With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the real issue. It’s the constant never ending ringing, that’s the real problem.
At first, this may be a moderate noise that’s not much more than a little irritating. 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 crucial that if you are coping with tinnitus you follow some tips to make life easier. 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
It’s important to keep in mind that tinnitus is frequently 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, that ringing could be as hard to dismiss as a full-blown, individualized symphony.
This can be a really uncertain and frightening situation. Perhaps you even experience panic attacks while driving to work because you’re worried about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting. And the very panic attack brought on by this worry can itself cause the tinnitus.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
You will be in a better position to plan for and control tinnitus the more you know about it. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is vital. With the right management, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively affect your quality of life.
Consider Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Many treatment options for tinnitus include some form of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The sound of rain on a rooftop is a common analogy: it’s very loud and obvious when it first begins but by the time the storm is ending you stop focusing on it and fades into the background. It’s the same basic concept with TRT, teaching your brain to move that ringing into the background of your thoughts where it’s easier to ignore.
Perfecting this strategy can take some practice.
Distract Your Brain
One of the reasons that tinnitus can be so infuriating is because your brain is continuously searching for the source of that sound, attempting to alert you to its presence. So giving your brain more (and varied) stimuli to concentrate on can be helpful. You could:
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
- Have music playing while you paint a picture.
- Enjoy a book while soaking in a bubble bath.
You get the idea: engaging your brain can help you manage your tinnitus.
Alternately, many people have discovered that meditation helps because it concentrates your attention on something else, your breathing, a mantra, and so on. Another advantage 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
Many hearing aid companies have developed hearing aids that help reduce the ringing in your ear. This solution is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other approaches. The ringing will be handled by the hearing aid and you can relax and enjoy your life.
Make a Plan (And Stick to it)
The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be lessened, and your stress reaction can be managed if you have a good plan for any surges in your symptoms. Pack a bag of useful items to bring with you. Anything that will help you be more prepared and keep you from having a panic attack, like making a list of helpful exercises, will go a long way toward management.
Management is Key
Chronic tinnitus is a condition that has no known cure. But management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real possibility. These everyday tips (and more similar to 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