The real problem with chronic tinnitus isn’t just that you have a ringing in your ears. The real problem is that the ringing doesn’t stop.
The constant noise, possibly somewhat moderate in volume, may begin as little more than an annoyance. But after a day or a week or a month, that buzzing or ringing 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 ringing from your right 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 often not static. Symptoms manifest themselves in spikes and valleys. At times, your tinnitus may be an afterthought, lost in the background of everyday life. In other moments, that ringing could be as difficult to ignore as a full-blown, individualized symphony.
That can leave you in a rather scary place of anxiety. 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. 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 prepare for and control the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, management of symptoms is essential. There’s no reason that your quality of life has to suffer if you put in place the proper treatment.
Think About Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is a standard approach to tinnitus management. The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: very obvious at the beginning of a storm, but you stop paying attention to it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound 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 ignore.
Mastering this technique can take a bit of practice.
Get Your Brain Distracted
Your brain is constantly looking for the source of the sound and that’s one of the reasons why tinnitus can be so aggravating. So giving your brain more (and varied) stimulation to concentrate on can help. Try these:
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Have music playing while you paint a picture.
- Enjoy some time outdoors listening to the sounds of nature.
You get the gist: engaging your brain can help you control your tinnitus.
Meditation, as an alternate path, helps you concentrate 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.
Consider a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Hearing aids that help reduce 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 approaches. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid take care of the ringing for you.
Make a Plan (And Follow-Through)
The impact of some tinnitus episodes can be decreased, and your stress response can be managed if you have a good plan for any spikes in your symptoms. Think about having a “go bag” full of things you might need. Anything that can help you be prepared for a tinnitus surge, even creating 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 often chronic. But that doesn’t mean that people cannot regulate and treat their tinnitus. Make sure you are dealing with your tinnitus not suffering from it by using 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