting this method can take a bit of practice.
Get Your Brain Distracted
One reason 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 focus on can be really helpful. Try these:
- Enjoy some time outdoors listening to the sounds of nature.
- Do some drawing or painting while playing music.
- Enjoy a book while soaking in a bubble bath.
You get the gist: engaging your brain can help you manage your tinnitus.
Meditation, as an alternate approach, helps you focus your attention on a mantra, or your breathing which helps take your attention away from your tinnitus. Some people have discovered that meditation lowers their blood pressure, which can also help with tinnitus.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Hearing aids that help reduce tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by a number of hearing aid companies. Hearing aids are a great option because you put them in and can forget about it the whole 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 deal with the ringing for you.
Have a Plan (And Stick to it)
The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be minimized, and your stress response can be controlled if you have a good plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Pack a bag of useful items to take with you. Anything that can help you be equipped for a tinnitus spike, even generating a list of helpful exercises will be good because it will keep you from having a panic attack!
Management is Key
Chronic tinnitus is an affliction that has no known cure. But that doesn’t mean that individuals can’t regulate 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