With chronic tinnitus, it’s not the ringing in your ears that’s the actual issue. The real issue is that the ringing doesn’t stop.
The continuous noise, perhaps somewhat moderate in volume, might start as little more than a nuisance. But the ringing can become frustrating and even debilitating if it goes on for days or months or more.
That’s why it’s critical that if you are coping with tinnitus you adhere to some tips to make life easier. 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.
How You Can Exacerbate Your Tinnitus
It’s important to remember that tinnitus is often not static. There are spikes and valleys in the presentation of symptoms. There are times when your tinnitus is minor and practically lost in the background. At other times the noises will be screeching in your ears so loudly it’s impossible to dismiss.
This can be a really uncertain and scary situation. You might be so worried about your tinnitus flaring up during a meeting that you get a panic attack while driving to work. And the very panic attack caused by this worry can itself trigger the tinnitus.
Tips For Coping With Tinnitus
The more you understand about tinnitus, the better you can plan for and manage the effects. And, because there’s no known cure for tinnitus, control of symptoms is essential. There’s no reason that your quality of life needs to suffer if you establish the proper treatment.
Think About Tinnitus Retraining Therapy
Many treatments for tinnitus involve some kind of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The analogy that gets used frequently is the sound of rain on your rooftops: very apparent at the start of a storm, but you stop paying attention to it after a while and that rain-on-rooftops sound fades into the background. TRT uses the same concept to train your brain to move the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time ignoring them.
Perfecting this technique can take a bit of practice.
Distract Your Brain
One of the reasons that 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 supplying your brain with more (and varied) stimuli to concentrate on can be helpful. Try these:
- Read a book while soaking in a bubble bath.
- Play music while painting a picture.
- Enjoy some time outdoors listening to the sounds of nature.
You get the idea: Your tinnitus might be able to be decreased by engaging your brain.
Alternately, many individuals have found that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and so on. Some individuals have discovered that meditation reduces their blood pressure, which can also be helpful with tinnitus.
Think about a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Numerous hearing aid companies have developed hearing aids that help reduce the ringing in your ear. Hearing aids are an ideal option because you put them in and can forget about them the whole day, you won’t need to carry around a white noise generator or constantly listen to an app. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid manage the ringing for you.
Make a Plan (And Follow-Through)
The impact of some tinnitus episodes can be decreased, and your stress reaction can be controlled if you have a practical plan for any surges in your symptoms. Plan on having a “go bag” full of things you might need. Anything that will help you be more prepared and keep you from having a panic attack, like making a list of practical exercises, will go a long way toward management.
Management is Key
Chronic tinnitus is an affliction that has no known cure. But management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real possibility. These daily 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