The actual issue with chronic tinnitus isn’t simply that you have a ringing in your ears. It’s the constant never ending ringing, that’s the real problem.
The constant noise, perhaps rather modest in volume, may start as little more than an annoyance. 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 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 struggling to fall asleep because of the ringing or buzzing in your ear.
Your Tinnitus Can be Exacerbated
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is frequently not a static condition. There are increases and decreases in the manifestation of symptoms. Sometimes, your tinnitus might be an afterthought, hidden in the background of daily life. At other times, that ringing could be as hard to ignore as a full-blown, personalized symphony.
This can be a very uncertain and scary situation. You may be so worried about your tinnitus flaring up while you’re in a meeting that you get a panic attack while driving to work. And the very panic attack brought on by this worry can itself trigger the tinnitus.
Tips For Living With Tinnitus
The more you understand about tinnitus, the better you can prepare for and manage the effects. And management is the key since tinnitus doesn’t have a known cure. With the correct management, 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 standard strategy for tinnitus management. The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: it’s very loud and obvious when it first begins but by the time the storm is ending you stop paying attention to it and recedes into the background. TRT uses the same concept to train your brain to push the tinnitus symptoms into the background of your thoughts so you will have an easier time tuning it out.
It can take training to master this method.
Distract Your Brain
One reason tinnitus can be so frustrating is because your brain is constantly searching for the source of that noise, attempting to signal you to its presence. So giving your brain more (and varied) stimuli to focus on can help. You could:
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
- Take a bubble bath and read a book.
- Do some drawing or painting while listening to music.
You get the gist: engaging your brain can help you control your tinnitus.
Alternately, many people have found that meditation helps because it focuses your attention on something else, your breath, a mantra, and so on. Some people have found that meditation reduces their blood pressure, which can also help with tinnitus.
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 option is really convenient because they are small and out of your way compared to other strategies. You can relax and let a discreet hearing aid manage the ringing for you.
Make a Plan (And Follow-Through)
Having a plan for unexpected spikes can help you control your stress-out response, and that can help you reduce certain tinnitus episodes (or at least keep from exacerbating them). Pack a bag of practical items to take with you. Anything that can help you be equipped for a tinnitus surge, even making a list of useful 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 management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real potential. These everyday tips (and more similar to them) can help make sure you are living with tinnitus, and not suffering from tinnitus.
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