The actual problem with chronic tinnitus is not simply that you have a ringing in your ears. The real issue is that the ringing won’t stop.
Initially, 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 irritating, frustrating, even debilitating.
That’s why it’s critical that if you are coping with tinnitus you follow 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 buzzing or ringing in your ear.
How You Can Worsen Your Tinnitus
Chronic tinnitus, in fact, is commonly not a static problem. There are increases and decreases in the presentation of symptoms. There are times when your tinnitus is mild and virtually lost in the background. In other moments, that ringing could be as difficult to ignore as a full-blown, individualized symphony.
That can leave you in a rather frightening place of anxiety. You may be so concerned 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 know about tinnitus, the better you can prepare for and manage the effects. And management is the real key since tinnitus has no known cure. 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
Many treatment options for tinnitus involve some form of tinnitus retraining therapy (or TRT). The sound of rain on a roof is a common analogy: very apparent 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 thoughts where it’s easier to disregard.
Perfecting this strategy 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 frustrating. So giving your brain a variety of different sounds to focus on can be very helpful. Try these:
- Bring a book to the park and listen to the birds while reading.
- Enjoy a book while soaking in a bubble bath.
- Do some drawing or painting while playing music.
You get the idea: 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 etc. Another benefit of meditation, at least for some people, is that it can lower blood pressure which is a common cause of tinnitus symptoms.
Consider a Hearing Aid For Tinnitus Management
Hearing aids that help decrease tinnitus symptoms are already being developed by a number of 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 deal with 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 managed if you have a practical plan for any surges in your symptoms. Pack a bag of useful items to take with you. Anything that can help you be equipped 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 management and treatment of tinnitus is a very real possibility. Make certain 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