The actual problem with chronic tinnitus isn’t simply that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the continuous non-stop ringing, that’s the real issue.
The continuous noise, perhaps somewhat modest in volume, might begin as little more than a nuisance. But after a day or a week or a month, that ringing or buzzing can become aggravating, frustrating, even debilitating.
That’s why it’s vital to have some tips you can rely on, tips that make living with tinnitus less difficult. When you’re lying in bed, having difficulty falling asleep because you keep hearing buzzing from your left ear, having a plan is going to help you a lot.
How You Can Worsen Your Tinnitus
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is frequently not a static problem. There are increases and decreases in the manifestation of symptoms. There are times when your tinnitus is mild and practically lost in the background. In other moments, that ringing could be as hard to ignore as a full-blown, personalized symphony.
This can be a really uncertain and scary situation. Perhaps 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 Coping With Tinnitus
The more you understand about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and control the effects. And management is crucial since tinnitus has no known cure. With the proper treatment, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively impact your quality of life.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Option
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard approach to tinnitus management. The analogy that gets floated around frequently is the sound of rain on your rooftops: very obvious at the start of a storm, but you stop focusing on it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound fades into the background. TRT uses the same principle to teach your brain to push 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.
Get Your Brain Distracted
One of the reasons that 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 supplying your brain with a variety of different sounds to concentrate on can be quite helpful. You could:
- Have music playing while painting a picture.
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus might be able to be reduced by engaging your brain.
Meditation, as an alternate approach, helps you concentrate your attention on a mantra, or your breathing which helps take your attention away from your tinnitus. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some, is that it can lower blood pressure which is a known cause of tinnitus symptoms.
Manage Tinnitus With a Hearing Aid
Hearing aids that help decrease tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by a number of hearing aid companies. This option is very convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other strategies. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid take care of the ringing for you.
Have a Plan (And Stick to it)
The impact of some tinnitus episodes can be lessened, and your stress reaction can be controlled if you have a practical plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Pack a bag of useful items to bring with you. Anything that can help you be ready for a tinnitus surge, even making a list of useful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from having a panic attack!
The Key is Management
There’s no cure for tinnitus which is usually chronic. But control and treatment of tinnitus is a very real potential. These everyday tips (and more like them) can help make sure 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