With chronic tinnitus, it isn’t the ringing in your ears that’s the actual problem. The real problem is that the ringing won’t stop.
The continuous noise, possibly somewhat moderate in volume, may start as little more than an annoyance. But after a day or a week or a month, that buzzing or ringing 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. It can make a big difference if you have a plan when you’re lying in bed unable to fall asleep because of the ringing or buzzing in your ear.
Your Tinnitus Can be Exacerbated
Chronic tinnitus, after all, is frequently not a static condition. Symptoms present themselves in spikes and valleys. There are times when your tinnitus is mild and practically lost in the background. At other times the sounds will be screaming in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to ignore.
This can be a really uncertain and frightening 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 lead to the very episode you’re concerned about.
Tips For Coping 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, management of symptoms is essential. With the appropriate treatment, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively impact your quality of life.
Tinnitus Retraining Therapy is One Approach
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a common approach to 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 paying attention to it and fades into the background. It’s the same basic strategy with TRT, teaching your brain to move that ringing into the background of your attention where it’s easier to dismiss.
Mastering this technique can take a bit of practice.
Get Your Brain Distracted
One reason tinnitus can be so infuriating is because your brain is constantly searching 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. You could:
- Play music while painting a picture.
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while you read.
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus might be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Meditation, as an alternate path, helps you focus your attention on a mantra, or your breathing which helps take your focus away from your tinnitus. Some people have found that meditation lowers their blood pressure, which can also help with tinnitus.
Think about a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Hearing aids that help decrease tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by numerous hearing aid companies. This solution is very 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 Stick to it)
Making a plan for unexpected spikes can help you control your stress-out reaction, and that can help you minimize certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from worsening them). Think about having a “go bag” containing stuff you might need. Anything that can help you be prepared for a tinnitus spike, even creating a list of helpful exercises will be good 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 people cannot manage and treat their tinnitus. These everyday tips (and more similar to 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