The real issue with chronic tinnitus isn’t simply that you have a ringing in your ears. The real issue is that the ringing won’t stop.
Initially, this might be a mild 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 incapacitating.
That’s why it’s vital to have some tips to fall back 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 buzzing or ringing in your ear.
How You Can Exacerbate Your Tinnitus
It’s beneficial to keep in mind that tinnitus is often not static. Symptoms manifest themselves in spikes and valleys. Sometimes, your tinnitus may be an afterthought, hidden in the background of everyday life. At other times the noises will be shrieking in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to dismiss.
This can be a very uncertain and scary situation. You might be so worried about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting that you get a panic attack while driving to work. That panic attack, in and of itself, can cause the very episode you’re worried about.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
You will be in a better position to plan for and manage tinnitus the more you understand about it. And management is the key since tinnitus doesn’t have a known cure. With the proper treatment, there’s no reason that chronic tinnitus has to negatively impact your quality of life.
Consider Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Several treatments for tinnitus include some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The analogy that gets used most often is the sound of rain on your roof: very apparent 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. It’s the same basic concept with TRT, training your brain to move that ringing into the background of your thoughts where it’s easier to dismiss.
It can take practice to master this technique.
Distract Your Brain
Your brain is continuously searching for the source of the sound and that’s one of the reasons why tinnitus can be so aggravating. So supplying your brain with a variety of different sounds to focus on can be really helpful. Try these:
- Enjoy some time outdoors listening to the sounds of nature.
- Play music while painting a picture.
- Read a book while taking a bubble bath.
You get the gist: Your tinnitus may be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Alternately, many individuals have discovered that meditation helps because it concentrates your attention on something else, your breathing, a mantra, and etc. Some individuals have discovered that meditation decreases their blood pressure, which can also be helpful with tinnitus.
Think about a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Hearing aids that help minimize tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by several hearing aid companies. This option is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other strategies. The ringing will be managed by the hearing aid and you can relax and enjoy your life.
Have a Plan (And Stick to it)
The effect of some tinnitus episodes can be decreased, and your stress response can be controlled if you have a good plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Think about having a “go bag” containing things you may need. Anything that can help you be equipped for a tinnitus spike, even generating a list of useful exercises will be beneficial because it will keep you from panicking!
The Key is Management
Chronic tinnitus is an affliction that has no known cure. But management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real possibility. Make sure you are dealing with your tinnitus not suffering from it by utilizing these tips and any others that you find helpful.
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