With chronic tinnitus, it isn’t the ringing in your ears that’s the real problem. It’s the constant never ending ringing, that’s the real issue.
The continuous noise, perhaps somewhat moderate in volume, might start as little more than a nuisance. But the ringing can become aggravating and even debilitating if it goes on for days or months or more.
That’s why it’s essential 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 right ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
Your Tinnitus Can be Exacerbated
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is frequently not a static problem. There are increases and decreases in the presentation of symptoms. At times, your tinnitus may be an afterthought, hidden in the background of daily life. At other times, that ringing could be as difficult to dismiss as a full-blown, personalized symphony.
That can leave you in a pretty frightening place of uncertainty. Perhaps you even experience panic attacks while driving to work because you’re worried about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting. And the very panic attack caused by this worry can itself trigger the tinnitus.
Tips For Coping With Tinnitus
You will be in a better position to prepare for and manage tinnitus the more you understand about it. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is vital. There’s no reason that your quality of life needs to suffer if you establish the proper treatment.
Think About Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Many treatment options for tinnitus involve some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The sound of rain on a rooftop 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 goes into the background. TRT uses the same concept 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.
Perfecting this method can take a bit of practice.
Get Your Brain Distracted
Your brain is constantly searching for the source of the noise and that’s one of the reasons why tinnitus can be so frustrating. So supplying your brain with more (and varied) stimuli to focus on can be helpful. You could:
- Do some drawing or painting while listening to music.
- Enjoy some time outdoors listening to the sounds of nature.
- Read a book while taking 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 focus away from your tinnitus. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some people, is that it can reduce blood pressure which is a common cause of tinnitus symptoms.
Think about a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Hearing aids that help decrease tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by several hearing aid companies. This solution is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other strategies. The ringing will be handled by the hearing aid and you can relax and enjoy your life.
Make a Plan (And Follow-Through)
The impact of some tinnitus episodes can be decreased, and your stress reaction can be controlled if you have a good plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Consider having a “go bag” full of stuff you might need. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus spike, even making a list of helpful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from panicking!
The Key is Management
There is no cure for tinnitus which is usually chronic. But that doesn’t mean that people cannot manage and treat their tinnitus. These everyday tips (and more like them) can help make certain you are living with tinnitus, and not suffering from tinnitus.
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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